The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World From Scratch
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thermal, 104–9, 166, 172, 182
water turbine for, 180–82, 181
waterwheel for, 166–68, 167, 170, 171–72, 178–79, 180, 203, 213, 276
windmill for, 46, 169, 170, 171–72, 178–80, 179, 213
see also electricity generators
Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI), 106n
engines:
diesel, 188, 190
gasoline, 187, 188
internal combustion, 201–6, 204, 208
steam, 170n, 172–73, 182, 197, 201
Enlightenment, 276
enzymes, 81–82
equinoxes, 259, 261, 265
ethanol, 43, 89, 91, 120, 158, 159, 189–90, 202, 206, 241
ether, 159, 163, 241
evolution, 279
explosives, 104, 110, 116, 118, 122, 235–38, 242, 247
fabrics, see textiles
fats and oils, 112, 188
animal, 191
linseed, 219
saponification of, 84, 112–13, 114–15, 211–12
vegetable, 108–9, 188, 190
feather pen, 214
fermentation, 80, 84, 88, 90–91
ferrous sulfate, 241
fertilizers, 57, 58, 69, 70, 72, 73, 76, 77n, 110, 121, 237, 238, 247–48, 250, 278–79
manure, 61, 69, 70, 73–76, 237, 243, 247, 250
Feynman, Richard, 9–10
fire:
starting, 34–35
using, 104–5, 123–24
fires, destructive, 28
firewood, 106, 165, 176
fishing, 198
flash paper, 238
flax, 96, 108, 211
Fleming, Alexander, 12, 162, 164
Florey, Howard, 163
flour, 39, 86, 87
flying shuttle, 101
food, 33, 38–41
canned, 40, 92, 291
cereal preparation, 86–91
cooking, 79–81, 124
growing, see agriculture
poisoning from, 79–81, 84
pottery vessels for, 80–81, 95, 124–26
spoilage of, 80, 161, 163
food preservation, 80, 81–85, 91–95, 161
by canning, 92, 291
by drying, 82, 91–92
by fermenting, 80, 84
by pickling, 84, 89, 91–92, 118
by refrigeration, 93–95
by salting, 82–83, 91–92
by smoking, 83, 91–92
fool’s gold, 222
forceps, 149–50, 150
fore-and-aft rigging, 198–99
forests, 27, 30, 106
fossil fuels, 31, 57–58, 105, 165, 166, 190
Foucault’s pendulum, 256n
Four Quartets (Eliot), 275
foxglove, 155
Frank, Pat, 165
fuels, 41–42, 119, 124
biofuels, 74–75, 119, 191, 206–7, 208
gasification and, 191–93, 192, 194
kerosene, 108–9
fungicide, 118
Gaia hypothesis, 7
Galápagos Islands, 272n
galena, 222, 227
Galileo, 172
gallium, 234–35
galls, 214
iron gall ink, 213–14, 218–19
gangs, 21
gas, 165
biogas, 74–75
natural, 44, 173, 185, 191
gasification, 191–93, 192, 194
gasoline, 41, 120, 173, 188–189, 191, 202, 206
alcohol in, 189–90
gasoline engine, 187, 188
gelatin, 116, 161, 241–42
generators, see electricity generators
germ theory, 160, 161n
glass, 49, 110, 124, 138–44, 235n, 243, 249
lenses, 142–43, 161
mirrors, 240n
production of, 138–40
recycling of, 140
windows, 140, 141
glassblowing, 140–41
global warming, 31–32, 45, 294
glue, 116
glycerol, 115–16, 190, 238
Golding, William, 35n
golf courses, 47
Goražde, 48–49, 48
GPS navigation devices, 42
grains, 39
Gregorian calendar, 262
guano, 238, 248, 250
guayule, 194–95
guncotton, 238, 241
gunpowder, 112, 236–37, 276
Gutenberg, Johannes, 215, 217, 218, 219
Haber-Bosch process, 57, 232, 248–51
hand washing, 112, 148
harness, 196
Harrison, John, 272, 273
harrow, 62, 63, 195
health care, see medicine
heart rate, 155, 156
heat, 105
in canning, 92
herbicides and pesticides, 57, 77n, 279
Hippocrates, 155
hoe, 60, 61
Homo sapiens, 293
horses, 195–98, 197
hourglass, 254–55
houses, 29
Hurricane Katrina, 20–21
hydrocarbons, 104, 108, 188, 249
hydrochloric acid, 121
hydrogen, 193, 232, 233
chloride, 121, 244n
in Haber-Bosch process, 57, 232, 248–51
hydrolysis, 211–12
hypothesis, 288
I Am Legend (Matheson), 24
“I Am Legend” scenario, 24
incubators, 150
indigo, 115
inductor, 224–25
industrial chemistry, 242–51, 253, 278–79
Industrial Revolution, 15, 70, 96, 105, 171, 242–43, 276–78, 290
infectious diseases, 112, 147–48
influenzas, 147
ink, 213, 216, 218–20
India, 219
iron gall, 213–14, 218–19
