In 2008, a guy tried to make a toaster from scratch, including smelting metal from ore. It turned out to be much easier to make a toaster out of parts of broken toasters.
From Ran Prieur’s 079.
It is interesting to think about the type of technology that will still be possible in a post-collapse world. Of course the major problem is that so many of our devices are utterly useless without a source of power, which can be provided by a generator, but the latter also requires fuel which by then would have become scarcer and scarcer as societal declines ensues. 8
In his novel Star's Reach, John Michael Greer explores the idea of a world set four centuries after ours, based around groups of people salvaging old pieces of technology in order to mine their metal or extract specific parts. I haven't read it, but I think that type of vision is very interesting because it informs a type of skill set which can become incredibly useful even in our times: repairing and tinkering with simpler technology.
I don't know enough to know what kind of technology is worthwhile to salvage and cobble back together, but it is intriguing to think about.
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2024-08-25