saved
A Tome of Forbidden Technologies
gist
John Michael Greer calls the recovery of discarded technologies “retrovation” and divides it into three levels: proven tools displaced by newer products, neglected inventions that still need testing, and methods rejected because they conflict with prevailing theory. His examples range from vinyl and repairable tractors to electroculture and homeopathy. The useful frame is the taxonomy, paired with his call for documented experiments and source material. Several empirical and medical claims remain the author’s assertions and need independent verification.
ideas
- Separate abandonment from failure. A technology can lose distribution, investment, or legitimacy without being technically inferior to what replaces it.
- Classify revival by uncertainty. Reusing a once-common tool carries a different evidence burden from developing a marginal invention or testing a theory-rejected method.
- Match scrutiny to the claim. The further a proposal moves from established evidence, the more it needs controlled tests, long-term observation, and independent replication.
- Prefer repairability under constraint. Simpler products may become more useful when resource costs, vendor dependence, and authorized repair make newer systems brittle.
- Build the catalog from evidence. Greer’s proposed collection depends on traceable books, publication data, and reports from people who have tried the technologies.
quotes
“Retrovation? That’s a term I coined a decade ago, a portmanteau of “retro” and “innovation.””
“The second stage involves searching through the past for technologies that were invented but never got a large market share”
“detailed notes and a great many tests are needed to find out whether the result is a curiosity or a treasure.”
“I need good solid reading material on abandoned technologies—references to books, whenever possible, with author, title, and publication data.”