insects, 29
internal combustion engine, 201–6, 204, 208
International Space Station, 30–31
Internet, 50
inverter, 48
iodine, 114, 158, 241
“I, Pencil” (Read), 4
iron, 130, 135–38, 241, 249, 277
cast, 136, 137, 276
disulfide, 222
gall ink, 213–14, 218–19
pig, 136–37
pyrite, 227
smelting, 135–36, 137
sulfate, 214
wrought, 276
Japan, 13
kerosene, 108–9
knowledge, 210, 277, 278, 279–80, 287
lactobacillus bacteria, 88
Laennec, René, 152
lampblack, 219
lamps:
arc, 178
electric, 177–78
fluorescent, 142
light bulbs for, 142, 178, 180, 183, 227, 290
oil, 108–9, 184
language, 210
lard, 113, 115
Las Vegas, Nev., 45
latex, 194
lathe, 132–35, 134, 205, 206
latitude, 267–69, 270
lavender, 155
lead sulfide, 222
Leblanc, Nicolas, 244–45
Leeuwenhoek, Antoni Van, 160n
legumes, 70, 71, 73, 248
lenses, 142–43, 161
Leonardo da Vinci, 97, 201, 213
light:
electric, 177–78
see also lamps
light bulbs, 142, 178, 180, 183, 227, 290
> lignin, 211, 212
lime, 109–12, 115, 120, 139, 212
mortars, 126, 127–29
quicklime, 110–12, 139, 140, 233, 245
slaked (limewater), 111, 112, 115, 120, 127, 212, 237
limestone, 110, 111, 237, 245
linen, 96, 211
linseed oil, 219
liquified petroleum gas (LPG), 191
livestock, 69, 71–73, 146–47, 247
location, determining, 253–54, 265–74
compass for, 265–66, 276
latitude in, 267–69, 270
longitude in, 267–68, 270–71
sextant for, 269–70, 269, 273
lodestones, 265
London, 28
longitude, 267–68, 270–71
Lord of the Flies (Golding), 22, 35n
Los Angeles, Calif., 45
Lovelock, James, 7–8
lye, 115, 116, 190
Mad Max, 2
“Mad Max” scenario, 24
Magellan, Ferdinand, 199
magnesium, 233
magnetism, 12
electromagnetism, 174, 176–77, 184, 220–25
magnetometer, 288
Maillard reaction, 79
maize (corn), 53–54, 66, 67, 84n, 86
malaria, 155, 160
Manhattan, 256n, 266–67, 268, 270
manure, 61, 69, 70, 73–76, 237, 243, 247, 250
materials, 103, 123–44
clay, 124–25
glass, see glass
lime mortars, 126, 127–29
metals, see metals
plastics, 49–50, 116, 118, 235n, 279
wood, see wood
mathematics, 288
Matheson, Richard, 24
Mayan civilization, 145
McCarthy, Cormac, 2
McVeigh, Timothy, 250n
measles, 147
measures and units, 287–88
barometer, 141, 144, 284–86
metric system, 282–84
for temperature, see temperature measurement
meat, 67, 69, 73
preserving, 82
mechanization, loss of, 195–201, 197
medicine, 6, 144, 145–64
childbirth and neonatal care, 149–50
clinical trials in, 157
examination and diagnosis, 150–54
infectious diseases, 112, 147–48
microbiology, 160–64
surgery, 151, 155, 158–59
medicines, 6, 42–44, 154–57, 279
antibiotics, see antibiotics
expiration dates on, 43–44
for pain relief, 155–57, 158–59
medieval Europe, 170–71, 275–76
Mendeleev, Dmitri, 234–35
menthol, 155–56
mercury, 286
Mesopotamia, 138
metals, 49, 104, 110, 130–38
alloys, 130, 195, 235n
aluminum, 115n, 132, 133, 174n, 232–33
iron, see iron
smelting, 135–36, 137, 140, 249
steel, 29, 49, 124, 130–32, 136–38, 277
welding, 131–32
metalworking, 132–35, 133, 134, 195, 200
methane, 74, 191, 193, 249
methanol, 118–19, 190
metric system, 282–84
microbiology, 160–64
microorganisms, 80, 81, 279, 291
microphone, 225–26
microscope, 141, 143–44, 160–61, 288
milk, 39, 84, 85, 92
Millennium Seed Bank, 54
Miller, Walter M., Jr., 123
millet, 66, 67, 86
mill pond, 168
millstone, 86, 95
mirror, 240n
Moldova, 3n
morphine, 156
Morse code, 221
mortars, lime, 126, 127–29
motor, car, 173
Napoleon I, Emperor, 282n
Napoleon III, Emperor, 233n
nature, 279, 287
urban spaces reclaimed by, 26–30, 27, 106
navigation, see location, determining
New Orleans, La., 20–21
New York City, 256n, 266–67, 268, 270
nitrates, 237, 238, 243, 247, 248
nitric acid, 121–22, 159, 238, 247, 250
nitrocellulose, 238
nitrogen, 69, 70, 72, 73, 75, 88, 115, 178, 238, 247–51
in Haber-Bosch process, 57, 232, 248–51
nitroglycerin, 238
nitrous oxide, 159, 250
