Walter Bright wrote:
Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
Sometimes I run these crazy calculations: how much modern firepower
would be just enough to turn the odds in a classic battle? At
Thermopilae, I think two Vickers with enough ammo would have been just
about enough. Also at the Lord of the Rings 2 night castle defense,
one machine gun would have sufficed (better protection and fewer
assailants).
Sometimes I think what if I were dropped naked back in time 20,000 years
ago?
Gosh, that runs through my mind a lot! (Also, I tend to ask myself a lot
- what if I were dropped some 100-200 years *from* now?)
Assuming I didn't get promptly cooked for dinner, what technology
could I deliver that would have the most impact?
I can't decide between iron, agriculture, or writing. I suspect writing.
Every time humans got better at communicating, there was a huge increase
in the rate of progress.
speech
writing
printing
telegraph
telephone
internet
My list:
- wheel
- fire
- smelting metals
- writing
- arithmetic
Andrei
