Level of technology (was: Visibility and wavelength)

[Michael B Holt <michaelbholt@juno.com>]

On Mon, 05 Jul 1999 19:20:18 -0400 Jonathan Shawl writes:
>They didn't have high speed
>liquid crystal shutters or very fast and sensitive CCD sensors like we 
>have today. So I have always wondered if our technology has reached the 
>point that we can make this work now. 

The question of the required level of technology is very important.

When I was first kicking around the idea of my own submarine, I used
books written before WW2 as sources of ideas and circuits.   It seemed 
to me that the required technology was not as high as advertising or
military necessities might indicate.

In the beginning, for example, "hydrophones" were nothing more than
a rubber cap on the outside of a long pipe.    Directional required? 
Just
make the tube rotate.    It won't work very deep, of course, but there
are simple ways to protect it.

John Holland patented, in about 1893, an autopilot for his submarine.

Look at the old stuff.   Between them, Holland and Simon Lake may have
answered some questions.   If anyone's interested, I'll go ahead with my
project to collect the old patents, and make then available.


Mike Holt
("Lazy" is what it's really all about.)
-- 

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