This week Josh Klein investigates the back story of the Predator UAV and the hidden technology that gives it the ability to be an unmatched spy in the sky. His journey begins in ancient China where he follows how bronze swords helped unify China and launch the Silk Road - that spread Chinese technology to the West. He follows compass technology to Europe where he sees how it launched European global trade domination that set the seeds for modern science with the development of the lens and the microscope. He finds out that brewers developed the art of microbiology and freezer technology which led to modern rocketry, finally revealing how this...
This week Josh Klein investigates the back story of virtual reality in crime scene investigation. He begins with the discovery of gunpowder by ancient Chinese alchemists. From this came the gun, and with it new kinds of battlefield wounds. This led 16th century surgeons to explore the human body and human anatomy. 18th century philosophers then developed the idea of the body as a machine, which led to clockwork automata and the chain drive. Josh follows the chain drive through the bicycle to the Wright Brothers and early flight. Aerial warfare then led to the development of radar, and the first video game. Finally, Josh traces the link from video...
This week Josh Klein investigates the back story of one of the world's largest and most complex aircraft, the Boeing 777. His journey begins in medieval Europe, where waterwheels turned monasteries into early factories. This made them incredibly wealthy and spurred a gothic cathedral building craze. Automating cathedral bell ringing led to the invention of the clock, leading to working hours. This increased productivity and created global trade, with Venice at the heart of it; and here a new type of lightweight, quick to build boat was developed. But with the growth in shipping came a rise in shipwrecks. So off-shore lighthouses were built to...
This week Josh Klein investigates the back story of the latest technology behind IndyCar racing. He begins with the medieval plough, and takes to the air to discover how it changed the landscape. He explores the beautiful city of Prague, and discovers that urban life has always had a dark side - disease. He explores the terrifying Black Death, and come face to face with one of the most valuable books in existence: the Gutenberg Bible. He climbs to the top of a modern wind turbine, to reveal how a 16th century genius perfected the windmill, and learns how that inspired a revolution in Transatlantic travel. This led to a huge increase in immigration...
This week Josh Klein investigates the back story of automated control systems used on the world's deepest offshore oil rig - the Perdido. How do they manage to drill and produce oil in such deep water? His journey begins in Ancient Rome, where volcanic ash produces the strongest ever cement, thanks to its amazing structural properties. The waterproof nature of Roman cement allows engineers to build aqueducts to transport fresh water across the countryside to city centres. This water was used by the Roman fire brigade to put out fires with another technology - the double action hand pump. But while the Romans used the pump to put out fires, the...