Technology level

  • 74 Replies
  • 26822 Views

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

What Came Before

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Emwama
  • *****
  • Posts: 0
    • View Profile
    • First Second Apocalypse
« Reply #60 on: May 14, 2013, 09:25:46 pm »
Quote from: Auriga
Quote from: Duskweaver
You're thinking of the Antikythera Mechanism. It did more than "calculate the seasons", though. It accurately calculated the positions of the Sun, Moon and all the (then) five known planets, lunar phases, solar and lunar eclipses, and the correct dates for the Olympic Games.
Yep, that's the one. I didn't know it could calculate the positions of the sun, moon, and planets. Although I wonder how it did this in a pre-industrial age?

Quote
Repositionable pegs moving past a set of levers, basically. Water/gravity-powered, controlled by hydraulic pressure switches.
Thanks for the info. I'd love to learn more about ancient Chinese robotics and al-Jazari's engineering, I find this pre-modern machinery really fascinating. I did some google-fu on this, but didn't get any good sites.

The medieval Middle-East was quite advanced in many ways - not just the automatic musical band, but stuff like astrolabes and quadrants were also invented at that time. I wonder what the Bakker-world equivalent would be?

What Came Before

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Emwama
  • *****
  • Posts: 0
    • View Profile
    • First Second Apocalypse
« Reply #61 on: May 14, 2013, 09:25:54 pm »
Quote from: Madness
Al-Jazari and the History of the Water Clock

Here's something to wet your whistle, Auriga.

Madness

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Old Name
  • *****
  • Conversational Batman
  • Posts: 5275
  • Strength on the Journey - Journey Well
    • View Profile
    • The Second Apocalypse
« Reply #62 on: January 01, 2014, 01:44:12 pm »
Study of the Antikythera Mechanism: Ancient astronomy: Mechanical inspiration

The Existential Scream
Weaponizing the Warrior Pose - Declare War Inwardly
carnificibus: multus sanguis fluit
Die Better
The Theory-Killer

Phallus Pendulus

  • *
  • Suthenti
  • *
  • Posts: 67
    • View Profile
« Reply #63 on: February 04, 2014, 12:21:09 pm »
There's always this as well:

http://revelationawaitsanappointedtime.blogspot.com/2011/03/arabic-automata.html

I had no idea that pre-industrial robots were around in the Middle Ages, tbh.


Madness

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Old Name
  • *****
  • Conversational Batman
  • Posts: 5275
  • Strength on the Journey - Journey Well
    • View Profile
    • The Second Apocalypse
« Reply #64 on: February 06, 2014, 12:27:07 pm »
I had no idea that pre-industrial robots were around in the Middle Ages, tbh.

I'll have to find a link but I've encountered evidence of a 12th century "factory" basically, with a "production line."
The Existential Scream
Weaponizing the Warrior Pose - Declare War Inwardly
carnificibus: multus sanguis fluit
Die Better
The Theory-Killer

Phallus Pendulus

  • *
  • Suthenti
  • *
  • Posts: 67
    • View Profile
« Reply #65 on: February 07, 2014, 02:58:18 pm »
I'll have to find a link but I've encountered evidence of a 12th century "factory" basically, with a "production line."

IIRC, the Romans also had something similar to assembly-line factories, worked by thousands of slaves. Can't remember where I read it, either.


Alia

  • *
  • Kijneta
  • ***
  • Of The Knife
  • Posts: 249
    • View Profile
« Reply #66 on: February 07, 2014, 04:09:39 pm »
Well, people in the ancient times and then middle ages knew things that would seem surprisingly out of their times. For example, the ancient Greeks knew steam engine and a lot about optics. But the point is - they seldom used this knowledge. Simply because they really had no need for it. If the society works just fine using slave labour, why would you need machines?
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake

Wilshire

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Old Name
  • *****
  • Enshoiya
  • Posts: 5935
  • One of the other conditions of possibility
    • View Profile
« Reply #67 on: February 07, 2014, 04:51:46 pm »
Invention out of necessity, always.
One of the other conditions of possibility.

mrganondorf

  • *
  • The Mouth of Bakker Fans
  • Old Name
  • *****
  • Nurse Leweth
  • Posts: 2002
  • PSUKHE ALL THE THINGS!
    • View Profile
    • R. Scott Bakker Fans (on Twitter)
« Reply #68 on: April 05, 2014, 12:07:03 am »
@ Centurion or anyone.  Centurion said
Quote
Inchoroi: They have lasers and advanced genetic technology.  When these "real world" technologies were pitted against the Nonmen they were almost evenly matched.  They also have a wrecked spaceship which is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.  Obviously, this means that Earwa exists in an alternate reality where Daleks got Time Lord technology and are using it to try and shut off the Outside, rendering them the supreme rulers of time and space.

