We tend to forget that the latest shiny gadgets that abound in our modern world would be pointless without the backup that enables them to work. The factors that enable these things to be used are inter-dependent on a complex range of other technologies, most of which are beyond both our comprehension and our control. On an everyday level, how useful is a mobile phone when the batteries run out and what can you do with a car that has no petrol? |
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Far more complicated are the myriad support systems required to make much of our high-end technology function. As a military example, a standard heat-seeking missile requires special fuel, a dedicated warhead, computers that control the guidance system, gyroscopic stabilizing and an on-board self-destruct mechanism. Without all of these, the rocket is simply a scrap-bin of very expensive parts
heading into the blue yonder.Even the sciences that have brought us that most commonplace of military hardware, the firearm, are wholly dependent on external factors that many shooters do not understand. The steel used must be of the correct grade, the barrel must be bored perfectly straight and sights properly aligned.The ammunition has to be consistently manufactured, with reliable primers |
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high-quality powder and bullets that are identical in weight and shape, and with ballistic properties that exactly match the requirements of the |
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weapon. Failure to adhere to each and every one of these criteria will result in a gun that shoots high or low, misses the target completely or has a point of impact that differs with every shot. These results are not what the shooter demands or expects, particularly when the man behind the trigger is a combat soldier and his life depends on the reliability and accuracy of his small arms.
The above content is from an old, torn copy of SNIPER RIFLES From the 19th to 21st century by MARTIN PEGLER. Aren't they wonderful? I always thought as long as my mobile works, why do I need to bother about who made it / why it works / why I must clean it.
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The same way, I felt why do I need to study electronics, processors, timing waveforms and such when all I am gonna do is just some programming in the luxury of my cubicle. But now, after reading these three paragraphs, that aint the case. It looks like everything is so interconnected and so cool. Every single task seems important *in the manufacture of Rifles...*
Damn it all. There is a lot I still need to understand. What are your thoughts about this? Ever felt / thought this way?
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Technology Interconnected