Watched the History Channel again talk about how the Chinese, being the first to develop gunpowder, were able to modify the type of mixtures to produce both slow and fast burning chemical explosives (Not a surprising thing from what Americans learn in elementary school history).

What I had no idea about was that the Chinese produced short-range flamethrowers, that though it was more psychological than useful, the Chinese flamethrowers were often used on the front lines of Chinese military lines during the Song Dynasty.

The Chinese were able to produce many innovative and completely new inventions in the military arena (and others as well of course). Other weapons included the triple crossbow, a 25 foot long crossbow used for long-range weaponry that could fire a mile away. It was mounted on a pivot for accuracy and mobility to hit a specified target.

The most surprsing? Chinese landmines in the 13th century–timed landmines similar to those used in Vietnam thousand years later.

Keep in mind the Chinese ability to innovate and invent when China begins to reach the top again.

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I keep watching the history channel and am never ceased to be amazed by what I can learn about Chinese history and its technological prowess in ancient times.

(more…)

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Couldn’t help but laugh seeing the History Channel now buying PPC ads after the fact of their great special that I blogged about on Life After People and also my thoughts on Life After People (not to mention creating the pages all after they ran the ads on TV).

Too little, too late, perhaps?

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I must say, I really do enjoy the History Channel as it provides some great insight and new changes into ancient history. What fascinates me is how technology and science of Ancient Rome did not disappear, but moved towards the Middle East during the 8th to 13th Centuries (known as the Islamic Century) where all the knowledge moved into the House of Wisdom. (more…)

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For those of you with the long MLK weekend, just sending out a reminder about Life After People being shown on the History Channel on January 21st from 9PM to 11PM.

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I wanted to follow-up on my previous post about Life After People by the History Channel as I ran across an article online by the Discover Magazine called “Earth Without People.” Essentially it has the same fundamental concepts as what the History Channel will show on January 21st, but it was written back in 2005:

Given the mounting toll of fouled oceans, overheated air, missing topsoil, and mass extinctions, we might sometimes wonder what our planet would be like if humans suddenly disappeared. Would Superfund sites revert to Gardens of Eden? Would the seas again fill with fish? Would our concrete cities crumble to dust from the force of tree roots, water, and weeds? How long would it take for our traces to vanish? And if we could answer such questions, would we be more in awe of the changes we have wrought, or of nature’s resilience?

It was a great read and now the only thing I hope is that I didn’t ruin watching the Life After People special if it takes the same stuff from that. (more…)

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Bump and Update on 1/29/2007:

Please go here if you are looking for my thoughts on Life After People.

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What looks to be a fascinating TV special by the History Channel coming up on January 21st called “Life After People“:

The human species appeared on Earth about two million years ago and has been changing it ever since. What will Earth look like in the days, weeks, months, years and millennia after humans are gone? How long would it take for our edifices to crumble–all traces of us gone, to be replaced by primordial forests, wild boar, rare cranes in pristine marshes? The clues to the future are right here in the present but are illuminated when we look through the lens of history. Experts from all fields of science will paint the picture, and the destructions and resurrections will all be animated by the magic of George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic. (Genres: Science & Technology, Special)

Even David Brin is will be getting into it as he notes on Daily Kos:

Watch your favorite Brin put down his pundit thing on the History Channel (again) on January 21, in a docu-future bit called Life After People… a fun look at what could happen to our cities… and animals… if humanity suddenly disappeared.

Would like to put a note via an RSS feed or something, but its unfortunately too far out on the History Channel’s website at this point, but so it goes.

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