One Invention to Rule Them All
Published July 13th, 2007Sometimes in my whimsical moments I dream of going back in time - far back - and becoming the greatest inventor the world has ever seen. I mean, think of all the things I’d know! I’d be a combination of da Vinci and Nostradamus. I’d make Tesla look like a copycat. The Royal Society in London would be my personal fan section. I’d be able to advance the technology level of the human race hundreds of years into the future. All I need is one invention - a time machine. After that, the possibilities are endless! Really though, just being accidentally sent back in time would be cool - I could build all sorts of cool things with my 21st Century knowledge.
Or could I? A new site, The Universe As, posted today a little technology quiz asking, “How Useful Are You?” Exactly how useful am I? Well I got 7/10 right, so I’m pretty useful. Dropped into the year zero it estimated I could vault technology into the 17th or 18th centuries. Not bad. But the quiz really points out how hard it would be. I’m not sure I could get 7/10 if it was fill in the blanks instead of multiple choice. And even if I know how to make steel - where the hell do I find some of the things needed? I know elmer’s glue comes from horses - but how? How do you make cement? I don’t know how to do a lot of things. And I’ll bet neither do you. It’s a good little reminder that even though modern man is pretty smart, he’s also pretty dumb too. (That’s the man=humanity usage, ladies, you’re not off the hook)
Damn, I only got 5/10 right, I’m mediocre, only advancing civilization to the 15th century. Though, I’d argue that that’s still pretty damn cool, as it encompasses the time period of Joan of Arc, The War of the Roses, Columbus and Vasco da Gama, Gutengerg, da Vinci, and of course the Renaissance in general!
Who knew mediocrity could be so cool?!
ha ha! i only got 5 out of 10 right as well! but who needs me when kevin can get us into the 17th or 18th century!
can anyone best his score?
j.j.
Yes I can best him, because cephyn likes the Dark Ages after all.
If two out of three ain’t bad, then three out of ten ain’t bad either, cause that sounds good. Oh, and I got the air conditioning one because cephyn told me on a hot day the car he was leasing one time.