The Alchemy of Us

1. Materials shape human progress and culture in unexpected ways

"We form them, but they, in turn, shape us."

Mutual transformation. Throughout history, humans have invented and refined materials to serve our needs, but these materials often end up influencing our behavior, society, and culture in ways we didn't anticipate. This reciprocal relationship between humans and materials is at the heart of technological progress and cultural evolution.

Examples of material impact:

• Quartz clocks altered our perception of time and sleep patterns
• Steel rails connected distant regions, spurring urbanization and commerce
• Photographic film reflected and reinforced racial biases
• Silicon chips enabled the digital revolution, reshaping how we think and communicate

The unintended consequences of material innovations highlight the need for critical examination of new technologies and their potential societal impacts. As we continue to develop new materials and technologies, we must remain aware of how they might shape our lives and culture in return.

2. Timekeeping devices revolutionized sleep patterns and social interactions

"Before the clock, society didn't have appointments within those bounds."

Natural rhythms disrupted. The invention and widespread adoption of accurate timekeeping devices fundamentally changed how humans structured their days and nights. Before clocks, people relied on natural cues like sunrise and sunset to guide their activities. The introduction of precise timekeeping led to a more regimented lifestyle governed by schedules and appointments.

Impacts of timekeeping:

• Shift from biphasic sleep (two sleep periods per night) to consolidated sleep
• Increased pressure to be punctual and productive
• Standardization of time zones for coordination across distances
• Rise of the industrial workday and time-based wages

The clock's influence extended beyond practical scheduling, affecting our perception of time itself. The ability to measure time precisely made it a commodity to be saved, spent, or wasted, fundamentally altering social and economic interactions. This shift from natural rhythms to clock-governed lives has had profound effects on human health, productivity, and social structures that persist to this day.

3. Steel's widespread adoption transformed transportation and urbanization

"Steel stitched the country together with rails, but also how steel helped to manufacture culture."

Infrastructure revolution. The mass production of steel, enabled by innovations like the Bessemer process, provided the material foundation for rapid industrialization and urbanization in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Steel's strength, durability, and versatility made it the ideal material for building railroads, bridges, and skyscrapers.

Steel's impact on society:

• Enabled the expansion of railroads, connecting distant regions
• Facilitated the growth of cities and the rise of skyscrapers
• Revolutionized manufacturing and mass production
• Contributed to the standardization of time zones

The widespread availability of steel didn't just change the physical landscape; it altered social and economic structures as well. The ability to transport goods and people quickly over long distances reshaped commerce, labor markets, and cultural exchange. Steel-enabled infrastructure became the backbone of modern industrial societies, influencing everything from urban planning to consumer culture.

4. Telegraph and telephone reshaped language and information flow

"Speech has become immortal."

Communication revolution. The invention of the telegraph and later the telephone dramatically accelerated the speed of information exchange, compressing time and space in unprecedented ways. These technologies not only changed how people communicated but also influenced the very structure and content of language itself.

Impacts on language and information:

• Encouraged brevity and conciseness in communication
• Led to the development of new linguistic codes and shorthand
• Enabled near-instantaneous news reporting across great distances
• Facilitated the centralization of business and government communications

The telegraph's constraints, such as the cost per word, promoted a more economical use of language that influenced writing styles in journalism and literature. The telephone, by enabling real-time voice communication, brought a new immediacy to long-distance interactions. These technologies laid the groundwork for our modern, hyper-connected world, shaping expectations for the speed and accessibility of information.

5. Photography captured more than images - it reflected societal biases

"The technology embodied the ideology in which it was born in subtle ways."

Embedded prejudices. While photography revolutionized visual representation, it also unintentionally perpetuated and sometimes exacerbated societal biases, particularly regarding race and skin color. The technical limitations and design choices in early photographic processes often favored lighter skin tones, reflecting and reinforcing the racial prejudices of the time.

Examples of bias in photography:

• Early film chemistries optimized for capturing lighter skin tones
• Use of "Shirley cards" as white-centric color balance standards
• Difficulty in photographing people with darker skin in group settings
• Polaroid's involvement in creating ID systems for apartheid South Africa

These biases in photographic technology not only affected personal and commercial photography but also had far-reaching implications in areas like identification systems and media representation. The struggle to create more inclusive imaging technologies highlights the importance of diversity in technological development and the need to critically examine the hidden assumptions in our tools and systems.

6. Electric lighting altered human behavior and disrupted natural rhythms

"Modern humans are taller than their ancestors... It is partly related to nutrition and other factors, but it is also related to artificial light."

Circadian disruption. The widespread adoption of electric lighting dramatically extended human activity into the night, fundamentally altering sleep patterns, work schedules, and social behaviors. While this extension of productive hours brought many benefits, it also disrupted natural circadian rhythms with significant consequences for human health and the environment.

Impacts of artificial lighting:

• Shifted sleep patterns from biphasic to monophasic
• Extended work and leisure activities into nighttime hours
• Contributed to sleep disorders and related health issues
• Disrupted wildlife behaviors and ecosystems (e.g., sea turtle nesting)

The ability to artificially extend daylight has had profound effects on human physiology, potentially contributing to changes in growth patterns and hormone production. It has also transformed urban landscapes, creating light pollution that obscures the night sky and affects astronomical observation. As we become more aware of these impacts, there's a growing movement to develop more natural lighting technologies and practices that better align with human and environmental needs.

7. Data storage evolution enabled the digital age and changed our thinking

"We don't need to remember, when apps will do it for us."

Outsourced memory. The development of increasingly compact and efficient data storage technologies, from punch cards to magnetic tapes to silicon chips, has fundamentally altered how we process, store, and access information. This evolution has enabled the digital revolution but also changed how we think and remember.

Impacts of data storage evolution:

• Enabled the development of computers and the internet
• Facilitated the digitization and easy access of vast amounts of information
• Changed how we remember information (knowing where to find info vs. memorizing it)
• Led to concerns about privacy and data security in the digital age

The ability to store and quickly access vast amounts of information externally has reduced the need for rote memorization and changed how we approach problem-solving and learning. While this has expanded our access to knowledge, it has also raised concerns about over-reliance on technology and the potential atrophy of certain cognitive skills. The digital age, made possible by advances in data storage, has reshaped not just how we access information, but how we think about knowledge itself.

8. Scientific glassware facilitated medical breakthroughs and technological advances

"Glass is the best keeper of a vacuum; transparent, uninterested in conducting electricity, and malleable to an inventor's imagination."

Invisible enabler. Scientific glassware, with its unique properties of transparency, chemical inertness, and malleability, has been a crucial but often overlooked factor in many scientific and technological breakthroughs. From beakers and test tubes to more specialized apparatus, glass has enabled observations and experiments that would otherwise be impossible.

Contributions of scientific glassware:

• Enabled the discovery of microorganisms and development of microbiology
• Facilitated the development of vaccines and antibiotics
• Played a crucial role in the discovery of electrons and development of electronics
• Allowed for the creation of precise measuring instruments and chemical apparatus

The development of specialized glasses, such as borosilicate glass, further expanded the possibilities for scientific research by providing materials that could withstand extreme temperatures and chemical reactions. The ability to shape glass into complex forms also enabled the creation of intricate experimental setups. As an enabler of scientific progress, glass has indirectly shaped modern medicine, technology, and our understanding of the physical world.

Last updated: April 21, 2025