The empty promise of technology
The Republic :: The empty promise of technology
We may not be nearly as technology advanced as we think
by Dan Crawford
Two things never fail to amaze me?blind faith and ignorance. These two elements have single-handedly helped fuel a society that readily chooses denial over facing reality. Blind faith is most notable in society's glorification of technology. This has created a consensus that technology can conquer any obstacle. But for many, when questioned as to how something works, they either openly confess they have no idea or offer up an explanation based on imagination.
Ignorance can best be seen in the reliance we have placed in our societal infrastructure without the knowledge of how it works. The majority of people have no comprehension, not even at the most basic levels, as to how their needs are met. Yet, without this infrastructure they themselves would face real challenges in ensuring their own survival.
Take electricity for example. Where does it originate from? Are there factories that ?make? this commodity? Is the electricity from a coal generation plant different than that produced at a nuclear power plant?
What many do not realize is that nearly all forms of electrical generation are derived from motion. The reason why motion produces electricity can best be explained by a discovery that Michael Faraday made in 1831. He observed a relationship between electricity and magnetism which, when stated simply, is this: electricity creates magnetism and magnetism creates electricity. He termed this the Law of Induction. This law is the very basis of nearly all power generation on our planet.
Every type of large scale generation (except for photo voltaic, or solar power) produces power by changing a magnetic element in relation to a conductor. This covers the entire gambit from wind, geothermal, nuclear, hydro, coal, natural-gas and diesel. All of these transform one type of energy into motion. The motion is then transformed into electricity. There are losses at all stages. Counting these losses determines the efficiency of the generator.
The other variable of interest is pollution. Some elements such as coal are extremely unfriendly to the environment. Technological advances come into play by trying to improve the efficiencies or decrease the levels of pollution. The fundamentals, however, never change.
The typical way to produce motion is through using steam. In the case of coal, nuclear, natural-gas and oil generators, the heat produced is used to change the state of water from a liquid into a gas (steam). The pressurized steam is then used to spin turbines. This spinning motion provides the required movement of a conductor within a magnetic field, thereby inducing an electrical current. The very definition of an electrical current is the motion of electrons. There are a few variations for natural gas fired plants. Some burn the gas and use the hot gases produced to spin the turbines. Others rely on a combustion engine to supply the motion to turn the turbines. But, once again, the fundamentals never change.
I chose to outline this example of electrical generation because it clearly portrays how basic science is powering our ?technological? society. When the world is viewed in this way, through basic science, problems can then be reduced into very simple understandable terms. Such as: The nation?s electrical grid is dependent on our ability to produce heat. Much of that heat comes from the burning of fossil fuels.
Things get interesting because, when we take a good look around and reduce all of the technologies we use into their simpler terms, we invariably end up back at fossil fuels. Which brings me to this question: If we are such a technologically-advanced civilization, why are we so dependent on fossil fuels?
My answer is that maybe we aren't that advanced after all. We usually don't hear this answer. Which could very well be because of two things?blind faith and ignorance.
We may not be nearly as technology advanced as we think
by Dan Crawford
Two things never fail to amaze me?blind faith and ignorance. These two elements have single-handedly helped fuel a society that readily chooses denial over facing reality. Blind faith is most notable in society's glorification of technology. This has created a consensus that technology can conquer any obstacle. But for many, when questioned as to how something works, they either openly confess they have no idea or offer up an explanation based on imagination.
Ignorance can best be seen in the reliance we have placed in our societal infrastructure without the knowledge of how it works. The majority of people have no comprehension, not even at the most basic levels, as to how their needs are met. Yet, without this infrastructure they themselves would face real challenges in ensuring their own survival.
Take electricity for example. Where does it originate from? Are there factories that ?make? this commodity? Is the electricity from a coal generation plant different than that produced at a nuclear power plant?
What many do not realize is that nearly all forms of electrical generation are derived from motion. The reason why motion produces electricity can best be explained by a discovery that Michael Faraday made in 1831. He observed a relationship between electricity and magnetism which, when stated simply, is this: electricity creates magnetism and magnetism creates electricity. He termed this the Law of Induction. This law is the very basis of nearly all power generation on our planet.
Every type of large scale generation (except for photo voltaic, or solar power) produces power by changing a magnetic element in relation to a conductor. This covers the entire gambit from wind, geothermal, nuclear, hydro, coal, natural-gas and diesel. All of these transform one type of energy into motion. The motion is then transformed into electricity. There are losses at all stages. Counting these losses determines the efficiency of the generator.
The other variable of interest is pollution. Some elements such as coal are extremely unfriendly to the environment. Technological advances come into play by trying to improve the efficiencies or decrease the levels of pollution. The fundamentals, however, never change.
The typical way to produce motion is through using steam. In the case of coal, nuclear, natural-gas and oil generators, the heat produced is used to change the state of water from a liquid into a gas (steam). The pressurized steam is then used to spin turbines. This spinning motion provides the required movement of a conductor within a magnetic field, thereby inducing an electrical current. The very definition of an electrical current is the motion of electrons. There are a few variations for natural gas fired plants. Some burn the gas and use the hot gases produced to spin the turbines. Others rely on a combustion engine to supply the motion to turn the turbines. But, once again, the fundamentals never change.
I chose to outline this example of electrical generation because it clearly portrays how basic science is powering our ?technological? society. When the world is viewed in this way, through basic science, problems can then be reduced into very simple understandable terms. Such as: The nation?s electrical grid is dependent on our ability to produce heat. Much of that heat comes from the burning of fossil fuels.
Things get interesting because, when we take a good look around and reduce all of the technologies we use into their simpler terms, we invariably end up back at fossil fuels. Which brings me to this question: If we are such a technologically-advanced civilization, why are we so dependent on fossil fuels?
My answer is that maybe we aren't that advanced after all. We usually don't hear this answer. Which could very well be because of two things?blind faith and ignorance.
posted by Marcel at 1:23 PM
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