[Qwertious]

Is there, though? Perhaps discovering electricity (I.e. electric generator and motor) inevitably leads to industrialization. We don't know, since we invented both complex water-powered textile machines and steam engines well before we invented electricity, so we don't really know how a complex medieval society would have reacted to it.

Also, if civilization collapses it's still fairly likely that a powerdrill will survive (not necessarily functioning, but intact enough that people will look at it and play with copper spirals). Actually, so will internal combustion engines probably, although that won't do much without the requisite metallurgy.

[ceejayoz]

> intact enough that people will look at it and play with copper spirals

We've mined out all the easy copper, too.

[Qwertious]

Yeah, scavenging copper from our ruins will make a lot more sense pre-industrialization.