What is ‘Primitive Technology.’ And who Introduce it

Primitive Technology-A popular YouTube video subgenre called “primitive technology” shows viewers how to construct objects devoid of any modern-day influences over typically approximately 15 minutes.

John Plant on Primitive Technology

Primitive Technology, a popular YouTube channel with more than 9 million followers worldwide, was founded by JOHN PLANT. John is a self-taught primitive technician who has worked as an apprentice as a soil tester in a pottery studio and at a powder coating factory. He has been operating his YouTube channel out of Far North Queensland, Australia, where he was born and raised, since 2015.

It is different from the “prepper” movement, which emphasises gathering supplies and weapons in preparation for the collapse of society.

Primitive Technology encompasses more than just survival techniques. It’s similar to pressing the reset button to test how far you can go.

Do you require an axe? Make one out of a stone and a branch. It would help if you had a pot. Build a kiln and mix your clay. Do you need to break some rocks? Create a water-powered hammer.

The idea of surviving alone in the woods continues to pique people’s interest, from Robinson Crusoe nearly 300 years ago to Tom Hanks in the movie Cast Away.

Primitive technology films frequently acquire millions of views and have given rise to a vibrant online community that discusses the most recent videos.

The Primitive Technology YouTube channel, founded in 2015, appears to have started the trend.

In a technologically evolved society, new and innovative devices are constantly emerging. In the end, this makes earlier ones obsolete. You might concur that Technology advances quickly; computers and mobile phones are two prime examples. The irony is that even though Technology is constantly improving rapidly, some ancient techniques and tools have managed to stand out, some even outperforming their ultra-modern, sophisticated equivalents.

Here are the top ten old technologies that are superior to more modern ones. First, we merely need to preheat our time machine.

The Wired Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell created the wired telephone in 1844. Unquestionably one of the most significant technological advances of the 19th century, Alexander’s telephone remains notable for its unique design, particularly its rotary dial. The dial on this device requires the user to turn it once for each digit of the phone number they wish to call. The phone is noticeably superior to its modern version when considering durability and other qualities, despite many feeling wired landlines obsolete. Even though it was “public,” it was significantly more economical. It is not as “private” as a current smartphone. The first telephone was replaced after more than a century by contemporary phones, which we now carry easily. Modern phones are simple to purchase and return, but between the 19th and 20th centuries, the wired telephone stood out as the best way people could communicate; and you didn’t have to worry about cracked screens or people bothering you all the time!

The Swamp Cooler

The swamp cooler, commonly called an evaporative cooler, uses water evaporation to chill the air. It was created before the contemporary air conditioner, making it one of the earliest “primitive technologies.” The swamp cooler is distinct from air conditioners that employ absorption refrigeration cycles (or vapour compression). It also has the propensity to soak up a lot of heat for evaporation. As a result, they provide comparable services to evaporative cooling systems without the need for sophisticated machinery or ducts.

By utilising the phase change of water from liquid to vapour, swamp coolers reduce the temperature of dry air. As a result, the swamp cooler can cool air using less energy than refrigeration, particularly in arid conditions. In addition, the swamp cooler may hydrate the air without increasing humidity in non-arid areas (this favours the occupants).

Beepers and Pagers

Do you know what pages are? So, if you haven’t, grab your seatbelt. Although pagers, sometimes known as beepers, first appeared in the 1950s, it wasn’t until the 1980s that they took off and became well-known. You can use it as a one-way communication tool in an emergency. It’s a great tool, for instance, for security guards and medics who need to be approachable at all times. The development of smartphones is a clear example of how pagers have helped advance technology. So, naturally, the desire for more effective communication tools drove advancements. The introduction of the smartphone (around the start of the millennium) led to sharp fall pagers and beepers. Pagers, on the other hand, provide better coverage, are more dependable, and have a single purpose. So, naturally, they’ll continue to be applicable for years.

Telegram

When telegrams were first invented, we didn’t have the internet. Not the Telegram app that you can download from the Google Play Store either. No, this was unique; it was more akin to the physical letter with thorough information from the sender sent via Morse code. The subject matter of the communication is also open-ended. If they had one, someone could send you a telegram about their current endeavours and pet crocodile. Telegram was more entertaining than email in the modern era. When you watch an old movie, you’ll quickly understand how the telegraph had a strange beauty that Microsoft Outlook’s awkwardness couldn’t match. A sense of drama and beauty was there in the message. Your door is knocked on by the telegraph messenger, and you answer. “Telegram,” they reply. Talk about your memories. Modern email, in contrast, does not include any of the excitement that sending and receiving telegrams convey. Sending an email rather than a telegram also requires less skill. The telegram is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable rudimentary technologies ever created. You cannot equate the internet to telegram, despite a billion people using it.

Dumb Phones

Before smartphones even existed, there were dumb phones. They quickly go out of style due to technological advances and mobile apps like Android and iOS. Using a dumbphone is almost unimaginable today. These telephones are outdated and out of date. Simple cell phones are known as dumb phones. You could send texts, make phone calls, and, if fortunate, locate someone with cheeky games of “Snake” to play when you idle at home or work. They were helpful at the time and served as a forerunner to modern mobile phones—the ability to run for days without a charge substantially improved communication in the late 20th century.

