James Burke Connections, Ep. 1 "The Trigger Effect"

Connections is one of the greatest shows in television. The pilot episode is amazing, highlighting the problem with dependence on technology that we don't understand. "Never have so many people understood so little about so much." Even more true today. ▶ this video

^^^ Thank you! ^^^ Came here to reccommend Connections by James Burke and glad to see someone else has mentioned it. It's a masterpiece of popular science production made better with the grainy film patina of the 70s and 80s. ▶ this video

For the uninitiated, Connections is a documentary series from the seventies exploring the interconnectedness of technology. In the first episode, titled "The Trigger Effect" [0], Burke shows that if electricity were taken away from us, we'd be sent back to the plow. It's a little dated (1978), but it's an excellent watch even today. [0] ▶ this video

I highly recommend James Burke's Connections (the original series if this kind of thing interests you) ▶ this video

Years back I was introduced to a terrific BBC show called Connections with James Burke (1978). The first episode, available on YouTube [0], is all about the world's reliance on power and that within a short period of time we'd be catapulted back to the plow. [0] ▶ this video

They are not blog posts but it is a presentation of technical development that meets my standard. james burke connections ▶ this video Tim Hunkin Secret Life of Machines link I have read plenty of blog posts that meet my standard. If I can think of one I will post it.

I think James Burke's classic talking about the fragility of our complex interdependent systems starting the episode from the 1965 Northeast blackout is still relevant and an interesting watch: ▶ this video

There’s definitely not a lot to like, but there is a lot to appreciate. If you want a somewhat toned down version, the first episode of James Burke’s Connections describes some of the same concepts and themes in the context of the NYC blackout of 1965, and is only somewhat less disturbing, but is easily the most upsetting episode of the otherwise charming educational program. ▶ this video link link link

I recall visiting the museum many years ago and seeing a demo where they heated a glass rod and pulled a fiber. This was probably when fiber optics was in its infancy. It was definitely a highlight for a young science nerd. I would love to go back some day. Along those lines I highly recommend the episode of the show “How we Got to Now” about glass [0]. It tells the story of how clear glass was developed, something I always took for granted, but early glass was not clear and took a major effort to create. The show then goes into how Corning took it to a new level for fiber optics. The whole series is excellent and similar to James Burke’s excellent series “Connections”. [1] [0] link [1] link [1] ▶ this video

Your comment reminds me of the excellent series "Connections" by James Burke. The opening episode in the series asks that exact question. ▶ this video

> " we're not going to stop being able to produce enough food to feed everyone in the US " The Great Depression? Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic? I'm sure there are modern examples as well. There may be a plentitude of food and other products but if the societal and economic structures that process it and get it to where it needs to be collapse, that food might as well be on the far side of the moon. And even producing that food is questionable. Modern production is reliant on mechanical and electronic systems nowadays, even farming. Without replacement parts and consumable supplies, everything rapidly grinds to a halt. We saw an example of this in the recent COVID-19 shortages; lack of packaging and other consumables from overseas blocked domestic production of products even when the actual content of the product was still available. Everything is interlinked today. Everything. Watch episode one of James Burke's excellent documentary "Connections" to get an idea of what occurs when that breaks down: ▶ this video

I completely agree. For those who haven't experienced Connections-style history, four episodes are on YouTube: ▶ this video My favorite is this one about proto-computers that came about due to the Black Death: link