“For a hundred years, from the early 1800s to the early 1900s, Europe and America had cities of at least a million people that ran on a massive, sophisticated network of carriages and streetcars. By 1880, according to historian John H. White, Jr., US cities had 415 horse-drawn railways running, with 18,000 cars on 3,000 miles of track, carrying 1.2 billion passengers a year. Most of these lines continued decades into the age of electricity and coal, simply because the horses worked better than any other option.” Read: Horse-drawn public tranportation. Thanks, Johan. Previously: Bring back the horses.
Horse-Drawn Public Transportation
November 19, 2010 by Filed Under: Animal power, History, Horses, Obsolete technology, Public transport, Travel
The Changing Rural Habitat
November 17, 2010 by Filed Under: Architecture
“The changing rural habitat, volume one: case studies” & “The changing rural habitat, volume two: background papers“, Brian Brace Taylor, 1982.
Ship mills
November 17, 2010 by Filed Under: Boats, Obsolete technology, Shipping, Water powered machines, Water wheels
“Boat mills: water powered, floating factories” at Low-tech Magazine. Some extra images below:
Designed For The Dump
“The Story of Electronics: Why ‘Designed for the Dump’ is Toxic for People and the Planet” (video). Related:
- The monster footprint of digital technology – how much energy does it take to manufacture electronics?
- iFixit – repair manuals online
Practical Conservation Handbooks: More Excellent DIY Resources
November 9, 2010 by Filed Under: Books & Reference, DIY
The British charity BTCV has an interesting collection of practical handbooks online. They all concern traditional practices and give a wealth of how-to details, including many drawings. Update December 2: BTCV has taken the books offline.
Related resources:
Leaf Blowers Must Die
November 5, 2010 by Filed Under: Gardening, Inventions that should never have made it but unfortunately they did, Kill this machine
“No Tech Magazine editor kills idiot with leaf blower“. One day, maybe even this autumn, the headline will link to a real news article. There might be more killings: “No object better exemplifies the worst of civilization than the leaf blower. Even the most grievous machines of mechanized death humankind has inflicted upon itself pale compared to the cosmic insult with which leaf blowers slur humanity.” Read.
