• Captain Janeway@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The Greeks actually also invented steam engines. But they didn’t know what to do with them. So instead it was just a fancy art piece that spins super fast.

    They also invented a lot of other stuff: door bells that sound like birds chirping, automatic doors, clocks which tracked the year, etc.

    • Zanshi@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I heard they did found some uses, but in the end slave labour was a lot cheaper. So the tengine fell into obscurity

      • ArtieShaw@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        That’s pretty much where manufacturers are today when it comes to implementing automation. The technology exists in many manufacturing areas, but if workers can do it more cheaply they’re not investing in it.

    • marcos@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      So instead it was just a fancy art piece that spins super fast.

      Nah, they made a cool “magic like” automatic door with it.

      • dedale@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        The Antikythera mechanism. An almost anachronistic device meant (we think) to calculate astronomical cycles.

        At this point I’m guessing they considered doing the whole industrial revolution thing then decided against it.