Skip to content
Standard Reader
Log in
Tag

Fundamental-needs

Articles and publications tagged Fundamental-needs across the Atmosphere.

15articles1publication
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comJun 17, 2026
Coordination technologies
In chronological* order: Kinship systems Religion Art Clothing/jewelry Music Gift exchange Language Oral recitation Written language Law Money Bureaucracy Voting Double-entry bookkeeping Facts Scientific method Peer review Printing Markets…
anthropocenecoordination
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comOct 28, 2025
Prime Movers of Globalization
Smil looks at the Diesel engine and its impact on civilization. Globalization is basically Diesel-powered.
anthropocenebook
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comOct 28, 2025
Farming and population density
From Harvesting the Biosphere : Half a million years ago, there were between 15,000 - 125,000 people, total. Today there are about 8bn. What changed? How we farm. Human population Density (People/km^2) min max Foraging 0.01 1 Pastoralism 1 2…
fundamental-needs
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comNov 26, 2019
Science is the only news
Science is the only news. When you scan a news portal or magazine, all the human interest stuff is the same old he-said-she-said, the politics and economics the same cyclical dramas, the fashions a pathetic illusion of newness; even the technology…
fundamental-needsfutures
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comSep 14, 2018
Top 1000 tools
What tools are critical to the functioning and continued development of human civilization? What tools have had the greatest historical impact? How would you go about finding this out? What methods would you use? Identify critical domains, consult…
archivingfundamental-needs
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comSep 14, 2018
Top 1000 scientific papers
Which scientific papers have had the highest impact? How would you go about finding this out? What methods would you use? Impact factor as proxy Study history Consult professors and experts in individual domains Organize into top 1000 list. Could…
archivingfundamental-needs
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comAug 29, 2018
Fundamental Needs
Fundamental needs are universal constraints. My bet is: If a technology addresses a fundamental need, universal adoption is guaranteed. The only questions are "how fast" and "who will build it". Any tech that addresses a…
fundamental-needstools
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comJan 28, 2018
Access to tools
"Access to tools" was a slogan on the cover of the Whole Earth Catalog , a collection of DIY books and tools, mostly focused on fundamental needs . From the first edition: Function The WHOLE EARTH CATALOG functions as an evaluation and…
fundamental-needstools
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comJan 21, 2018
A Case for Climate Engineering
A Case for Climate Engineering is a little book that makes a high-level pitch for careful geoengineering. It is designed to convince policy makers in a hurry and doesn't go into deep detail, but offers a good overview of the methods, drawbacks, and…
anthropocenebook
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comJan 10, 2018
Energy Transitions
Smil's deeply researched assessment of what it will take for civilization to transition to renewable energy. We've transitioned from one energy source to another several times before: people to animal, animal to wood, wood to coal, coal to oil.…
anthropocenebook
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comJan 10, 2018
Harvesting the Biosphere
Harvesting the Biosphere (Vaclav Smil, 2012) examines a single question in great detail: "what is the carrying capacity of the planet?" How many of us can it support? Photosynthesis is nature's great freebie. Earth is a closed system and…
anthropocenebook
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comJan 10, 2018
The Drawdown
The drawdown is a catalog of climate change interventions, scored by impact. Drawdown is the work of a prominent and growing coalition of geologists, engineers, agronomists, researchers, fellows, writers, climatologists, biologists, botanists,…
anthropocenebook
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comApr 1, 2017
Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation is irrigation through small tubes targeted to the roots of the plant. It is the most common form of micro irrigation. Drip irrigation (together with the treadle pump is an extremely valuable tool for small shareholder farmers. In…
fundamental-needs
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comMar 31, 2017
Carbon sinks
There are 5 carbon sinks that are actuatable on a short time scale: Atmosphere (smallest sink) Plants Topsoil Surface ocean layers Fossil Fuel Reserves (largest sink) Carbonate rock and deep ocean are both long-term sinks that change on the order…
anthropocenefundamental-needs
gordonbrander.com
gordonbrander.comFeb 4, 2017
Cinderblocks
Cinderblocks are the lego brick of informal urban space. They empower anyone to build shelter. They are cheap. They let you build incrementally. Cinderblocks are freestanding and structural, so you can leave parts of a building unfinished, adding…
fundamental-needs

You've reached the end.