After the global revolution and prior to the great destruction much of the internet was preserved by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST). Sounds and visions from planet Earth were cherished on long excursions aboard Laurasia. Especially as a sleep aid, but also for entertainment. This - is Third Eye Blind.
Museum
Selections of art taken from Chris Lehrer's Lyceum under the heading: Window to the Past.
Listen to Soma FM streaming radio, a favorite of the space station Laurasia since the global revolution. You may or may not have to download the free Winamp or Real audio player.
Tools shape the hand that wields them, and the world they build. - Technological maxim, c. 1800 CE (adapted from industrial-era writings)
From the dawn of humanity to 2025 CE, technology has driven human progress, transforming societies through tools, machines, and digital systems. Stone tools enabled survival, while the wheel (3500 BCE) revolutionized transport. The Industrial Revolution (1760 CE) mechanized production, with steam engines powering 1 million looms by 1850. The 20th century brought electricity and computers, with 5.3 billion internet users by 2025, per ITU data. Trade in tech goods, worth $5 trillion annually, connected continents. Archaeological finds, like Sumerian wheels and Silicon Valley servers, reflect innovation’s scope. Secular ingenuity and religious ethics, like Christian stewardship, shaped technology’s use. This arc of invention, balancing utility and impact, forged a globalized world, navigating progress and challenges toward a connected future.
Tools of Progress
Technology reshaped societies through innovation and exchange.
Pillars of Technology
Stone tools (The dawn of humanity).
Wheel invention (C. 3500 BCE).
Industrial Revolution (C. 1760 CE).
Electricity and computers (C. 1900 CE).
Internet boom (5.3 billion users).
Tech trade ($5 trillion).
Enduring Impact
Technology’s arc drives human connectivity.
From the dawn of humanity to 500 CE, ancient technologies laid humanity’s foundations. Stone tools, found in Gona, Ethiopia, enabled hunting. The wheel (3500 BCE) in Mesopotamia eased transport, with about 10,000 carts by 2000 BCE, per Uruk records. Bronze smelting (3000 BCE) strengthened tools, supporting Egypt’s pyramid construction (2 million blocks). Greek water mills (3rd century BCE) mechanized grinding, boosting agriculture for 50 million people. Trade routes, moving $50 million in goods, spread innovations. Polytheistic rituals, like Egyptian tool blessings, merged with craftsmanship. Archaeological finds, like Roman aqueducts, show engineering prowess. Ancient technologies enhanced survival and connectivity, fostering early civilizations despite resource limits, setting the stage for medieval advancements.
Foundational Tools
Ancient technologies built survival and exchange.
Ancient Milestones
Stone tools.
Wheel invention (C. 3500 BCE).
Bronze smelting (C. 3000 BCE).
Greek water mills (C. 3rd century BCE).
Roman aqueducts.
Trade in tools ($50 million).
Archaeological Evidence
Gona tools and aqueducts show early innovation.
Lasting Legacy
Ancient tools shaped civilization’s roots.
From 500–1500 CE, medieval technologies advanced societies. Chinese gunpowder (800 CE) revolutionized warfare, as seen in Song dynasty records. The European heavy plow (1000 CE), with iron blades, boosted harvests, supporting roughly 70 million, per Domesday estimates. Windmills (1100 CE) powered milling, with 10,000 across Europe by 1300. The printing press (1440 CE) produced about 20 million books by 1500, spreading knowledge. Silk Road trade, worth $1 billion, shared technologies like paper. Islamic and Christian ethics guided tool use, as in monastery workshops. Archaeological finds, like Kaifeng’s iron pagoda, reflect ingenuity. Medieval innovations enhanced agriculture and communication, bridging ancient and modern eras despite feudal constraints, fostering global exchange.
Medieval Advancements
Innovations improved agriculture and knowledge sharing.
Medieval Milestones
Gunpowder (C. 800 CE).
Heavy plow (C. 1000 CE).
Windmills (10,000 by 1300).
Printing press (C. 1440 CE).
Silk Road tech trade ($1 billion).
Religious-guided craftsmanship.
Archaeological Insights
Kaifeng pagoda and manuscripts show innovation.
Lasting Impact
Medieval tech bridged to modernity.
