Research topics
Here are the topics I’m interested in at the moment.
Materials & manufacturing
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Resource extraction: mining, drilling, forestry
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Materials: metals, cement, textiles, clay, glass, plastic, rubber, paper, sand/silicon
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Chemicals: soap, acids, dyes, bleach, pharmaceuticals, fertilizer, *-icides
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Processes: automation, mass manufacturing, precision
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Construction: buildings & infrastructure, surveying
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Products, especially the proliferation of household goods particularly in the 20th century
- Retail & supply chains
Food
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Agriculture: soil management, seeding, irrigation, fertilization, pest & weed control
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Crops: breeding, Green Revolution, GMOs
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Animals: domestication, livestock, fishing & acquaculture
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Food preservation: salt & spices, drying, pickling, preserves, smoking, canning, freezing
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Mechanization of agriculture and food processing
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Food retail: markets, grocery stores
Medicine
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Infectious diseases: smallpox, tuberculosis, influenza/pneumonia, malaria, polio, etc.
- Germ theory
- General hygiene
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Pharmaceuticals, especially antibiotics
- Vaccines
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Surgery: anesthetics, antiseptics
- Epidemiology
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Sanitation: water/sewage, food safety
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Other public health: pest control, education
Energy
- Steam power
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Oil & gas: kerosene lighting, diesel & gasoline engines
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Electricity: motors, light bulb, generators & power grid, batteries
- Nuclear
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Lighting: fire, gas, electric
- Heating & cooling
Transportation
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Water: shipbuilding, sailing, canals, steamboats, transition to coal/oil
- Locomotives & railroads
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Automobiles: internal combustion engine, paved roads, highway system
- Airplanes
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Infrastructure: bridges, tunnels, surveying
- Maps & navigation
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Cargo transportation, including containerization and other aspects of logistics
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Writing: paper, printing, literacy
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Recording: photography, phonograph, film, etc.
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Communications: telegraph, telephone, radio, television; news media
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Organizational systems: filing, indexing, library systems
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Observation & measurement: telescope, microscope, thermometer, etc.
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Computation: mechanical calculators, electronic computers
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Convergence of all of the above in computers, digital media & the Internet
Organization & management
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Finance: banks, lending, corporations, stock & exchanges, etc.
- Management
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Research: universities, corporate labs, government, etc.
- Cities
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Work & jobs: physical labor, working hours, productivity & wages, vacation & leisure, retirement
Comfort & safety
(Many of these overlap with other topics above)
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Cleanliness: pollution, sewage & sanitation
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Accidents: vehicle safety, job safety, etc.
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Fire: fire-fighting, fire-proofing, forest fires
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Weather: storms, cold, heat waves, drought
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Natural disasters: flood, hurricane, earthquake, etc.
- Food safety & security
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Hazards of technology itself: radiation, toxic substances, etc.