Discuss The Knowledge

In this installment for the 18th Century knowledge thread, I am calling for participation by persons with knowledge of how to extract or produce useful compounds. As with extraction of elements, the idea here is to try to record the steps that would be taken to achieve desired results with the knowl...

This message is a call for participation in the development of a body of knowledge with a focus on 18th Century technology. This specific request is for threads on topics relating to the extraction and refinement of elements. The goal for each thread would be to show how a given element can be found...

The working premise of this thread is that 18th century technology is a "sweet spot" which can still be understood and replicated by single individuals living in 2016. Thus, it is (presumably) practical to envision a group of individuals around the world, who choose to master some aspect o...

For several weeks, inspired by onetuberadio's messages, I've been looking into the feasibility of making vacuum tubes. The technical challenges overcome by our parents in production of vacuum tubes were significant, and it is to their credit they created entire industries around them. To my surprise...

Elon Musk is not a member of this forum, but he is leading an effort to answer the question posted by the topic.

Successful landing of the Falcon 9 first stage on December 21, 2015 marks a significant milestone in Musk's ambitious plan to build a civilization on Mars.

(th)

The vacuum pump is an example of a technology that is essential for 2015 technology, and which would be essential for a technology recovery effort. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Guericke According the the Wikipedia article above, von Guericke invented a working model of a vacuum pump in 165...

On Friday December 18th, somewhere in the channels I surf on cable television here, I caught a brief exposition about a new (to me) system of planting that I think would be worth exploring for both current and future situations. Unfortunately, I did not take notes, and at this point cannot recall wh...

Call for Postings: Metal I would be interested in reading a series of posts by someone who has personal experience working with metal, and who is willing to share his or her insights. While the theme of Dr. Dartnell's book is coping with conditions after a major disruption of social interaction patt...

Dr. Dartnell has generously provided an online resource which is available to anyone to create a repository of knowledge they want to (a) keep and (b) share. The forum was originally created to provide a place for readers of "The Knowledge" to discuss the book. However, demand for that cap...

The research reported in the article at this link explored possible use of metal powder for storage of energy for heat engines.

http://www.gizmag.com/mcgill-metal-powder-fuel/40869/

(th)