The 1751 Machine that Made Everything
The 1751 Machine that Made Everything on HackerTube: recommended by 2 Hacker News commenters across 3 separate months, 2020–2023.
Machine Thinking argues the 1751 machine, a metal-cutting lathe associated with Vaucanson, triggered the biggest explosion of wealth in history by enabling precise manufacturing of other machines.
What HN commenters said
5 Hacker News comments link this video. Each one links back to its thread.
zeotrophMay 2021Strongly recommends
How the screw of the wine press was the central part of Gensfleisch/Gutenbergs invention which allowed all the other previously existing ones to finally come together (though I also read that certain advances in metallurgy were also essential). Also see the previous video on screws, a much underappreciated invention. It then describes how the availability of books made propagation of existing technology and newer developments possible and faster. The only other comparable moments in history are probably the evolution of spoken language, the invention of writing and most recently the internet. Also much recommended from that Chanel are the videos on the "Origins of Precision"[1], and "The 1751 Machine that Made Everything"[2]. 1: [link] 2: ▶ this video
in “Machine Thinking on the Printing Press: The Screws of Disruption [video]” · View on HN
roelschroevenJul 2023Recommends
Also Machine Thinking's videos "The 1751 Machine that Made Everything" ( ▶ this video ), "Origins of Precision" ( [link] ) and some others on his channel.
in “Backyard Metalcasting” · View on HN
zeotrophFeb 2020Recommends
If you can't visit but are interested in the topic and the beginning of the industrial revolution in general, the YouTube channel "Machine Thinking" has a video about this[1][2] and related topics. E.g. in another video he explains how to get a perfectly plan surface from scratch: Rubbing two somewhat flat surfaces together until they are smooth enough does not work, you might end up with a subtly concave/convex combination. But do that with three surfaces and the result can only be perfectly flat, though it will take quite some time. [1]: [link] - Paris' Temple To Science - Part I [2]: ▶ this video - The 1751 Machine that Made Everything
in “The Museum of Arts and Crafts in Paris is a trove of cunning inventions” · View on HN
a2techJul 2023Cites it
There's an argument to be made that the rapid advancement of human technology is down to the creation of the metal lathe: ▶ this video
in “Backyard Metalcasting” · View on HN
kralljaAug 2022Joke
“The 1751 Machine that Made Everything”? ▶ this video Of course, when I first saw that, I thought it was a Commodore that I’d never heard of before.
in “Using A Very Old Machine” · View on HN