Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
Sometimes I run these crazy calculations: how much modern firepower would be just enough to turn the odds in a classic battle? At Thermopilae, I think two Vickers with enough ammo would have been just about enough. Also at the Lord of the Rings 2 night castle defense, one machine gun would have sufficed (better protection and fewer assailants).
Sometimes I think what if I were dropped naked back in time 20,000 years ago? Assuming I didn't get promptly cooked for dinner, what technology could I deliver that would have the most impact?
I can't decide between iron, agriculture, or writing. I suspect writing. Every time humans got better at communicating, there was a huge increase in the rate of progress.
speech writing printing telegraph telephone internet
