http://www.imperial-library.info/content/history-lock-picking
I don't see why people tend towards thinking the Dwemer were the height of technology. They were capable of some things 4th Era Tamriel can't do, but why should you build animunculi when you can summon a Dremora at no expense of raw materials, and that requires no maintenance? Their armor and weapons are by no means superior to what can be crafted in modern Tamriel, and modern magic has spells available that can invalidate any Dwemer crossbow.
Why should you haul around cannons when battlemages march themselves? Why invent a flashlight if you can enchant a rock with magelight?
What technology in particular do you think should be growing?