Nobel, Alfred, 238
north pole, 263–65, 264
North Star (Polaris), 263, 269
nuclear war, 22
oats, 60, 66, 67
Off-Gridders, 48
oil, crude, 116, 119–20, 189, 279
oil lamps, 108–9, 184
oil paints, 219
oils, see fats and oils
Oklahoma City bombing, 250n
opium, 156
oral rehydration therapy (ORT), 148
Oryx and Crake (Atwood), 103
oscillator, 257–58, 271
oscillator circuit, 224–25
oxen, 195, 196
oxidizing agents (oxidants), 104, 236, 238
oxygen, 232, 233, 279
explosives and, 236
“Ozymandias” (Shelley), 209
pain relief, 155–57, 158–59
paints, 118
oil, 219
pandemic, 23
Pantheon, 29
paper, 210–13, 215, 218, 232, 238, 243, 276
pasteurization, 92
pathology, 154
pellagra, 84n
Pelton turbine, 181, 181, 182
pen, 214
pendulum, 283
clock, 257–59, 271, 289–90
Foucault’s, 256n
penicillin, 12, 162, 163–64
periodic table, 234–35, 242
pesticides and herbicides, 57, 77n, 279
Petri dishes, 161, 162
pharmaceutical compounds, see medicines
phones, 3–4, 13, 50–51
phosphorus, 57, 75–76, 110
photography, 104, 114, 122, 235, 238, 239–42
observing stars and, 263, 265
pickling, 84, 89, 91–92, 118
piezoelectric crystal, 226
piston, 173
pitch, 119
plastic bottles, for solar water disinfection, 37–38
plastics, 49–50, 116, 118, 235n, 279
plate tectonics, 279
plow, 58, 60–61, 62, 63, 195
Polaris, 263, 269
polyethylene terephthalate (PET), 50
poppy, 156
population, 24–25
potash, 17, 76, 114, 115, 120, 139, 212, 233, 234, 237, 243–44, 249
potassium, 57, 75, 76, 114, 233, 234
bitartrate, 226
carbonate, 114
hydroxide, 115, 190, 249
nitrate (saltpeter), 237–38, 248, 250
sodium tartrate, 226
potatoes, 60, 65, 67
potter’s wheel, 125, 203, 206
pottery vessels, 80–81, 95, 124–26
POW radios in World War II, 226-27
power, see energy and power
Preppers, 21, 33, 48
pressure gauge, 284–85
printing, 214–20, 276
printing press, 12–13, 215–19
prisons, 21–22
propane, 191
p
yrites, 121
pyrolysis, 116–20, 117, 192
quicklime (calcium oxide), 110–12, 139, 140, 233, 245
quinine, 155
rack and pinion mechanism, 205
radio, 51, 221–29
amplitude modulation in, 223
earphones or speakers for, 225–26, 227
location determination and, 273
microphone for, 225–26
oscillating circuit in, 224–25
receiver for, 222, 225, 228
transmitter for, 222–23, 225
radioactivity, 279
railways, 188
rapeseed, 60, 109, 171, 190
razor blade rectifier, 227, 228
Read, Leonard E., 4
reaper, 69
rectifier, 227, 230n
razor blade, 227, 228
recycling, 49–50
refrigerators, 93–95
Renaissance, 11, 275, 276
rennin, 85
repopulation, 24–25
resin, 219–20
resonance, 224
rhinovirus, 147
rice, 65–66, 66, 67
Road, The (McCarthy), 2
roads, 187–88
Robinson Crusoe (Defoe), 33
Rochelle salt, 226
Roman Empire, 11
Röntgen, Wilhelm, 153
rubber, 193–95
“Ruin, The,” 79
rye, 60, 66, 67, 86
sailing ships, 198–200
salicylic acid, 157
Salon of 1767 (Diderot), 253
salt (sodium chloride), 82, 113, 121, 232, 240, 244, 245, 247
in food preservation, 82–83, 91–92
in oral rehydration therapy, 148
producing, 83
saltpeter, 237–38, 248, 250
saltwort, 244
sand, 138–39, 140, 144
saponification, 84, 112–13, 114–15, 211–12
satellites, 42, 239n
sawmill, 171, 206
scales, balance, 283, 284
science, 275–91
experimentation in, 287–89
measures and units in, see measures and units
as process, 289
roots of, 280–81
socioeconomic environment and, 277–78
technology and, 289–91
tools of, 281–86, 287
scientific method, 278–81, 286–89
scientific revolution, 259, 276
screw press, 218
scurvy, 157n
scythe, 61, 67, 68
sea level, 31, 45
seaweed, 114
seed drill, 62, 64, 195
seismometer, 287
sewage systems, 57
sewage treatment, 75
sextant, 269–70, 269, 273
Shampoo Planet (Coupland), 231
Shelley, Percy Bysshe, 209
shelter, 33, 34–35
ships, 198–200
shipwrecks, 30
Shirky, Clay, 9
sickle, 61, 67, 68
silica, 138, 139–40
silver chloride, 240
silver nitrate, 240
Sirius, 261