Modern technology, to my three boys, means the advent of the computer. When asked, my youngest boy commented that he would not want to live in a world without cell phones and computers.
In the 1980s, when home computers were in their infancy, a friend bought one to do his school lesson plans on. He spent all afternoon creating 30 minutes of plans. I decided that I would not own a computer unless the computer worked for me: I would not work for a computer! I kept my promise.
Modern technology is a fleeting term
In the 1700s, electricity was a modern wonder. Only the wealthy could watch electrical demonstrations and get shocked or have their hair stand on end. A few individuals, like Ben Franklin, believed that if electricity could be put in the hands of the general public, it could be harnessed and made to serve mankind.
In the first half of the 1800s, F.B. Morse and others invented and developed the telegraph into a practical and useful mode of communication. Next, men like Thomas Edison, Nicholas Tesla and numerous others developed many other uses for electricity.
By 1900, electricity was emerging for the average man. Many houses in cities were blessed with one plug-in and light bulb per room. Occupants thought they were in seventh heaven. They were on the cutting edge of technology.
Johnny Carson once interviewed a 94-year-old semi-retired farmer. When the guest was asked what was the greatest change in farming that he experienced, he said it was the arrival of electricity on his farm. I had expected him to talk about tractors and how they made farming more efficient.
The arrival of electricity on the farm meant that many operations – like pumping water for the farm house and stock tanks – could be done by electric motors. This made windmills generally obsolete, except those located in remote pastures. Today, solar panels provide electricity to well plumps, replacing windmills.
Remember the stationary engines once used to power grain augers, pumps and even washing machines? Electric motors have replaced them.
In the fall, Grandad and his neighbors mined low-grade coal to heat their homes. Furnaces were hand-fired. The heat would rise and travel up through heat ducts to heat several rooms in the house. Nowadays, furnaces are controlled electrically and the heating of homes is more uniform.
Another use of electricity was in the gas engine. All gas engines use electricity to make them run. Many early engines used a magneto to create the spark. Others used a battery and coils to create the electric spark. Many stationary engines used ignitors instead of spark plugs.
Looking to the Future
If you lived in the year 1910 and were asked about technology of the future, what predictions would you make? You might have predicted that telephones would become common in most homes. Maybe cars would replace the horse and buggy. Maybe farms would get electricity. Maybe, movies would flicker less.
Fast-forward to the year 1980. In 1980, what would you predict for the future of modern electrical technology? Maybe computers will make cars and trucks run more efficiently. Maybe computers will be used in the classroom to teach students. Maybe computers will be used in homes for word processing and to calculate income taxes. Maybe computers could be used to a greater extent in assembly lines, eliminating boring and repetitive jobs.
If we look at the years 1900 and 2000, we see a cusp of technology ready to bloom in ways unimaginable to the average person. Who’d have thought that electricity would develop into radios, TVs, household and commercial appliances and computers? Who ever thought that GPS would guide tractors and combines around the fields? Or that GPS could be used to track stolen cars and farm equipment? And what about implanted chips capable of providing medical information in case of an emergency?
We have the same parallels today, in 2023, as our forebears did in 1910. Just as they did, we see dimly into the future. Our reference points give us little indication of what the future holds. A few of us will invest in the future correctly and greatly benefit. The rest of us, like Mark Twain, will invest and take a loss.
The big question is, “What will become of computers in the future? What futuristic inventions can we invest in and benefit from?” For those of us who farm, “What up-and-coming technology can I utilize on my farm that will be cost effective?”
Your guess is probably better than mine. FC
Jim is a retired teacher and now a fulltime farmer/rancher in northeast Montana. Email him at Marmonjd@gmail.com.
Originally published as “Our Lives and Times” in the August 2023 issue of Farm Collector magazine.
