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The Antikythera mechanism reveals new secrets

scientificamerican.com

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Re: The Antikythera mechanism reveals new secrets

#111

Post by toomanydoubts »

marcosdumay wrote: post #37
dougmwne wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This realization hit me after spending a few weeks in Italy seeing the remains of the Roman Empire. I had a building sense that they were awfully close to the industrial revolution, that there was no particular reason it couldn’t have happened thousands of years ago in the face of a highly organized, long lived, innovative empire with enormous resources. I think it’s an accident of history that it happened in England…

They had nothing like the Modern age's science. I can't imagine any reason for it not appearing there given enough time, but they didn't have the dispassionate questioning of every theory and total submission to empiricism that are fundamental to science today. Math advanced a huge amount during the Medieval age. They simply didn't have good tools for calculations, and nearly all of the Modern Age's math was based on…

I find interesting that Archimedes came so, so close to calculus millenniums before Newton. I wonder how things would've panned out had him had the mathematical tools to formalize calculus.

Re: The Antikythera mechanism reveals new secrets

#112

Post by thombat »

istinetz wrote: post #95
JohnBooty wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another renaissance to recreate our civilization from our published work would be nearly impossible. Or, take centuries to accomplish. It might not be possible at all. We've long since used up the "easy" sources of energy on this planet - all of the fossil fuels conveniently located near the earth's surface have long been depleted. By the time they could possibly be replenished, the Sun will be nearing the end of its…

>By the time they could possibly be replenished, the Sun will be nearing the end of its life. What? No. You're making shit up and passing it as fact. >Most anthracite and bituminous coals occur within the 299- to 359.2-million-year-old strata of the Carboniferous Period, the so-called first coal age. >Astronomers estimate that the sun has about 7 billion to 8 billion years left before it sputters out and dies. There…

However current theories of stellar evolution place the extinction of life on Earth in the range on hundreds of millions of years, due to the increase of its luminosity. For example here's a description of a better climate model [1] extending the time until the surface temperature reaches 70 degrees Celsius to one billion years, whereupon feedback of the water content of the atmosphere results in boiling away all liquid water.

So while the sun may be nowhere near the end of its life, the time of Earth lying in its "Goldilocks zone" is much shorter.

[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131216142310.h...

Re: The Antikythera mechanism reveals new secrets

#113

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

cormullion wrote: post #103
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #19

I’m wondering if anyone has created a software model of the mechanism. Is anyone aware of such a project? It sounds right up the alley of many HN readers.

I have one on mu iPad. There are 2 in the App Store, I think.

This what you have?

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/antikythera-mechanism/id989574...

The other one seems to be less favorably rated.

Re: The Antikythera mechanism reveals new secrets

#114

Post by antocv »

lisper wrote: post #36
areoform wrote: post #24

The Antikythera mechanism gives me nightmares. Just as the suggestion that a lack of transmissions from intelligent life means the existence of a great filter. The Antikythera mechanism is a strong indicator of technological regression in human beings. Perhaps more terrifying is the fact that it is not the first time we've regressed or collapsed. The mysterious Late Bronze Age Collapse is another example, https://en.…

> It is inconceivable for us to imagine a rapid regression today To the contrary, I'm finding it increasingly likely that I will see the collapse of civilization within my lifetime, and I'm 57. I see two prospective tipping points on the horizon: the collapse of democracy in the U.S. leading to nuclear war, and climate change leading to world-wide food shortages. The former seems likely within 5-10 years, and the lat…

Havent you noticed that people who see dark future post and tell it more often the past 30 years, than people who think "it will all be just fine"?

I remember the late 90s doom and "oh no millenium 2000" gloom predictions, and 2012 nostradamus end of the world maya calendar the end is near. I read about the 80s cold war "will go hot nuclear any time" and can be seen in movies like Terminator.

US will not collapse, no nuclear war will happen, climate change is not even the biggest fuckup we are doing (cutting down the amazon is, biodiversity loss overall), but we post-pone the imminent danger from a scheduled Ice Age.

Re: The Antikythera mechanism reveals new secrets

#115

Post by weberer »

tehjoker wrote: post #78
quacked wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't know any Russians then, haha

I'm thinking more of their cold war strategizing, but I also ask you, have you ever met an American QAnon enthusiast? ;)

Yes, and they seem to be mostly anti-war.

Re: The Antikythera mechanism reveals new secrets

#116

Post by weberer »

lisper wrote: post #60
oh_sigh wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll bet you $1M that civilization doesn't collapse within 30 years!

I would like nothing better than to lose that bet, but I don't think my wife would approve. How about a bottle of your favorite scotch? (Which may well cost $1M 30 years from now.)

Pretty sure it was a joke since if it does collapse he wouldn't have to pay anyway.

Re: The Antikythera mechanism reveals new secrets

#117

Post by marcosdumay »

toomanydoubts wrote: post #111
marcosdumay wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They had nothing like the Modern age's science. I can't imagine any reason for it not appearing there given enough time, but they didn't have the dispassionate questioning of every theory and total submission to empiricism that are fundamental to science today. Math advanced a huge amount during the Medieval age. They simply didn't have good tools for calculations, and nearly all of the Modern Age's math was based on…

I find interesting that Archimedes came so, so close to calculus millenniums before Newton. I wonder how things would've panned out had him had the mathematical tools to formalize calculus.

It's interesting that calculus was independently invented 3 times nearly simultaneously (AFAIK there's a lesser known one). Yet, I don't know any reason for it not to be invented 3 centuries earlier.

Re: The Antikythera mechanism reveals new secrets

#118

Post by bitcurious »

brchr wrote: post #94
dghughes wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Patreon has gone from helpful support by a few to an exclusive club.

For the donation of a single dollar, you are given access to all of his videos. I would not describe that as "exclusive," although I understand what you are saying.

It’s pretty alienating to the vast majority of underage minds who don’t have their own credit cards, as well as a tremendous amount of people outside the US who have different payment systems.

Personally, I use it to support public content, because I have the means to do so now, and because I didn’t always.

Re: The Antikythera mechanism reveals new secrets

#119

Post by nitrogen »

dougmwne wrote: post #110
topper-123 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A fun alternative time line to think about would be if the romans had progressed, had depleted all coal and oil resources, leaving us today in a postapocalyptic wasteland, having the knowledge how to build an advanced society, but lacking the ressources…

I would read that book.

Anathem by Neal Stephenson has some of that vibe. If you haven't read it, I'd recommend reading it without even glancing at the Wikipedia page or plot synopses to avoid conceptual spoilers.

Re: The Antikythera mechanism reveals new secrets

#120

Post by pohl »

FpUser wrote: post #40
lisper wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It is inconceivable for us to imagine a rapid regression today To the contrary, I'm finding it increasingly likely that I will see the collapse of civilization within my lifetime, and I'm 57. I see two prospective tipping points on the horizon: the collapse of democracy in the U.S. leading to nuclear war, and climate change leading to world-wide food shortages. The former seems likely within 5-10 years, and the lat…

Why would collapse of democracy in the US lead to nuclear war?

If democratically-elected government disappears, something will fill that power void, and they will control that arsenal. Who knows what could happen with them.
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