The communications device was located on the beach of Scheveningen in the 1700s. More on the optical telegraph: Email in the 18th century. Source: geschiedenis van de techniek in Nederland.
Optical telegraph in the Netherlands
September 6, 2009 by Filed Under: Communication, History, Obsolete technology, Random
Wind-Powered Knitting Machine
August 31, 2009 by Filed Under: Random, Wind Power, Windmills
Finally, a real-world use for small windmills: the wind-powered knitting machine.
Human Powered Dredger (1859)
August 31, 2009 by Filed Under: Boats, Civil engineering, Human power, Random
Click on the illustration below to see the plan in high resolution. Source: “Mémoires et compte rendu des traveaux de la société des ingénieurs civils, Vol.12, 1859“.
Guido Vigevano’s Wind Car (1335)
July 16, 2009 by Filed Under: Inventions that never made it, Low-tech cars, Military technology, Random, Travel, War technology, Warfare, Weapons, Wind Power, Wind powered vehicles, Windmills
“Chapter XII. On the way of making a second waggon which is propelled by the wind without draught animals, and which dashes violently over open country to the confusion of all troops”
A Low-tech Trick to Eliminate Standby Power Consumption
June 21, 2009 by Filed Under: Energy, Gadgets, Low-tech solutions, Random, Standby power
Standby power use is the electricity consumed by appliances and other equipment when they are switched off or not performing their primary purpose. It is responsible for 3 to 12 percent of residential electricity use worldwide (source, pdf). Freelance journalist Robert Buzink has a low-tech solution for this – all you need is a pair of scissors and a screwdriver. The text is in Dutch but the pictures speak for themselves.
Airships Past and Present, by A.Hildebrandt (1908)
June 20, 2009 by Filed Under: Airships, Aviation, Balloons, History, Kites, Obsolete technology, Random
“Airships past and present – together with chapters on the use of balloons in connection with meteorology, photography and the carrier pigeon” by A. Hildebrandt, captain and instructor in the Prussian Balloon Corps (1908). Pictures, table of contents and list of illustrations below. Related: Camping in the clouds – the zeppelin that never lands / Green slow air cargo / Kite aerial photography.
