Science, engineering and technology

Wednesday, August 24, 2011 Posted by

chopper

The distinction between science, engineering and technology is not always clear. Science is the reasoned investigation or study of phenomena, aimed at discovering enduring principles among elements of the phenomenal world by employing formal techniques such as the scientific method.[13] Technologies are not usually exclusively products of science, because they have to satisfy requirements such as utility, usability and safety. Read the rest of this entry »

Other animal species

Sunday, July 24, 2011 Posted by

gorillaThe use of basic technology is also a feature of other animal species apart from humans. These include primates such as chimpanzees, some dolphin communities, and crows. Considering a more generic perspective of technology as ethology of active environmental conditioning and control, we can also refer to animal examples such as beavers and their dams, or bees and their honeycombs.

The ability to make and use tools was once considered a defining characteristic of the genus Homo. However, the discovery of tool construction among chimpanzees and related primates has discarded the notion of the use of technology as unique to humans. For example, researchers have observed wild chimpanzees utilising tools for foraging: some of the tools used include leaf sponges, termite fishing probes, pestles and levers. West African chimpanzees also use stone hammers and anvils for cracking nuts, as do capuchin monkeys of Boa Vista, Brazil. Read the rest of this entry »

Technology and competitiveness

Sunday, July 24, 2011 Posted by

In 1983 a classified program was initiated in the US intelligence community to reverse the US declining economic and military competitiveness. The program, Project Socrates, used all source intelligence to review competitiveness worldwide for all forms of competition to determine the source of the US decline. What Project Socrates determined was that technology exploitation is the foundation of all competitive advantage and that the source of the US declining competitiveness was the fact that decision-making through the US both in the private and public sectors had switched from decision making that was based on technology exploitation (i.e., technology-based planning) to decision making that was based on money exploitation (i.e., economic-based planning) at the end of World War II. Read the rest of this entry »

Energy and Transport

Sunday, July 24, 2011 Posted by

Meanwhile, humans were learning to harness other forms of energy. The earliest known use of wind power is the sailboat. The earliest record of a ship under sail is shown on an Egyptian pot dating back to 3200 BC. From prehistoric times, Egyptians probably used the power of the Nile annual floods to irrigate their lands, gradually learning to regulate much of it through purposely built irrigation channels and ‘catch’ basins. Similarly, the early peoples of Mesopotamia, the Sumerians, learned to use the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for much the same purposes. But more extensive use of wind and water (and even human) power required another invention. Read the rest of this entry »

Behind the Burka

Thursday, July 21, 2011 Posted by


Muslims, Communications 2310, About the Burka

Neolithic through Classical Antiquity

Friday, June 24, 2011 Posted by

Man’s technological ascent began in earnest in what is known as the Neolithic period (“New stone age”). The invention of polished stone axes was a major advance because it allowed forest clearance on a large scale to create farms. The discovery of agriculture allowed for the feeding of larger populations, and the transition to a sedentist lifestyle increased the number of children that could be simultaneously raised, as young children no longer needed to be carried, as was the case with the nomadic lifestyle. Additionally, children could contribute labor to the raising of crops more readily than they could to the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Read the rest of this entry »

Fire

Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Posted by

The discovery and utilization of fire, a simple energy source with many profound uses, was a turning point in the technological evolution of humankind. The exact date of its discovery is not known; evidence of burnt animal bones at the Cradle of Humankind suggests that the domestication of fire occurred before 1,000,000 BC;[27] scholarly consensus indicates that Homo erectus had controlled fire by between 500,000 BC and 400,000 BC. Fire, fueled with wood and charcoal, allowed early humans to cook their food to increase its digestibility, improving its nutrient value and broadening the number of foods that could be eaten.

Technology

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 Posted by

technology

Technology is the making, usage and knowledge of tools, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or serve some purpose. The word technology comes from Greek τεχνολογία (technología); from τέχνη (téchnē), meaning “art, skill, craft”, and -λογία (-logía), meaning “study of-”.[1] The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include construction technology, medical technology, and information technology. Read the rest of this entry »

JuteBlue: Performs Umba Umba – live at the Doll Hut

Wednesday, January 26, 2011 Posted by

Umba Umba: JuteBlue live at the Doll Hut in Anaheim, California. Recorded March 29, 2009. www.myspace.com JuteBlue: The best band ever from South Dakota! Psychedelic punk rock! “We worship at the altar of Umba Umba!”

Tags: Doll, JuteBlue, Live, Umba

How do you re-pot a peace lily?

Monday, March 29, 2010 Posted by

I’m trying to find out if it is time to re pot the peace lilly I received in June 2006. It appears to be out growing the pot it came in therefore I would look to transfer the plant without harming it. This is my very first house plant So I’ m a little apprehensive about doing so. Read the rest of this entry »