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The Diner: Thursday topics
As always, I’m open for suggestions. Especially on topics about which I know absolutely nothing and have to vamp and show my own ignorance.
Also a possible topic: most undersung, under appreciated little piece of technology we use today. I have some ideas.
As ever, thanks for listening!
Published in General
The alphabet is a great piece of technology. I sometimes wonder how we ever got along without it.
Comics read other than super hero comics.
Movie scores that function essentially as another character, or the “emotional narrator,” in the movie. Gladiator, Psycho, Braveheart, Schindler’s List, Apollo 13, are some examples in my mind.
If you want completely random, tomorrow is my 46 birthday and Im doing a zoom call with Richochet members from a certain group… Your welcome to join…
Is there a reason your post is on both feeds, James?
Battle of the Network Stars vs The Rock and Roll Sports Spectacular.
Wow, under appreciated technologies? One might expect the list to be long and exhaustive. However, the first that popped into my head was twine (or maybe string).
Imagine the leap of imagination it took for some Paleolithic visionary to see the possibility of combining a stone hand axe with a stick, increasing the efficacy of the tool in terms of reach, mechanical advantage, and adaptability. Now knives, adzes, spears, hoes, sickles, plows all become possible, simply because someone thought to twist and weave grass fibers together tightly.
I’m curious to read and hear what others might add to the discussion.
After your discussion last week on the movie Gladiator, have you watched the HBO series Rome?
Pinball machines.
Happy birthday in four minutes, unmet amigo. I am five years ahead of you, and things look OK from here. There are definite challenges, but nothing that cannot be navigated. Press on!
For a writer, I bet migrating from using a typewriter to using digital word processor would have to be a welcome technology.
Toilets. Marvels of engineering.
The Compact Cassette.
Did you participate in the ancient, lost ritual of creating mix-tapes for yourself, or others, for music typically enjoyed in the car, or out and about with a portable tape player?
Just like that, everyone became a sound engineer. And a record producer.
‘Twas glorious.
Taylor ham or pork roll?
“little piece of technology we use today” is pretty open ended. Do you have a device or product more in mind? I often reflect on the genius of those scientists and inventors that harnessed/developed electricity.
We’re back, not really that far from the Stone Ages without it.
Slide rules. I still have mine and remember how to use it. I also have the HP-35 I used in undergraduate school, and the HP-15C I use in grad school . . .
For under appreciated and actually under attack technology that is indispensable to the modern world, I submitted the Diesel engine. It has allowed modern farming to feed probably 10x the number of people with 1/4 (or less) of the labor force. It enables the global commerce chain which has enriched the lives of most people on the globe and lifted billions world wide out of poverty. It is incredibly efficient for its primary uses and it completely under attack but a vast group of people who don’t realize that their lives and lifestyles probably wouldn’t exist without it. It is as ubiquitous as it is essential, yet we forget, if we ever knew, it is a proper name and should be capitalized.
I’m reading “The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel”, very interesting- very worthwhile submittal.
Toenail clippers
It’s “an amazing true story” about innovation and competition in the energy business. Andrew Klavan recently interviewed the author:
I read the book – it was a good read