Technology

What is technology? In simplest terms, it is science applied to practical use. Thus, by this definition, a simple can opener is a technological device. A more accurate description is that technology is the system by which an entire society provides for the wants and needs of its population. Technology tends to improve as the demand for it increases. A society might go decades or even centuries without a major advancement before some bright inventor comes up with something that alters the fundamental way things are done. For example, wagon wheels help move heavy loads from place to place, while wheels of stone grind meal into flour. Put notches in a wheel, connect them together, and you have gears that can drive even more complicated devices. All too frequently, war is the primary driver of technological advancements.^[1]

Technology is an art worth talking about! Historians may not always acknowledge the fact, but those who fought on the battlefield understand that the Third War could not have turned out as it did in the absence of technology. How were troops moved quickly across great distances? What blasted gargoyles and dragons alike from the skies? How were enemy buildings demolished? Technology relies upon ingenuity, know-how, craft, physical materials — and perhaps not a little disregard for one's safety. (Sudden explosions, unfortunately, are a hazard of the trade.) Magic messed up the world; technology will take it to grand, new heights.^[2]