This week I started learning the Rust programming language (the latest, ‘all the rage’ language), and also learned how to process flax with prehistoric knapped flint tools (and dried teasels), and spin it into linen yarn. For me, ‘current technology’ is at either end of a very wide span of time.
G. Gvalia @bsag How do you like rust so far? I love its ideas about memory and type safety. The ability to download the language documentation and keep it offline is cool too!
Ringtail Ringo @bsag Cool language which can get complex very fast. I like it for simple things, but I am not smart enough to use it for everything. Plenty of useful concepts to learn and in general good to know. But the tutorials explaining pin and async resemble more and more tutorials explaining monads in haskell :) For me Go is often a better option - tooling is just as good.
Miraz Jordan Nice. The flax work sounds very intensive. Flax weaving is a traditional craft of the Māori, and flax cutting and processing was a very significant business in the early colonial years of Aotearoa’s history.
But She's A Girl @Miraz It’s really hard work. Goodness only knows how long it would take to process enough for a shirt, but I was pretty slow at it!
But She's A Girl @Miraz I would be really interested to know how Phormium is processed in Māori weaving, as it is quite different in structure to European flax plants I think?
Miraz Jordan I don’t know any details about the flax plant, I’m afraid. This Te Ara article might interest you. It even includes a 1947 newsreel clip showing a mussel shell being used to strip the flax leaf: Māori clothing and adornment – kākahu Māori – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
This may also interest: Flax preparation at Te Puia, Rotorua, New Zealand - YouTube
Jim Rain Oh, this is wonderful! You contain multitudes (of eras). Though, I admit the prehistoric knapped flint, flax, and yarn part is what really grabs me.
But She's A Girl @JimRain Thanks! I crosspost to Mastodon, and it’s interesting that people here were more interested in the flint/flax parts, and those on Mastodon much more interested in Rust!
But She's A Girl @Miraz That video was really interesting! Even though they are completely different plants, the process of getting the fibres out is really similar: using a curved, sharp-edged tool (notched flint, or a mussel shell) to scrape off the outer part, and even rolling the fibres on the leg to twist they into a stronger fibre. Very cool!