The shape of a letter is usually treated as a matter of convention, and to a large extent it is. But writing systems designed for a specific material carry that…
The useful question about any old route is what it was for, because the purpose determined the line - and routes made for different purposes look completely different on the…
The conversion of sound to signal was solved early and has changed comparatively little in principle. Connecting any telephone to any other took a century of engineering. Here are fourteen…
There is a small category of technologies where the modern industrial version does exactly what the original did, only faster, and paper is the clearest example.
Most processes have been…
The useful question at any market is who it exists to serve, because the answer determines the hour it operates, its position in a town and whether you are a…
The principle is simple: spoilage organisms need water, and removing it stops them. Everything interesting about drying is what else happens while the water is leaving. Here are sixteen.
1.…