Today’s brain teaser in the Trumpeting Moon was a real scorcher. I pondered it all the way from my home station to Federation Square, and then I was so deep in thought that I had to get of when the train LEFT Federation Square and started to go in reverse. But then, I have that problem all the time. Too easy for me to get lost in thought.
Anyway, the question was ‘if you went back in time, would you be able to blow people away with your incredible knowledge?’
I don’t actually think I would, you know. Our office just got some frosted window glass fitted, so I’m sitting at my desk looking into this frosted glass and just wondering…how DO they do that? How do you make frosted window glass? If I was suddenly sent back to the Middle Ages, it’s not like I could take solace in the fact that at least I could use my future knowledge to have a bit of frosted window glass in my thatched home. Surely such a thing would cause kings to travel from faraway nations to marvel at my creation, except I don’t actually KNOW how to make it so I’d be totally stuck. Probably wouldn’t even have access to normal glass, unless I worked in a convent and I had some nice decorative window glass to admire during morning and evening prayers.
So now I’ve googled the process of creating frosted window glass, and I STILL don’t understand. I can comprehend the individual words, but if someone gave me a pane of glass, a printed list of the steps to make it frosted and all the equipment, I’d just shrug in confusion.
And that’s one thing. I’m haven’t even delved into electricity, or ice-cream. Such integral parts of our lives, and so unknown to me. I’d have to get a job with a company in Melbourne doing commercial window tinting, and other glass things. But even then, that’s one innovation among many. And again…shutters. They loved shutters in the Middle Ages, and there’s only so much decoration you can give them.
-Myles