Tag
An interactive essay reflecting on how once-miraculous technologies like recorded music, electric light, and printing have become ordinary everyday conveniences.
An article explaining that Blaise Pascal invented the bus, contrary to the assumption that buses always existed, and describing how the innovation spread.
A historical essay about the Paige Compositor, the complex typesetting machine Mark Twain invested in for over a decade, which ultimately led to his financial ruin and depression.
An essay exploring why the bicycle was invented only in the late 1800s despite being a simple mechanical device, discussing hypotheses such as metalworking limitations, design iteration, road quality, competition from horses, economic growth, and cultural factors.
The article discusses the historical challenges of submarine communications, focusing on early 20th-century attempts to use radio and conductive methods through seawater, noting the limitations of signal penetration.
The article explores the surprisingly enduring legacy of vacuum tube technology, detailing its historical origins and continued use in applications like high-power radio transmitters, microwave ovens, and CRT displays, despite the dominance of semiconductors.
A review of a work exploring the history and cultural significance of spectacles, an early assistive technology.