Homestead mailing list

[Don Bowen <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>]

At 11/19/2006, you wrote:
> The metal worker recorded in Genesis, was quite a long time before Columbus.
> Something like 2000 years?

Agriculture started about 10,000 years ago.  The Bronze age started about 
5000 years ago and the iron age was about 3000 years ago.

> The American natives were still knapping flints in 1492 and for years
> afterward...perhaps as late as the mid-1800s.

Stone tools were in use until cheap trade goods started flooding the 
market.  Metal knives were some of the first goods requested followed by 
metal cooking pots.  Scrap metal had a very high trade value.



Don Bowen              Awl Knotted Up                       KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com
My travel journal
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html

I am omnivagant.  
> From don.bowen AT earthlink.net  Sun Nov 19 11:44:07 2006
Return-Path: <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>
X-Original-To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Delivered-To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Received: from elasmtp-junco.atl.sa.earthlink.net
        (elasmtp-junco.atl.sa.earthlink.net [209.86.89.63])
        by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 786B74C00D
        for <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Sun, 19 Nov 2006 11:44:07 -0500 
(EST)
Received: from [71.110.161.10] (helo=DonsLaptop.earthlink.net)
        by elasmtp-junco.atl.sa.earthlink.net with asmtp
        (TLSv1:DES-CBC3-SHA:168) (Exim 4.34) id 1Glpm3-0007il-6O
        for homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org; Sun, 19 Nov 2006 11:44:07 -0500
Message-Id: <6.1.2.0.2.20061119082823.01ca74f0 AT earthlink.net>
X-Sender: don.bowen AT earthlink.net@earthlink.net
X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 6.1.2.0
Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2006 08:40:53 -0800
To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
From: Don Bowen <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>
In-Reply-To: <cd3.370db8c.3291d6fa AT wmconnect.com>
References: <cd3.370db8c.3291d6fa AT wmconnect.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
X-ELNK-Trace: 
fae472dab72753a485338a7d01cb3b6a7e972de0d01da940faff3b3fee86713eb35e461e6027b83c350badd9bab72f9c350badd9bab72f9c350badd9bab72f9c
X-Originating-IP: 71.110.161.10
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.8
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Technology
X-BeenThere: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.8
Precedence: list
Reply-To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
List-Id: <homestead.lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead>,
        <mailto:homestead-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/homestead>
List-Post: <mailto:homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Help: <mailto:sympa AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=HELP>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead>,
        <mailto:homestead-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2006 16:44:07 -0000



The start of agricultural can be traced to about 10,000 years ago in the 
middle east.  It is an area of several plants and animals that could be 
domesticates, sheep, goats, wheat, some peas, etc.  The growth of 
agriculture lead to the growth of many less desirable institutions such as 
churches and governments.  Many empires rose and fell using stone tools.

The bronze age started about 5-6000 years ago.  Before that there were some 
metal workers beating metal into decorative items but as pottery workers 
learned to control the use of fire and heat, it became possible to work 
metal.  Learning the alloy process lead to the bronze age and an increase 
in metal weapons.  Only later were metal tools more common.

About 3-4000 years ago further increases in how to use heat and work with 
alloys lead to the Hitites learning how to manipulate iron ore into even 
better tools and weapons.  The roman destruction of the Hitites scattered 
iron knowledge through the migrations of the Celts.  Steel was a rare and 
poorly understood part of the iron mongers art.  It was not until the 
harnessing of the steam engine and the energy in coke about 150 years ago 
that steel became so common that it is often just thrown in the trash when 
objects are worn out.

Oil as a source of cheap energy started 150 years ago.  Cheap oil is drying 
up as we are watching it and will not be a major source of energy in 50 years.


Don Bowen              Awl Knotted Up                       KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com
My travel journal
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html

I am omnivagant.  
> From genegerue AT ruralize.com  Sun Nov 19 12:05:15 2006
Return-Path: <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
X-Original-To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Delivered-To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Received: from n016.sc0.cp.net (smtpout1067.sc0.he.tucows.com [64.97.144.67])
        by lists.ibiblio.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C2F974C00D
        for <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>; Sun, 19 Nov 2006 12:05:15 -0500 
(EST)
Received: from SLIM.hughes.net (72.168.70.61) by n016.sc0.cp.net (7.2.078)
        (authenticated as genegerue AT hughes.net)
        id 455C3495000D9D20 for homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org;
        Sun, 19 Nov 2006 17:05:14 +0000
Message-Id: <7.0.1.0.2.20061119105406.02ce9410 AT ruralize.com>
X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 7.0.1.0
Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2006 11:04:41 -0600
To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
In-Reply-To: <277.1627417b.32912792 AT wmconnect.com>
References: <277.1627417b.32912792 AT wmconnect.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Technology
X-BeenThere: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.8
Precedence: list
Reply-To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
List-Id: <homestead.lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead>,
        <mailto:homestead-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/homestead>
List-Post: <mailto:homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
List-Help: <mailto:sympa AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=HELP>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead>,
        <mailto:homestead-request AT lists.ibiblio.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2006 17:05:16 -0000


> Has technology made us any happier?  Instead of taking some joy in what
> technology brings us, it appears to me that instead there is only 
> the creeping fear of being without it.  Yet we often mistake that 
> unrealized (as yet) fear for happiness.

Happiness is one of those words like good and bad that challenge 
simple and universal clarification. Each of us here is communicating 
via what I still see as magical technology. Each of us may judge 
whether we are happier with it or would be less happy without it. 
Were we happier before or after? If keyboards become impossible 
because of lack of oil, will we sob? Nah, we'll figure out how to 
make them of bamboo. We will not give them up until a superior typing 
method is developed.

For me, the Internet contributes to my happiness but is not essential 
to it. Information is power; better decisions are made with better 
information. Whether we are merely titillated or actually empowered 
by the plethora of information provided by the Internet, I feel that 
few of us would willingly give it up.