The article stated nothing about the 10,000 year thing. I was working from my own viewpoint based on the two prehistoric technological revolutions that I mention, extrapolating that 10,000 years ago is around when human beings began living in small communities, farming, cooking with fire, and using domesticated animals and humans for almost all mechanical energy. "Much of the world's population" in this case was meant to refer large regions of sub-saharan africa, as well as portions of South America and Asia - not "the bulk of humanity." In other words, I mean a double-digit percentage, possibly a low 10-figure number; huge amounts of humanity but not the majority. I used imprecise terms to editorialize without too much worry about full accuracy, and ended up fueling your desire to argue over a minor point, rather than discuss my level of awe at what humanity has accomplished and my hope for future accompishments
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Sorry - one follow-up - I would also consider 1900 US to be "much closer to the 10,000 year ago point than it is to modern US." The change in just one lifetime has truly been huge.
Having this discussion while doing the job that I do is a big example of just how much things have changed - yet, really, the human actions needed within my job are not that different than farming; I am tending to a useful resource that needs periodic attention and vigilance against certain problems, but otherwise it able to tend to itself. Servers, sheep, what's the difference? (well, eats electricity and poops carbon dioxide/pollutants/heat... and you can't eat a server.)
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Having this discussion while doing the job that I do is a big example of just how much things have changed - yet, really, the human actions needed within my job are not that different than farming; I am tending to a useful resource that needs periodic attention and vigilance against certain problems, but otherwise it able to tend to itself. Servers, sheep, what's the difference? (well, eats electricity and poops carbon dioxide/pollutants/heat... and you can't eat a server.)
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