Something as simple as flipping on a device with a light switch would seen like witchcraft.
Want to know what time it is in the dark of the morning? reliable time keeping might be possible in a house, but certainly not in a bedroom, and certainly not millisecond-accurate or observable in the dark.
I think the only thing they wouldn't be impressed with is alcohol consumption, but even then we have a variety, production scale and safety level they couldn't fathom.
And the capitalist overlords will readily trot out these points and claim we live like nobility from the 1600s while sapping us of our every free moment and waking thought. Forgive my turning this political
No that's reasonable; this shit is often 'ot has never been better!' Slop, to ignore the fact we're choking on the rotting corpse of our biosphere as the climate turns into an oven and the oppressive anti human politics that enable that shit.
Tons of things. Instantly talking to a person the next town over, let alone the other side of the world. Turning on a light source whenever we want. Freezing a moment in time by taking a photograph. Etc
The pedant in me also feels the need to point out that the 1600s weren't medieval though.
Using toilets and showers. Sanitation and hygiene are among the biggest factors in the increase of life expectancy we get to enjoy. Yet we take those things completely for granted.
I promise you one of the first things any time traveller from the past would notice, would be how much nicer everything smells. Not that they did not care about smelling nice, or were content being filthy all the time, we simply take for granted how incredibly easy hygiene has become.
That feels relatively young for something like that, I would’ve thought maybe that would’ve been a little further back.
In some ways it does go further back, because each village basically had its own time. So there were lots and lots of time zones, if you think about it that way.
Having a compact energy storage. Coal was fine for steam engines, but gasoline, diesel and related fossil fuels were a game changer. Sure, they pollute, have destroyed our environment, cause various diseases and might even result in our extinction sooner rather than later, but hear me out.
Liquid fuels made it possible to build and operate compact and light engines that provide an amazing amount of power. Also, the fuel lasts a long time compared to coal and wood. This means that we can transport items and people across the globe, visit distant places within a single day, and commute to work in places that have barely any infrastructure.
All of this has transformed individual lives, large parts of the society and even the global economy. Imagine doing all that a hundred years before knowing how to build solar panels and batteries. That sort of global change was totally unimaginable in the 1600s.
But seriously though, that change didn’t come for free, and it’s about time we stop relying on this shortcut. It was literally quick and dirty, so we really need to switch to something more sustainable. If only solar panels had been invented before oil…
Everything, almost. Cars, phones, computers, spices, water on demand, electricity, the quantity and quality of almost everything, etc.
If the average person from, say, mid 1600's were teleported to now, they would be so unimaginably confused, and hostile towards everything, and that makes sense, since so much has changed.
The internet would be something beyond comprehension for them, yet it's something most of us use multiple times a day.
Have a great day, be kind, and I hope this answers the question! :D
This is a poor interpretation of average life expectancy numbers. Plenty of people lived into their 60s+, but due to high infant mortality, the average gets pulled way down.
24 Comments
KeepFlying@lemmy.world · 38 pts · 251d
Having reliable and cheap lighting at all hours of the day.
Light was very expensive for a lot of human history.
Donjuanme@lemmy.world · 28 pts · 251d
What wouldn't be?
Something as simple as flipping on a device with a light switch would seen like witchcraft.
Want to know what time it is in the dark of the morning? reliable time keeping might be possible in a house, but certainly not in a bedroom, and certainly not millisecond-accurate or observable in the dark.
I think the only thing they wouldn't be impressed with is alcohol consumption, but even then we have a variety, production scale and safety level they couldn't fathom.
And the capitalist overlords will readily trot out these points and claim we live like nobility from the 1600s while sapping us of our every free moment and waking thought. Forgive my turning this political
cassandrafatigue@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 249d
No that's reasonable; this shit is often 'ot has never been better!' Slop, to ignore the fact we're choking on the rotting corpse of our biosphere as the climate turns into an oven and the oppressive anti human politics that enable that shit.
PonyOfWar@pawb.social · 27 pts · 251d
Tons of things. Instantly talking to a person the next town over, let alone the other side of the world. Turning on a light source whenever we want. Freezing a moment in time by taking a photograph. Etc
The pedant in me also feels the need to point out that the 1600s weren't medieval though.
lemuria@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 251d
medievalcrossed out :slight_smile:slazer2au@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 251d
Hot water from a tap at home.
Travel 2 cities away and back in the same day.
Rumo161@feddit.org · 17 pts · 250d
Wasching and drying a load of clothe in 2h.
Drekaridill@lemmy.wtf · 17 pts · 250d
I have some spices in my cabinet
Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 251d
Using toilets and showers. Sanitation and hygiene are among the biggest factors in the increase of life expectancy we get to enjoy. Yet we take those things completely for granted.
HeroHelck@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 251d
I promise you one of the first things any time traveller from the past would notice, would be how much nicer everything smells. Not that they did not care about smelling nice, or were content being filthy all the time, we simply take for granted how incredibly easy hygiene has become.
skvlp@lemmy.wtf · 12 pts · 251d
Knowing the exact time. Back then most people probably only had public clocks, like the clock tower on churches, to tell time
saimen@feddit.org · 3 pts · 249d
There wasn't even a universal time. Every village had its own time. Only the invention of trains made it necessary to synchronize all the times.
flamiera@kbin.melroy.org · 1 pts · 249d
SorteKanin@feddit.dk · 3 pts · 249d
In some ways it does go further back, because each village basically had its own time. So there were lots and lots of time zones, if you think about it that way.
chaosCruiser@futurology.today · 8 pts · 251d
Having a compact energy storage. Coal was fine for steam engines, but gasoline, diesel and related fossil fuels were a game changer. Sure, they pollute, have destroyed our environment, cause various diseases and might even result in our extinction sooner rather than later, but hear me out.
Liquid fuels made it possible to build and operate compact and light engines that provide an amazing amount of power. Also, the fuel lasts a long time compared to coal and wood. This means that we can transport items and people across the globe, visit distant places within a single day, and commute to work in places that have barely any infrastructure.
All of this has transformed individual lives, large parts of the society and even the global economy. Imagine doing all that a hundred years before knowing how to build solar panels and batteries. That sort of global change was totally unimaginable in the 1600s.
But seriously though, that change didn’t come for free, and it’s about time we stop relying on this shortcut. It was literally quick and dirty, so we really need to switch to something more sustainable. If only solar panels had been invented before oil…
NutWrench@lemmy.ml · 8 pts · 249d
Being able to use my magical talking rock to talk to people on the other side of the planet.
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 249d
I have a flashlight in my pocket.
Peppycito@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 251d
10 packs of underwear for $8.99.
sniggleboots@europe.pub · 6 pts · 251d
Read
xylogx@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 250d
Food from thousands of miles away in abundant quantities.
Camille_Jamal@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 248d
Everything, almost. Cars, phones, computers, spices, water on demand, electricity, the quantity and quality of almost everything, etc.
If the average person from, say, mid 1600's were teleported to now, they would be so unimaginably confused, and hostile towards everything, and that makes sense, since so much has changed.
The internet would be something beyond comprehension for them, yet it's something most of us use multiple times a day.
Have a great day, be kind, and I hope this answers the question! :D
banazir@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 251d
Live past 35.
BananaPeal@sh.itjust.works · 19 pts · 251d
This is a poor interpretation of average life expectancy numbers. Plenty of people lived into their 60s+, but due to high infant mortality, the average gets pulled way down.
Hudell@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 248d
It's a little bit of both. It was not rare to see people in their 60s but it was also not an age most people expected to reach.
geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 251d
Call
cerafredo@reddthat.com · 1 pts · 225d