Thomas L. Dynneson

In 1961 when I graduated from Macalester College in Saint Paul Minnesota, I earned the degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (at the  time this degree was equivalent to the MBA degree (that came into existence at a later time). I was hired at the Ford Assembly Plant in Highland Village just across the Mississippi River from my childhood home in South Minneapolis. My position was titles Assistant to the Plant Manager and my job was to circulate throughout the assembly plant and to write a daily report to the Plant Manager. In actual practise, my job was to find any flaws in the system which threaten the daily production of cars coming off the assembly line. The hoped for quota of car production was 57 cars an hour regardless of how long the plant stayed in operation (some days were longer than other days, which affected the workers and the union watch that also held offices across from the Assembly Plan). In other words, there existed a great tension between union representatives and plant management. In 1961, the year of my employment, the plant made an AI advancement when it replaced the painters in the painting booth with an automatic robotic spray system. This change had the effect of replacing all the union workers with a robotic paint system. This displacement of workers forced the union officials to demand a reassignment of these workers rather than their dismissal. In the end the union won out as it threatened a shutdown of the entire plant. In reality, I learned that the union was investied dearly in the existence of the Pllant. When I first went to work for Ford I was driving a Chevrolet to work and was told to get a Ford, "or  else". I bought an old used Ford Stationwagon to keep the peace. This was my first encounter with AI in the workplace and my exerience suggested that if it was managed properly it could find a place within human society, but that humans will fight it should their wellfare be threatened. Lesson: If you do not want your enterprise destroyed, one must negotiate an accommodation between AI and the wellfare of humans. Remember robots do not buy cars, but humans do! The most trouble I experienced in the plant was when the workers had earned enough overtime money and wanted time off. This led to all kinds of trouble in the plant including the sabatage or assemlyline machinery. Common sense suggests that the human factor is much more powerful than is any form of AI.

Large corporations with deep pockets are advancing (AI) as a form of intellegence that can be used for decision-making. It is, in other words, a form of descision making based on data imput without the life of the mind -- it has no mind. (AI) requires data imput and is only as good as its data imput. Consequently, (AI) can be used for good or for evil. It is, in other words, a form of social, economic, and political manipulation that can be dangerous and devious. Everything related to (AI) depends on its author's intent. For human society, life without a mind is machine life, which is not worth living.

In the draft of my new work related to Hannibal Quo Vadis, I have included a description of two waves of Indo-European migrations coming out of the Russian Step. The first wave was dated to the 12th and 11th centuries BCE, and affected the urban development of the history of Malta. The second wave was created by the innovation of the war-chariot. The war-chariot, in other words, had technically advanced in Indo-Europe into a new war technology. According to this technology a teams of war-horses were harnessed to a wheeled vehical that evolved into a compact two-wheel charior.  This led to a second wave of migration in which war-horse driven vehicals were able to migrate south and to penetrated into Anatolia (Turkey). From Anatolia the chariot technology migrated into into Lebanon (the Levant). As news spread, the Egyptians also became aware of the power and mobility of the chariot. The Egyptions quicky acquirted the technology for builting chariots because of their interest in it as an implement of war. The Egyptions' massed produced the chariot and trained teams of drivers, accompanied by archors, to use the chariot as a strategic battlefield attack platform. The timing of this adoption becane critical to repulsing a wave of "sea-people", and their advanced ships, which were attempting to invaded Egypt. As a consequence, the "sea-people" were evetually forced to abandon the sea and to melt into existing populations within the eastern and central Mediterranean Sea.

The main object of this narrative is to attempt present a timeline reiated to the cultural, social, and historical events that allowed the Romans to almost instantaneously design and construct the ancient world's most powerful naval force. This seemingly surprising and almost impossible task was accomplished despite the fact that the Romans had no virtual experience in ship-building or in the skills related to navigation, naval warfare, or dealing with sudden deadly weather conditions that could destroyan entire fleet of ships.

My work has occupied my time to the point that I have not had time to review critques of my work. This changed recently when I reviewed the topic by googling "Author Thomas L. Dynneson". I was amazed to see that vast extent of citation and articles written about my work. One article in particular caught my eye. It was recently published in the Ancient World Magazine. The critical review was written by Johua R. Hall. I had never hears of this person and he never contacted me regarding his assignment to review my 2018 book: Rise of the Early Roman Republic. He started off his critique by admitting that he had not read any of my other books and still assumed  that he understood my work (I have six or seven published books not including my textbook which is in 1650 libraries worldwide). In summary, his long and rambling critique's main criticism suggests that I am a "historical Iconoclast" -- that is a person who attacks the long-held beliefs of cherished traditions (in this case the discipline of history). I do not see mysellf in his light as I consider my self a long standing historian in the form of cultural anthropology in and the teaching of history who has attempted (through Citizenship but from a Civism perspective) to achieve new historical insights. I have always operated under the understanding that I had hoped to add something new to historical interpretation of the the ancient past. (I was the trained in histrorical under two Coe Fellowships one at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota and one at Stanford University as graduate student in the history department.) The above is not a defense of the criticisms rendered by Johua R. Hall and the journal that hired paid him to review my 2018 book. I simply reject the idea that I am a "history iconoclast". Think what you will my work continues in the hopes publishing a new book currently in progress.

