Steam engines work fine on wood - not as efficient but they worked with wood for years. Hydro-power has worked even better since ancient times.
Charcoal comes from wood and can be made into coke. All that aside, I don't understand the comment "we already have mined and spent all of easily available fossil fuels". That's stupid on several levels. Ray Parks Consilient Heuristician/IDART Program Manager V: 505-844-4024 M: 505-238-9359 P: 505-951-6084 NIPR: rcpa...@sandia.gov SIPR: rcpar...@sandia.doe.sgov.gov (send NIPR reminder) JWICS: dopa...@doe.ic.gov (send NIPR reminder) On Mar 21, 2013, at 4:41 PM, Robert J. Cordingley wrote: > At the risk of hijacking the thread... I liked the comment on the ycombinator: > PeterisP > > There exists a viewpoint that in case of a cataclysm (which would involve > man-made objects disappearing*) we would never, ever progress past 18th > century tech again. > The argument is that getting from animal-powered devices to > solar/nuclear/whatever powered devices while at the same time switching from > 90%-agricultural workforce to anything more progressive can happen only if > there is a cheap source of energy available - and we already have mined and > spent all of easily available fossil fuels. > Even if all kinds of fancy devices are available and constructed by rich > enthusiasts, the lack of cheap steam power ensures lack of cheap steel/etc, > and all the technologies don't get the mass adoption required for their > improvements, there are almost no advantages for industrialization, so the > world gets stuck in feudal-agriculture systems as the local optimum. > > which suggests the Knowledge Ark would be largely a waste of time. > > * refers to a preceding comment. > > Robert C > > > On 3/21/13 11:00 AM, Owen Densmore wrote: >> From HN, a pointer to a delightfully clever essay that would be loved by >> Nick and others who are often bewildered by the hacker alphabet soup of >> acronyms and buzz words. >> >> Well, what _does_ happen when you got to a web page? >> https://plus.google.com/112218872649456413744/posts/dfydM2Cnepe >> https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5408597 >> >> This has the possibility of a new book that somehow makes it all reasonably >> clear. Maybe. >> >> -- Owen >> >> >> ============================================================ >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College >> to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
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