Compared to a dumb phone battery, the batteries in our smartphones are a joke. The durability of smartphones is similar. It’s common knowledge that dumb phones can endure one or two decent drops, but there are never any promises that your smartphone will make it through a fall, even from a height of 6 inches. Dumb phones have unquestionably shown that some archaic technology is superior to their modern equivalents. Do some web study before buying a dumb phone to see how wonderful they are. You may still purchase a vintage Nokia from businesses. Unfortunately, it’s challenging to adapt them to the rapid advancement of Technology nowadays. Keeping one in your collection wouldn’t be such a horrible idea.

Typewriters

If you’re a writing nerd or enthusiast, you probably have some knowledge of typewriters and what they can do now (or did in the days before computers). You can type anything on a typewriter, including books, essays, and leaflets with political propaganda. In essence, the first typewriter was a development above the conventional pen and paper when it was created in 1575 by its creators. For writers, they created a world of opportunity. But they were rendered obsolete by the invention of computers. Because it doesn’t have interruptions like a computer, the typewriter has exceptional quality. It can be challenging to continue writing your novel when your laptop is connected to the internet. Why? The most recent breaking news can divert your attention; log on to social media and avoid working on your novel. When using a typewriter, you may concentrate on your work and generate good results while enjoying the delightful sound of the keys hitting the paper.

Digital Audio Tape (DAT)

Do you recall the launch of Sony’s digital audio tape (DAT)? It was authentic. A digital audio cassette in a smaller format called a DAT was included with the device. The DAT has the advantage of superior recording quality over a CD. Similar to a CD, it could easily skip any track you chose by assigning it a number. The only drawback of the digital audio cassette was its prohibitive price, which limited its usefulness (to the professional markets only). It’s interesting to note that the digital audio tape was also utilised as a data storage medium in the professional sector. It has tallied about 660,000 sales since 1987. Sony had intentions to stop making the device public in 2005. The statement Sony made the purpose is to stop making the machines public.

The news was shocking. Hard disc drives and memory cards, which replaced the machines, had excellent portability and efficiency. DATs were fast rendered unnecessary as a result. However, some people use digital audio recordings due to their dependability and convenience. In contrast to memory cards and hard disc drives, DAT is also strong and can last for many years.

Video Home System (VHS)

Another archaic device that shines compared to its more modern equivalents is the video home system (VHS). Magnetic tapes on tiny reels are used in VHS, which is housed in a plastic casing. Many people used it in the 1980s when it first gained popularity to watch and record movies and videos. Then came the DVD, which had one significant advantage that many people who grew up with them recall reasonably clearly. However, many thought DVDs were far more practical and effective than VHS. As a result, households started using DVD players instead of VHS players. As a result, DVDs have nearly wholly replaced VHS tapes by 2008. VHS finally became obsolete as a result of this dramatic change. Although many people still regard it as one of the best ways to watch and record films. In its heyday, VHS was simply the best!

Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

The personal digital assistant is widely acknowledged as the ancestor of the contemporary mobile phone. A personal digital assistant is a tiny, portable device that provides computation, information, and data storage. A personal digital assistant can keep track of addresses and organise critical events or activities. It also has a retrieval feature for users. It provided equal access to many modern conveniences like touchscreen technology, the internet, and word processing. PDAs rose popular in the early 1990s and 2000s, but cell phones eventually supplanted them. Some PDAs had tiny physical keyboards, while others had an electronic-sensitive pad and a stylus for scribbling. Later, in 2010, the phrase “personal digital assistant” was repurposed to describe software that identifies and reacts to a user’s voice and uses artificial intelligence to answer questions. PDAs are still helpful even if you hardly see anyone using one.

Floppy Disks

When floppy discs first appeared in the 1970s, they were primarily used as data storage devices. The systems had an 8-inch floppy disc holding 80 kilobytes of data. Floppy discs’ storage capacity increased while they shrunk in size over time. A 3.5-inch floppy disc with a 1.44 MB storage capacity existed by the middle of the 1980s. By 1990, numerous applications used software-size prompt floppy discs. One such is Adobe Photoshop, which needs a lot of discs to function. Floppy discs were susceptible to heat and magnets, though. They were unusable because they were also quickly corruptible. CD ROMs promptly gained popularity and took over. For many software programmes, floppy discs serve as the save icon. Floppy discs have mostly lost their usefulness despite their advantages.

Conclusion:

The practice of primitive Technology involves creating items in the wild entirely from scratch without modern tools or materials. It is a rigid guideline. If you need fire, use fire sticks; if you need an axe, shape a stone; if you need shelter, construct one out of trees, dirt, rocks, etc. Trying to get by without contemporary Technology is the challenge. If this pastime interests you, this blog may be exactly what you’re looking for in Technology.

It should be mentioned that I don’t live in the wild; instead, I only do this as a pastime. I eat modern food and live in a contemporary home. I enjoy studying the structures and objects that early humans created. It is a healthy hobby that requires time and effort and keeps you fit.