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rootsofprogress's profile
The Roots of Progress
The Roots of Progress
The Roots of Progress
@rootsofprogress

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The Roots of Progress

@rootsofprogress

The story of human progress—and how we can keep it going. Subscribe: http://rootsofprogress.org/subscribe  Support: http://patreon.com/rootsofprogress 

rootsofprogress.org
Joined April 2017

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    The Roots of Progress‏ @rootsofprogress Feb 23
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    Why did it take so long to invent… … the wheel? … the steam engine? … the bicycle? … the flying shuttle? … the cotton gin? Starting to collect articles here (let me know any others):https://rootsofprogress.org/why-did-it-take-so-long …

    9:59 AM - 23 Feb 2020
    • 5 Retweets
    • 31 Likes
    • Philippe Larcher Nick Anyos misteriridescent Magnus Kempe Eric Lofgren Daily Tigor Praveen Singh V Alan Laidlaw payani
    7 replies 5 retweets 31 likes
      1. New conversation
      2. Nick Lewendon‏ @Misternicko Feb 23
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        Replying to @rootsofprogress

        Optics, aka the Telescope/Microscope. Theory of Electromagnetism The pendulum clock

        1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
      3. The Roots of Progress‏ @rootsofprogress Feb 23
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        Replying to @Misternicko

        Any good articles discussing why these were invented later than it seems like they could have been?

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
      4. End of conversation
      1. Anders Sandberg‏ @anderssandberg Mar 2
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        Replying to @rootsofprogress

        One interesting example may be the semaphore telegraph. I can imagine the Romans doing it. Might have required the telescope to really come into its own (but lens-making was happening in the late medieval period too).

        0 replies 0 retweets 2 likes
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      1. Sarah Cone‏ @sarah_cone Feb 23
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        Replying to @rootsofprogress

        The suitcase with wheels is the most baffling one.

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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      1. Daily Tigor‏ @MikeTsayper Feb 24
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        Replying to @rootsofprogress

        7500 years old wheeled toy from Kizil Tepe: https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-b36bfc39868db6620098c7d817e098c3 … i think having metal tools was essential for working hard woods. metal tools are about an order of magnitude better for this purpose than stone tools

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      2. Yashvant Keshwala‏ @yshvak Feb 23
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        Replying to @rootsofprogress @jasoncrawford

        Imagine seeing a round stone rolling and not trying to make a circular rolling something? Maybe humans weren't as thoughtful back then/ experimenting wasn't promoted/thought muscle got stronger recently.

        2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
      3. Jason Crawford‏ @jasoncrawford Feb 23
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        Replying to @yshvak @rootsofprogress

        I think it's true that there has been more experimentation recently. But there's more to the wheel than that, read the linked article

        0 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
      4. End of conversation
      1. Morality First‏ @7VirtuesPlus Feb 23
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        Replying to @rootsofprogress

        Science itself also had to be invented.

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      1. ganesh‏ @ganesh__s Mar 2
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        Replying to @rootsofprogress

        Wheeled suitcase? I guess @nntaleb talks about it in Antifragile.

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