25 Aug 07 10:42, Carol Shenkenberger wrote to Roy Witt:

 CS> *** Quoting Roy Witt from a message to Carol Shenkenberger ***

 RW>> Ummmm. Before there were knifes, there were mill wheels, used to
 RW>> crush grain. Mill wheel is a misnomer, because as time went by, the
 RW>> hand operated wheel was replaced by an animal pulling the wheel on
 RW>> an axle.

 CS> Naw.  Knives first I think .  They didnt figure out how to mill
 CS> grain until after they were able to chop the meat off the end of a
 CS> leg bone

Yeah, but that wasn't a knife. It was a stone/rock used as a bone chipper.

 CS> then powder the grain with that on a stone.

with another stone.

 CS> Eventually the stone got so pounded it developed intoa bowl which
 CS> made it easier.

Ever bang two stones together with you finger between them?

 CS> Pounding the grain made small chips fly off the bone which let them
 CS> get at the marrow so they kept with that for a bit but then they hit
 CS> a time of no good animals

No good? They didn't have marrow in their bones?

 CS> so tried a stone to pound the grain.  Then they got sharp chips of
 CS> stone in their food and didnt like it

That's because they didn't use a hard stone against a soft stone?

 CS> but eventualy one of the smart guys noticed the sharp chips couldbe
 CS> used to cut things (like his gums, hands, feet if he walked on them).

What else could he walk on? :o)

 CS>  He decided to make a big long sharp one so he could cut bread up
 CS> more evenly among his screaming siblings.

Ahhh, so it was one for all and all for one...

 CS> Hence, knife then sliced bread.  See?

Sometimes. Other times I need glasses. :o)

 RW>> Hmmm. Can you sharpen a flint, stone knife, with another stone?

 CS> Sorta but you have to pretty much remake the knife.

Early knives were flint, because it chips so easily.

 CS> The earlier thick ones were easier to retouch but they took alot of
 CS> rock each.

So, they didn't use a steel hammer.

 CS> Providing enough rock became a huge business and then a little
 CS> entrepanuer (they couldnt spell back then either)

:o) entrepreneur or intrapreneur - The first one does as you've described,
while the latter is one who does the same within an existing corporation.

 CS>  figured out how to make alot of knives off the same amount of rock
 CS> sparking the first commercial product war.

Not to mention, sparking a lot of blackpowder...

 CS>> say, is history...

 RW>> Yeah, that happened about the 4th or 5th millinium BC. I remember
 RW>> that day. :o)

 CS> Then you should recall it better Dear!
 CS>                                        xxcarol

Of course, but I don't think you were born yesterday, either. :o)

                R\%/itt


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