Reply to: The 2000 year old computer

[hyperD]

Bit of a generalisation. And you need a lot of space and food to keep plenty of slaves in good enough condition to be worthwhile.

Just like acres of windfarms and their maintenance when a nice modern energy efficient CCGT would suffice.

[MarillionFan]

Aye.

From horse & cart to thermonuclear weapons in a couple of generations.

I really thought that Cunning Plan was coming to fruition with that one, but you really can't rely on hu-mans to do anything properly.

Ho hum.

I suppose I'd better start fettling the Home Fusion Generator(tm, patent applied for) a bit sooner.

I'm still a bit disappointed by this whole 'space travel' lark. And how come we cannot find a better source of fuel than Oil.

The second oil runs out, somebody will come up with 'oh look an engine that runs on rainwater. That's all of you in the South of England fecked then'.

[MarillionFan]

Have you watched that video? It's utter crap!

I watched the first minute. Just doing so now as my machine crashed. Yep. It's crap. I could do a better one that from the Fortean Times web site & my entire collection of the Unexplained.

Sorry.

[SupremeSpod]

There are lots of so called Ooparts. It it churlish to believe that we only started to produce complex machines/batteries/mechanisms/chemistry/physics/maths etc from the Renaissance and then industrial revolution. It's a very short period of time. In fact when you look at machinery it's really on in the last 200 years, with the last 50/60 years really accelerating. We've had a short period where on the whole mankind hasn't been trying to kill each other on a massive scale.

Any of the ancient civilizations within a short 200/300 year period could have made massive leaps in technology. It's only in our time that it's been so pervasive.

Have you watched that video? It's utter crap!

In fact I refuse to quote it.

[MarillionFan]

There are lots of so called Ooparts. It it churlish to believe that we only started to produce complex machines/batteries/mechanisms/chemistry/physics/maths etc from the Renaissance and then industrial revolution. It's a very short period of time. In fact when you look at machinery it's really on in the last 200 years, with the last 50/60 years really accelerating. We've had a short period where on the whole mankind hasn't been trying to kill each other on a massive scale.

Any of the ancient civilizations within a short 200/300 year period could have made massive leaps in technology. It's only in our time that it's been so pervasive.


<Crap Removed>

Check out http://www.forteantimes.com/ instead. Much better source for Forteana.

[SupremeSpod]

What, like clocks and watches with "complications"?

Invented "when"?

[doodab]

Hang on a minute...

If that thing was invented 2000 years ago, why the **** did the dark ages happen and why haven't we seen similar items through history?

What, like clocks and watches with "complications"?

[darrenb]

Hang on a minute...

If that thing was invented 2000 years ago, why the **** did the dark ages happen and why haven't we seen similar items through history?

Because ad revenues were pitiful, the ship carrying the project sunk, and production was outsourced to Atlantis.

[al_cam]

Thanks for the heads up on this - just watched it on the old iPlayer. Absolutely fascinating. Some +ve rep on its way...

[doomage]

A much older computer than that was discovered recently, 30,000 years old or more, and it's digital.

It was a long bone with regular row of small scratch marks along it, maybe to count sheep.

Was it a welsh headboard?

[OwlHoot]

A much older computer than that was discovered recently, 30,000 years old or more, and it's digital.

It was a long bone with regular row of small scratch marks along it, maybe to count sheep.

[d000hg]

Hang on a minute...

If that thing was invented 2000 years ago, why the **** did the dark ages happen and why haven't we seen similar items through history?

Because religion liked to crush science (and still does).

The term 'dark ages' is a bit of a myth.

[scooby]

V interesting program, good spot!!

[SupremeSpod]

It's definitely worth doing for the Bristol Channel, though I won't bore you with the details.

Very good...

[doomage]

Of somewhat lower complexity from what I could see.

Improved usability perhaps?...