In general it seems the first thing we figure out how to do with technology is kill or breed. One of my favorite tech stories is room refrigeration (AC), it got invented and then languished for a while as nobody could figure out what to do with it, then somebody said “we could take train cars, make them really cold, and ship meat to the front line of the Civil War and it would stay fresh for the whole journey.” Somehow nobody could put those ideas together without a war to support, being a desert dweller my mind boggles on how nobody could figure out what to do with AC.
kill or breed
Exactly. I took a course in Engineering where the professor stressed that most of man’s technological advances originated from attempting to find new ways to kill our fellow man.
Refrigeration of meat - and canning of food - to support a war effort, is a perfect example.