How do you think the world would have been today if we never invented electricity?

[pigface]

Author David Weber explores this idea in his massive series "Safehold": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safehold

Since electricity is relagated to the "gods", it has created a massive resistance to industrialization and innovation. There is no incandescent light bulb, so all lighting is with candles or fuel oil. No internal cumbustion engine as there can be no spark plugs. No automobiles except for those that run on steam. Mass transit heavily depends upon the steam engine and railroads. No aircraft for the same reason there are no automobiles. Lighter than aircraft, such as blimps and dirigibles are just beginning to be introduced. Refrigeration limited to what can be cooled with a steam engine. As Shadowcat states, no computers nor internet. No radio. No television. Long distance communication limited to semifore or carrier pigeons and similar. No rock-n-roll since there can be no electric guitars Society exists in a somewhat merged reality of the early 19th century and early industrial revolution era with no electricity. High rise buildings will not exist as the elevator depended on the electric motor and air conditioning for such massive structures also needs electricity.

Diesel engines don't have spark plugs.

 

[rareboy]

Imagine what life would be like

Let me get my heat lamp and we can have sex in the tool shed

We recently went through 6 days of no power. The garden loved it. But as I have noted in other threads...it took me out of 2022 and made me think again about preparedness.

Without electricity, we would definitely be back to subsistence farming. We'd need to dig an new well with an actual pump. We would need to re-install wood fired stoves in the farmhouse besides the one in the basement kitchen. We would actually have to fucking work at daily life. And we would likely stink.

 

[unloadonme]

Diesel engines don't have spark plugs.

Are you sure you're gay?

 

[smokeshadow]

Diesel engines don't have spark plugs.

Which is why a diesel engine is acceptable in Weber's universe. It's the internal combustion engine (which is different from a diesel engine) that is problematic

 

[Rickrock]

Newspapers and neighbors would be the primary conductors of news.

 

[pigface]

Which is why a diesel engine is acceptable in Weber's universe. It's the internal combustion engine (which is different from a diesel engine) that is problematic

A Diesel engine is just one variant of several engines all of which are internal combustion enginres. Gas turbine engines also have no spark plug or requirement for electrical components.

And there exist refrigerators that run on paraffin - no electricity required.

 

[gsdx]

Mods please move this to current events.

I fear that request will meet with some resistance.

Shocking! The both of you! Absolutely shocking! Go ohm! Now! Watt are you waiting for??

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

Imagine what life would be like

Let me get my heat lamp and we can have sex in the tool shed

There was a movie with Nicole Kidman and the monkey on her back. Also a song by Kate Bush... not one of her best.

It was also supposed to be atheist, but there was nothing about that in the movie.