Invention
The Ordnance Revolution Of The Last Quarter Of The 19th Century.
If you look at artillery of the American Civil War and the Artillery of the First World War they are nothing alike. A typical field artillery piece of the American Civil war would be fully familiar in all respects to an artilleryman from the 18th Century and even the 17th Century or earlier. There would be some improvements in the carriage and fittings, but the basic piece and how it was fired would be something that the gunner from the army of Gustavus Aldolphus would have no problems with. Forty years later and that gunner would have no clues as how the gun was fabricated or operated.
Machine Tools And The Men Who Created Them.
Back when I started this blog I posted some pics from the Watts Campbell factory in Newark NJ, a more or less early 20th Century steam engine factory that was stuck in amber for fifty years.
Has Technology Stuck?
Or has it been stuck? George Will talks about that here:
How Do You Become A Billionaire Without A Product?
Every time I see a story about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, I get that little feeling in my gut that says that “something isn’t right.”
Jamie Hyneman Plays With A Drone
The idea is sound. It needs work. I think Jamie needs a bigger drone and an attached 50cc two cycle motor.
He should talk to the guys at Stihl. They like clever ideas.
The Arts Mechanical 