Bench Grass

Bench Grass is a blog about the history of technology by the former student of a student of Lynn White. The main focus is a month-by-month retrospective series, covering the technology news, broadly construed, of seventy years ago, framed by fictional narrators. The author is Erik Lund, an "independent scholar" in Vancouver, British Columbia. Last post will be 24 July 2039.

Friday, January 26, 2018

The Early Iron Age Revival of the State, VI: Omen of Sargon, Who Ruled the Universe; Omen of the Inhabitants of Apisal, Whom Naram-Sin Made Prisoner by a Breach in the Wall

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Assyria is perhaps the unique example of a state that revived itself in the early Iron Age, which actually had writing. The case for reviv...
3 comments:
Friday, January 19, 2018

The Early Iron Age Revival of the State, V: The Sin of Sargon

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This post comes out of the reading I did for  this one.  I had the vague impression that "Assyrian"-style haruspical bronze live...
3 comments:
Sunday, January 14, 2018

Postblogging Technnology, November 1947, II: Douglas' Turn is Ugly

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" We may make it --Approaching a strip . . . " R_. C_.,  Vancouver, Canada Dear Sir: Thank you THANK YOU for ta...
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Thursday, January 4, 2018

A Technical Appendix to Postblogging Technology, November 1947, I: When America Gets a Cold, The Rest of the World Gets 70-Calibre Pneumonia"

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Update: Put some words in. At the head, I should point out that this appendix is up for the usual reason that I'm not going to get the...
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Sunday, December 31, 2017

Postblogging Technology, November 1947, I: Warmongering

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R_.C_., Vancouver, Canada. Dear Sir: You'll pardon me if I'm not my usual, chatty self, as I've just had the news that...
Saturday, December 23, 2017

The Early Iron Age Revival of the State, IV: Harness Racing, Equestrianship, Oxhide Ingots and Coins

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Olives are the definition of the Mediterranean diet. They also need to be cured in salt or  lye.  This isn't very relevant to this po...
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Friday, December 15, 2017

A Technical Appendix to Postblogging, October, II, with Segue to the Early Iron Age Rebirth of the State: Axial Compressors, Smelting and Bullion

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In October of 1947, the owners of one of the first industrial axial compressors ever built, donated it to the Science Museum, Kensington, L...
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Erik Lund
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