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originally posted by: mbkennel
a reply to: MystikMushroom
Everything is different now. We understand basic laws of physics applicable to the entire universe at a fundamental level that did not exist in Franklin's time. We can predict, quantitatively, what is happening in stars at enormous distances.
originally posted by: Aazadan
a reply to: uloveme
Eventually we could probably understand extraterrestrial technology, but it wouldn't be easy. Reverse engineering terrestrial technology can be EXTREMELY difficult, imagine trying to reverse engineer tech that utilizes unknown laws of physics.
I have no doubt that the brightest minds could do it given 50, 100, or maybe even 200 years but it would not be an easy undertaking. Imagine trying to reverse engineer flash memory in the year 1935. Completely electronic with no moving parts. At the time our digital storage was much more primitive. Now advance tech another 2000 years, it's like trying to have Hypatia discover how to reproduce a laptop computer. Eventually it would be possible, but it would certainly not be quick.
Let me give a simple example of reverse engineering tech. It has been 2000 years and we still don't know how a Roman Dodecahedron works. It wasn't until very recently (within the last decade) that we figured out how the recipe for Roman Concrete after 1800 years of trying. Damascus Steel is superior to what we can produce today, and we only know of it because of a handful of swords which have survived and we have no way to reproduce it. The recipe was lost to time.
originally posted by: dragonridr
We can reproduce the results artificially by adding vadnium but thus would have been beyond there technology or so we believe. Oh and so you know we can actually make better steel stronger then Damascus steel. At the time it was the top of the class now we can produce steel with twice the strength meaning we can make a sword that would tear through it.
As far as Roman dechohedrons we know how they were made what we don't know is why.
Which proves the point with technology we can discover what a coimpound is made of doesn't matter if it's steel or cement. But you did manage to prove the point with things like x rays and mass spectomitors we can reverse engineer the past.
originally posted by: nullafides
It is hubris to think that math is the universal language. The concepts may be there...but...still.
As a programmer....whenever I use a boolean true false scenario, I tend to test for true rather than false. But, recently I had to figure out someone's code that was written from the opposite perspective...they always test for false.
Both were equally viable approaches...but, given the way my brain works....it was VERY difficult to look for questions that returned false instead of true. May sound silly, but, it was.
originally posted by: rigel4
a reply to: uloveme
We may not even recognise it!
Does an ant recognise a printer or a PC .. NO
it simply crawls over it ...unaware.
originally posted by: DonVoigt
I would think that reading the owners manual would be very helpful
I do know that keeping a secret "At all Costs", will in the end, cost all of us, everything.
The problem is not will people UNDERSTAND THE TECHNOLOGY....lol...we will ADVANCE IT IMMEDIATLY......the REAL PROBLEM is how to explain how and why this information was INTNTIONALLY WITHHELD FROM GLOBAL HUMANITY UNTIL OUR PLANET IS ALMOST 86ed???