Prehistoric biotechnology
Our astronomer steps out of his area of expertise to comment on biology.
Toy poodles, the Belmont Stakes and wheat
Articles Tagged with social effects of technology
The radio and the epee tip
The strange endurance of obsolescence
Why do some things keep on being used when an up-to-date replacement is clearly much better?
Life is nonlinear
Changing something changes everything
Tomorrow is a lot like today, but not always. Beware the law of unintended consequences.
For the long run
One of our consultants has been working on a genealogical project this past week. It prompts some thoughts on the difference between science and scholarship as well as the longevity of documents.
Not dangerous enough
Probable perils of new technology
Using mobile phones, especially smartphones, while driving is dangerous. Yet our chief consultant concludes it’s not dangerous enough!
Simplified lightning
The rise and fall of the flashbulb
Our photographer illustrates the evolution of technology through something once ubiquitous, now obsolete.
Making it easy makes it hard
Simplicity is good, but not always
Photography can seem very complicated, so cameras made for non-experts are often highly simplified. This can make them difficult to use.
Ends and means
Or, strategy and tactics in photography (and elsewhere)
You have many tasks, large and small, difficult and otherwise. For each one you have to choose a way to get it done. A problem arises when you find such a wonderful means that you forget the end.
Brass, glass and verniers
Scientists of yesterday were different
Our astronomer and our navigator are away from headquarters at the moment, showing a Professor of Physics how to use his sextant. This style of instrument was the mainstay of nineteenth-century astronomy: made of brass and glass, with precise scales engraved on them for careful measurements. The people who used them had to work in a different way from current astronomers and must have had a different approach to life.
Instant gratification in the Swinging Sixties
A darkroom inside the camera
A remarkable mid-century invention allowed a photographer to produce pictures almost immediately, a bit of magic that is rarely matched even by current digital cameras.