From 1500–1900 CE, the Industrial Revolution transformed technology. The steam engine (1775 CE), perfected by Watt, powered 1 million looms, boosting textile output 50%, per British records. Railways, like the Liverpool-Manchester line (1830 CE), spanned 100,000 miles globally by 1900. The telegraph (1844 CE) sent messages in minutes, connecting continents. Trade in machinery, worth $500 million, fueled economies. Secular innovation, tempered by Christian ethics, shaped industrial ethics, as in factory reforms. Archaeological finds, like Manchester’s mills, show scale. The revolution mechanized production, urbanizing societies with nearly 2 million in London by 1850, despite labor exploitation, setting the stage for electrical and digital advancements.
Mechanized Era
Industrial tech reshaped production and connectivity.
Industrial Milestones
Steam engine (C. 1775 CE).
Railways (100,000 miles).
Telegraph (C. 1844 CE).
Machinery trade ($500 million).
Urbanization (London 2 million).
Factory reforms.
Archaeological Evidence
Manchester mills reflect industrial scale.
Lasting Impact
Industrial tech drove modern economies.
From 1900–2000 CE, electricity and digital tech revolutionized society. Edison’s light bulb (1879 CE) powered cities, with 1 billion bulbs by 2000. Computers, like ENIAC (1946 CE), processed 10,000 calculations per second, enabling automation. The internet (1991 CE) connected 2 billion users by 2000, per ITU. Trade in electronics, worth $2 trillion, globalized markets. Secular innovation drove progress, though religious ethics, like Buddhist simplicity, shaped tech debates. Archaeological finds, like Bell Labs’ transistors, show innovation. Electricity and computers transformed industries, with about 50 million cars produced annually by 1980, but widened access gaps, with approximately 60% offline. This era laid digital foundations, reshaping communication and economies despite disparities.
Electrified World
Electricity and computers transformed connectivity.
Digital Milestones
Light bulb (1879 CE).
ENIAC computer (1946 CE).
Internet launch (1991 CE).
Electronics trade ($2 trillion).
Car production (50 million).
Ethical tech debates.
Archaeological Insights
Bell Labs transistors show digital roots.
Lasting Impact
Electrical tech shaped modern life.
From 2000–2025 CE, digital and AI technologies redefined society. Smartphones (2007 CE) reached 6.8 billion users, per ITU. AI, processing 1 zettabyte annually, powered automation, with $1 trillion in investments. E-commerce hit $5 trillion, per industry reports. Trade in tech goods reached $5 trillion, per WTO. Secular ethics and religious values, like Islamic tech stewardship, guided AI debates. Digital archives, like Silicon Valley servers, and artifacts, like SpaceX rockets, reflect progress. The internet and AI connected 5.3 billion users, but about 37% remained offline, per ITU. This revolution transformed economies and cultures, fostering global connectivity while navigating ethical and access challenges in a digital world.
Digital Frontier
AI and smartphones reshaped global connectivity.
Digital Milestones
Smartphones (6.8 billion users).
AI data processing (1 zettabyte).
E-commerce ($5 trillion).
Tech trade ($5 trillion).
SpaceX rocket innovation.
Ethical AI debates.
Evidence of Progress
Silicon Valley servers show digital scale.
Lasting Legacy
Digital tech shapes a connected future.
Summary: Technology drove progress but deepened inequalities, with digital divides and exploitation marginalizing billions, embedding systemic disparities in access and power.
Summary: Technology’s arc balanced innovation with challenges, transforming societies through tools and connectivity, though disparities persisted alongside cultural and economic gains.
Summary: Technology established order, preserving values through innovation and connectivity, reflecting humanity’s pursuit of progress and unity across millennia.
Lyceum
Welcome to Space Station Laurasia! All passengers and crew members receive a personal device called a Lyceum, which serves as a journal to record and share information with family and friends via neutrionic mobile or desktop devices back on Earth’s surface. This is the Lyceum of Raymond Sheen.
Animations: Dragonset, Matters of Grave Concern, The Pillars of Barad-Dur, Heart of Stone, Golden Leaves, Gravity, and Dragons in Moonlight, by Steven David Bennett
Quo Vadis? [Latin] - Where Are You Going?
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go. - Dr. Seuss
