My employer has tasked me on operating a surveying system that relies on North Seeking Gyros.

I have just spent the morning reading up on the elements of Inertial Naviagation Systems and a wonderous field it is too. It goes far far beyond a simple gyroscope mounted on a gimbal.

It struck me that so much of the inpetus behind the invention of this technology has been towards the pursuit of killing each other more efficiently.

To paraphrase Antoine de Saint Exupéry ; "The most evil thing mankind has done it to paint a flag on the side of an aeroplane"

my 2c

So true unfortunately Mark. Imagine what aviation would be like today without the progress made in two world wars. I guess it's just the nature of man. Apart from the brilliant minds that come up with the concept of things like inertial navigation etc, we also need the technology to actually build the device. That requires lots of money and it takes the motivation of war to shock governments into funding it.