Groups > comp.lang.java.programmer > #37892

Re: WHY

From	Kiwi User <martin@mydomain.invalid>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject	Re: WHY
Date	2017-12-19 22:57 +0000
Organization	albasani.net
Message-ID	<p1c5h3$bn5$1@news.albasani.net> (permalink)
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On Tue, 19 Dec 2017 12:49:06 -0800, Eric Douglas wrote:

> Apparently we don't reinvent the wheel because it is the first great man
> made invention (fire being from nature), which is ironic considering
> starting from scratch is also called going back to square one.
>
I don't think it was the first great invention: that goes either to a 
boat (there are a number of civilisations who had boats but not wheels) 
or to the combination of horse-collar and plough. IIRC both of these 
preceded the wheel simply because both can be used without some 
approximation to a road, and a pack-animal is much superior to wheels 
where there is no road or other hard surface. 

You can't have cities without farming - and farming requires a plough, 
which works fine without a wheel, but is impossible without a horse-
collar, or its equivalent, fitted to whatever animal is being used to 
pull the plough. Once you have farming you get populations and cities for 
them to live in. Cities are popular places to places to travel between, 
so you need roads between them and, finally, you have someplace where a 
wheeled vehicle has advantages a sledge or a pack-animal. 

Without roads the camel train is a lot handier than carts, and a ship 
beats both if you have a sea handy. Just ask the Vikings!

> Apparently we haven't invented a more notable thing since sliced bread.
>
Sure we have. Aircraft and the refrigerator for two.

-- 
Martin    | martin at
Gregorie  | gregorie
          | dot org

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Thread

WHY Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2017-12-19 08:01 -0800
  Re: WHY Kiwi User <martin@mydomain.invalid> - 2017-12-19 17:47 +0000
    Re: WHY Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2017-12-19 10:28 -0800
      Re: WHY Daniele Futtorovic <da.futt.news@laposte.net> - 2017-12-19 19:49 +0100
        Re: WHY Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2017-12-19 11:12 -0800
        Re: WHY Kiwi User <martin@mydomain.invalid> - 2017-12-19 19:17 +0000
          Re: WHY Daniele Futtorovic <da.futt.news@laposte.net> - 2017-12-19 22:59 +0100
      Re: WHY Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2017-12-19 19:59 -0500
      Re: WHY Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2017-12-19 20:07 -0500
    Re: WHY Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2017-12-19 20:16 -0500
  Re: WHY Daniele Futtorovic <da.futt.news@laposte.net> - 2017-12-19 19:40 +0100
    Re: WHY Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid> - 2017-12-19 14:42 -0500
      Re: WHY lewbloch@gmail.com - 2017-12-19 11:48 -0800
        Re: WHY Eric Douglas <e.d.programmer@gmail.com> - 2017-12-19 12:49 -0800
          Re: WHY Kiwi User <martin@mydomain.invalid> - 2017-12-19 22:57 +0000

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