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Comment by zizee | Hacker News Reader

Whilst I don't agree with the article, you're ignoring that these epic machines you talk of are the product of a much larger population. These megamachines wouldn't exist, or at least not all the types of machines, if not for us having billions of people on the planet.

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Australia lags behind other countries in certain technology, but not in mining technology. There's sufficient expertise in a population of a few million. (Of course, there's a disproportionate amount of mining engineering experts in Perth.)

Because they rely on billions of other people to do other things, so they can specialize in mining.

Australia in general, and my specific mining state in particular, over produces food - again with a small population, again with big industrial scale machines.

The thing about technology is it allows fewer people to achieve far more .. including build and maintain more technology per capita.

>> Australia in general, and my specific mining state in particular, over produces food - again with a small population, again with big industrial scale machines.

Great, and what about everything else on this world you need. Do you also build computers and network equipment to access hacker news? The problem with technology is that it requires specialized knowledge which in turn requires people who specialize in it. There is a good reason why small disconnected communities stay the way they are and do not advance.

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