What Ancient Tech Do You Do?

neonfrog asks: "Before silicon, before electricity even, what the heck did those of us with geek brains do? Our brains have not evolved appreciably in half an eon (at least mine hasn't, but I may be descended from turtles). What would today's programmers have been doing centuries before the invention of the keyboard? What would an electrical engineer be doing a millennia or three before the concept of resistors and capacitors? What piqued their curiosity? Were their skills esoteric or exotic? They can't all have been Leonardo Da Vincis or court 'magicians', right? Summer's starting and, for some, it's hobby time. I bet the Slashdot community harbors quite a few Journeyman, or even Masters. I know a lot of geeks are beer-makers (and I do so appreciate you folk ... urp!) so there's no danger of that knowledge getting lost. What other ancient tech do you indulge in and keep alive? What are some good resources?"

i wondered this myself

[pizza_milkshake]

probably just typing on a rock

Before the keyboard

[Anonymous Coward]

What would today's programmers have been doing centuries before the invention of the keyboard?

I can't say for sure, but it would probably only require one hand.

Same hobby, different tools!

[facelessnumber]

Well that's easy. I would have been a pirate.

The same thing current grads are doing...

[LordEd]

... would you like fries with that?

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+1 sarcastic

Re:History of the Ancient Geeks

[Short Circuit]

with nuances more intricate than any xfree86 config file

Wow. You have no idea how much you've raised my respect for these things. Cognitive dissonance...what a feeling.

Debian

[Anonymous Coward]

If you want to get a feel for what pre-history was like for ancient geeks, just install and run Debian, the Sanskrit of Linux.

Re:Blacksmithing

[Tumbleweed]

all obsolete by now, of course, but that's how the Golden Gate and the Titanic were built

One of those is perhaps not the greatest example. :)

Tech Support

[Cheeze]

Don't all good engineers start out in Tech support??

tech: Hello sir, how may I help you?
caveman: fire, BAD!!!
tech: I understand your frustration, you'll need to restart your fire by hitting two stones together.
caveman: FIRE, BAD!!!!!
tech: Sir, you're going to have to work with me here.
caveman: fire.........good?
tech: Yes sir. Is there anything else I can do for you?
caveman: UNF!

Magic / Necromancy

[SteeldrivingJon]

Back in the medieval period, the educated people were the clerics, some ordained, some not.

Problem was, there weren't enough good jobs for the educated class. There were many underemployed people with time on their hands and limited prospects.

So they did what came naturally. Like we hack technology, they hacked theology.

Much 'black magic' was based on the standard Catholic rite of exorcism. In the rite, the priest commands demons or the devil to leave, in the name of the father, son, and holy ghost, perhaps with other holy names thrown in for good measure.

Some clerk must have seen that, and thought "What a waste! If you can command them, why not tell them to do something useful?"

Thus, the idea that a sorceror could follow a similar ritual, and use the influence of the holy powers to command the spirits to bring wealth, or sex, or knowledge.

Sort of like hacking a CueCat.