it would be interesting to have an application where one can enter a date and receive a list that describes the life situation of common people at the time by opportunities and knowledge that existed.
here are notes about the data such a tool would need to have.
the idea relates to what is known as a tech-tree of civiliziation, alluding to the hierarchical progression of abilities often seen in video games. such a tech-tree would be a significant oversimplification and it is therefore important to choose carefully what it should simplify to. in this case, the target is a basic when-and-where classification of common availability of impactful opportunities.
since availability can fluctuate, some minimum stability time limit will probably be useful. definitions of what it means for an invention to reach critical mass, so that the results are widely available, are also relevant, as are definitions of what it means for an invention to be meaningfully impactful to common people.
it is possible to create a tuple of variables that define one datapoint.
for example:
(time, location, concept)
mobility: the ability to move objects and humans to different locations
generative pre-trained transformer large language models body cameras medical c-sections medical lobotomy electricity led light-bulbs electricily cfl sustenance animal domestication sustenance potatoes communication newspapers economy coins law prisons nature stars nature galaxies nature "thick atmosphere" nature "ozone layer" nature "magnetic field" nature earth life mammals life humans materials spring steel materials stone materials bronze materials iron materials fire communication paper communication "writing with feathers" communication internet communication telephone communication television communication printing communication newspapers communication radio communication mail communication flatscreens communication dumbphones communication smartphones infrastructure "formation of earth" infrastructure "light bulb" infrastructure electricity infrastructure "glassed windows" infrastructure "paved streets" infrastructure plumbing infrastructure "street lighting" infrastructure "led lighting becomes economically viable" automation "steam engine" automation tractor automation transistor automation computer automation washing machine automation electric loom automation agriculture mobility automobile mobility carriages mobility airplanes mobility bicycle health penicilin health anesthesia health x-rays health vaccines health germ-theory health anesthesia entertainment photography entertainment "black and white television" entertainment "color television" society calendar society "labor laws" society "working hours" society "population density" society literacy society "oral contraceptives / condom" society tampons society slavery society money society "law and order" safety "seatbelt laws" safety "car headlights" safety "building codes" politics tribalism politics statehood politics federalism politics democracy politics liberalism politics monarchy 1600 telescope, microscope ~ -1000000 fire 1455 printing 1765 steam engine 1804 railways 1826 photography 1844 telegraph 1879 electric light 1885 automobile 1901 radio 1903 airplane 1927 television 1937 computer 1947 transistor 1892 dmitri Ivanovsky discovers viruses 1895 Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovers x-rays 1896 Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity 1880 adult literacy reaches 20% of the global population 1960 the first oral contraceptive is approved in the usa 1900 electrification was beginning 1868 washing machine
electrification of homes and cities (early 20th century) mass production and the assembly line (1910s) commercial aviation (1930s–1950s) antibiotics and modern medicine (1930s onward) nuclear energy and weapons (1940s) television becoming mainstream (1950s–1960s) civil rights movements and legal reforms (1950s–1970s) space exploration and the moon landing (1960s–1970s) personal computing (1970s–1980s) the internet becoming widespread (1990s) globalization and supply chain integration (1990s–2000s) smartphones and mobile computing (2007 onward) social media reshaping communication (2010s) mainstream adoption of generative ai (2020s)