Did I miss something?  Is the Ark really bigger on the inside than the out?  I didn't see anyone else responding to this bit!

@ Madness - I love your idea that the Ark is kind of like one huge Chorae!  Seswatha would definitely need help in there.  :)

Wilshire

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Old Name
  • *****
  • Enshoiya
  • Posts: 5935
  • One of the other conditions of possibility
    • View Profile
« Reply #69 on: April 05, 2014, 07:28:14 pm »
I think its  a perception illusion rather than some kind of magic. You cannot see the ship, other than the horns, and the inside is larger than most cities. I presume that it is just buried underground, making appear larger inside.
One of the other conditions of possibility.

Madness

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Old Name
  • *****
  • Conversational Batman
  • Posts: 5275
  • Strength on the Journey - Journey Well
    • View Profile
    • The Second Apocalypse
« Reply #70 on: April 06, 2014, 12:51:25 pm »
@ Madness - I love your idea that the Ark is kind of like one huge Chorae!  Seswatha would definitely need help in there.  :)

Can you point this out for me... I don't think I meant that? Was I making a No-Ship analogy?
The Existential Scream
Weaponizing the Warrior Pose - Declare War Inwardly
carnificibus: multus sanguis fluit
Die Better
The Theory-Killer

mrganondorf

  • *
  • The Mouth of Bakker Fans
  • Old Name
  • *****
  • Nurse Leweth
  • Posts: 2002
  • PSUKHE ALL THE THINGS!
    • View Profile
    • R. Scott Bakker Fans (on Twitter)
« Reply #71 on: April 06, 2014, 04:34:50 pm »
I think I screwed it up!

On page 2 of the thread, Wilshire said

"Wasn't the inside of the Ark also inscribed with innumerable runes, or am I remembering something wrong?  Regardless, anything covered in runes has got to be some kind of magical."

Later on page 2 Madness responded

"The ark is described as covered in 'alien filigree,' Wilshire, which amounts to the same.  I've often wondered at the past and future prevalence of sorcerous objects.  Is there something more powerful than Chorae?"

Wilshire

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Old Name
  • *****
  • Enshoiya
  • Posts: 5935
  • One of the other conditions of possibility
    • View Profile
« Reply #72 on: April 06, 2014, 04:56:04 pm »
Depends on how you define "more powerful". It would be pretty terrifying if there was some kind of choraeic field generator, that simply negated and vaporized/salted any sorcery/schoolman contained within it.
One of the other conditions of possibility.

Madness

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Old Name
  • *****
  • Conversational Batman
  • Posts: 5275
  • Strength on the Journey - Journey Well
    • View Profile
    • The Second Apocalypse
« Reply #73 on: April 08, 2014, 09:27:56 am »
I think I screwed it up!

On page 2 of the thread, Wilshire said

"Wasn't the inside of the Ark also inscribed with innumerable runes, or am I remembering something wrong?  Regardless, anything covered in runes has got to be some kind of magical."

Later on page 2 Madness responded

"The ark is described as covered in 'alien filigree,' Wilshire, which amounts to the same.  I've often wondered at the past and future prevalence of sorcerous objects.  Is there something more powerful than Chorae?"

Thanks.

Sentence 1 explicitly refers to Wilshire's sentence 1. Sentence 2 can definitely be taken as you've taken it but I was thinking generally about sorcerous objects - I find it interesting that the Inchoroi or entity X inscribed the Ark but I don't think it's sorcerous - alien is what I focused on in my reading. Sentence 3 refers to the general sorcerous objects conception I had going - like if the Nonmen Aporetic's or anyone since (Mihtrulic) had done anything differently, based on the idea that Chorae are simply artifacts of the Aporos whereas we've been denied Gnostic objects (despite what we've seen of Kellhus' hardware, Mimara's scores from Sauglish, and the Agonic Collar).

Depends on how you define "more powerful". It would be pretty terrifying if there was some kind of choraeic field generator, that simply negated and vaporized/salted any sorcery/schoolman contained within it.

This is more what I was riffing towards. No-Sorcery field...
« Last Edit: April 08, 2014, 09:29:58 am by Madness »
The Existential Scream
Weaponizing the Warrior Pose - Declare War Inwardly
carnificibus: multus sanguis fluit
Die Better
The Theory-Killer

Wilshire

  • *
  • Administrator
  • Old Name
  • *****
  • Enshoiya
  • Posts: 5935
  • One of the other conditions of possibility
    • View Profile
« Reply #74 on: April 08, 2014, 01:48:44 pm »
A faintly visible, expanding hemisphere of death(retribution?)
One of the other conditions of possibility.