This new book was published in cooperation with the Thomas L. Dynneson Collection (TLDC) at UT Permian and Amazon. It is a 10 Chapter work that contains 7 special Appendexes that are designed as reader referenes. The books is selling very well on Amazon and has been reviewed on the Goodread sight with a **** four star rating. The audience for this book is students and the historically interested reading public. In addition, this book will be of interest to those readers who are interested in a civism interpretation of ancient History. But more specifically, this work is of interest to those interest in the development of Roman and military (naval) history.

My blog page is receiving between 150 and 200 visitors a month. Some of you are interested in my books that are in print. My most recent book entitled: Rise of the Roman Empire: The Will to Endure. This book was published under my long time relationship with Peter Lang Publishing of New York city. This past year I have severed my relationship with Peter Land and I am working on a new book related to Early Mediterranean History. This book, and all of my future books will now be published by the Thomas L. Dynneson Collection (TLDC) that is located in the archival collections of UT Permian Basin. If possible, would you be willing to write a positive book review that can be reported on the Amazon platform? The reason that I am asking for your help is that this book, in regard to sales, is languishing and needs readers help to create notoriety and a positive response. As an author, a good relationship with ones readers is an essential element that is needed to help promote future works in the same field of interest. Thus, I am asking for your help. All the profits from my intellectual properties are gifted to UT Permian Basin. Thank You, Thomas L. Dynneson.

This daring and readable historical work is directed at setting the stage from which a previously unexplained rise of Roman sea power emerged. Accordingly, this author explores: early human migrations, the formation of the first cities and dynasties, the exploration of the early trade routes, the coupling of naval and land armies, the motivation that led to the desire for building larger war ships and greater war fleets, and the rise and fall of powerful individuals, including Pericles, King Philip II, and Alexander the Great. 

In addition, this book may become the authors first self-published book on Amazon's kdp platform and will be available in both ebook form and in paperback. The estimated page length of this work is appoximately 450 pages. This book provides the reader with a 20,000 year span of events that helped to give shape and form to Mediterranean history and cultures including: Mesopotamia culture, early Egyptian culture, the Hitites, the Phoencians (Cathaginians) , the Persians, and the Greeks. This book is designed for the general reading public, students, and is designed to serve as an essential reference source.

OVERTURE TO THE RISE OF ROMAN SEA POWER: EARLY MEDITERRANEAN HISTORY

For the past two and one-half years, I have been working on a manuscript that spans over 20 thousand years of early Mediterranean history. Primarily, this work addresses the transition of Mediterranean occupations as a result of the domestication of plants and animals in the cultural revolution between the Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age) and the Neolithic Age (The New Stone Age, based on domestication and the rise of urbanism). Accordingly, this work addresses topics related to the formation of cultural advancements in the Nile River Valley and Mesopotamia, (but in particular, the early cities of Mesopotamia). Moreover, this work contains an emphasis on the advancement of Mediterranean sea-travel and marine technology inspired by the coastal long distant Phoenician sea explorations that promoted trade centers in the regions of the central and western Mediterranean.

An important purpose of this work is to frame the Rise of the Classical Age within the setting of the Early Mediterranean history. To meet this goal, the work contains a set of chapters on the lives (marine related contributions) of three important historical figures that contributed greatly to Mediterranean marine history. Consequently, this work includes separate chapters on Pericles, Philip of Macedonia, and his son, Alexander the Great. The focus of the final chapter is aimed at clarifying the spread of Greek cultural elements throughout the vast territories conquered by Alexander, which included Athens, Asia Minor, Egypt, and the eastern lands spreading all the way to India. The advancement of Mediterranean sea power and marine technology, (which initially was advanced by the Phoenicians), also was advanced greatly by the innovations of Alexander. The Romans subsequently adopted these marine advancements, as a means to expand their control of the vast regions of the Mediterranean, following their conquest of Sicily and the destruction of the Carthaginians.

For weeks I was fascinated, as millions were, on the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. What impressed me most was the ability of the jury to reach an unamiouious verdict. This required the jury to sort through the instructions of the judge before they could find the defendant innocent. I have some personal connections with riots and court cases. From the perspective of riots, I grew up in the third precint of Minneapolis (the precint that was burned down by a mob following the killing of George Floyd), also in south Minneapolis. The third precinct is on Minnihaha Avenue where I shop at Cubs for groceries when I am in Minneapolis. This entire district was burned out by a mob following Mr. Floyd's death. I also have a connection with Kenosha, Wisconsin, which is the home of Carthage College. My advisor at Macalester College, Professor Earl Spangler (my history advisor for my master's degree) became the Academic Dean at Carthage College when I was teaching at Edina High School in the 1960s and 1970s.

Also my interest in the law has been reflected in my 2020 book entitled: Rise of the Roman Empire: The Will to Endure. Part II of this book contains six chapters on Roman law and the Roman courts system. Also as an American history teacher at Edina High School, I taught students basic history of the evolution of the American court and legal systems, as well as issues related to constitutional law and human rights. My general feelings regarding the outcome of the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, regardless of outcome, was that the American court system is alive and well, and under the most difficult conditions, the jury system still can render justice. I am especially proud of this jury and their willingness to weigh the evidence and reach a conclusion.