Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id FAA02065 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 6 Jun 2000 05:54:26 +0100 Message-ID: <393C3D44.3A6CB61A@mediaone.net> Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2000 00:52:37 +0100 From: Chuck <cpalson@mediaone.net> X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.72 [en] (WinNT; I) X-Accept-Language: en To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Jabbering ! References: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D31017458A7@inchna.stir.ac.uk> <00060519304500.00351@faichney> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Robin Faichney wrote:
> On Mon, 05 Jun 2000, Vincent Campbell wrote:
> >I saw the programme.
> >
> >I was particularly interested in two things, first the comment about the
> >British midlands being called the Black country, and rituals and dress sense
> >becoming heavily imbued with black in the late 18th and 19th century,
> >because of the dark satanic mills, and the mass use of coke.
>
> I found it particularly interesting that large scale iron founding took off
> with the switch from coal to coke -- a move that could not possibly be put
> down to resource depletion!
Robin - I'm afraid you are again afflicted with willful tunnel vision. Like I
said, you have to see how ALL the technology richochets. To begin to understand
you should probably read the Connections book (I forget the author). I have never
read it, but I understand that he has a good sense of how one invention ricochets
into the entire web of technology.
As for cotton, I don't know the subject at all. But in any case, you are again
rushing to judgement. It would be best to investigate just why the demand was up
for cotton. I remember something about it's being a superior product for
clothing, but I can't remember why right now.
Finally, given your penchant for wanting to abstract out just a few factors that
will narrowly predict a few events won't do if you want to really investigate how
the initial change in a resource base ricochets. There are literally thousands of
interrelated connections. No - I'm not doing to detail them for you because I
don't have time and there is probably plenty of literature out there on it.
> Likewise the development of the cotton and china
> industries. People began to realise that big bucks could be made by finding
> more efficient ways to do things. Those who insist that cultural developments
> have to be reactive rather than proactive will never get the big picture.
>
> --
> Robin Faichney
>
> ===============================================================
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This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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