|
|
Where are you?Knowing where we are is as important, to some, as knowing who we are. Knowing where others are is next in importance, followed by where they are going. In this wonderful age where technology is in search of users with money, we can know our location precisely anywhere on the planet and we can influence others with our knowledge of their location and actions. Here are the facts: Global Positioning Devices are now so small that they are in our cars, trucks, airplanes, tractors and cell phones. The satellite system, installed for military purposes, has allowed a flood of new consumer products to come to market that give us the ability to navigate from point to point and remain "on the radar" to monitoring systems in public and private hands. If you think I'm headed toward "big brother is watching," I'm not. This is all voluntary and by subscription where we, our family or our employer is paying to have us electronically tailed. It's great for peace of mind, efficiency or to appease a controlling personality. If I had teenage kids, I'd have a computer program that tracks the location of their cell phone. If I had aging parents, I'd have a service to monitor their whereabouts. If I were farming or running a business that had vehicles out and about, I'd pay to know where they are located, how fast they going and the tire pressure. It's just that, as Americans, we take everything to excess. Garmin, a maker of GPS equipment, is now marketing a device that goes on your bird dog. The unit will allow you, the hunter, to know where the dog is whether you can see him or not. I can think of many times when a dog, frozen on point with a covey of quail a few feet from his nose, was unfindable in the Oklahoma brush. This handheld device, carried by the hunter, shows the dog's path and location so he can easily be found whether he's on a bird or back at the truck. It is only $649. Considering that the camouflage Eddie Bauer truck was $35,000 and the shotgun was $2,500, it's a bargain! In farming, we can now buy navigation equipment that is so accurate it allows "repeatability," so the fertilizer strip can be laid down in one season and the seed in another, with the applicator and planter traveling on exactly the same path to gain maximum efficiency. It's no longer news that tractors can steer themselves as well as remove the equipment from the soil, make the turn and re-engage without operator involvement. A sprayer with a 120 foot boom can be run in dust and darkness without fear of skips or overlap. What this all means is that the operator is more efficient and the manager has extended a layer of control over the actions of his employees. Although no one wants to hear it, this monitoring will allow operators to be less skilled (and cheaper) while still getting the job done. Our capitalist goal is to control all that we survey. In our brief history on this continent, we have squared off cropland into sections. We have built roads to all places of importance. We have employed machines to do the work of thousands. And now we may be able to have the machines go to the field alone, while we monitor on computer screens from an air conditioned control center anywhere we want to place it. Maybe those farm payments going to New York City are being sent to the nerve center of a modern farming operation. Never underestimate ingenuity and technology. Be aware that knowledge expands at an exponential rate. We won't know twice as much tomorrow as we do today; we'll know 10 times as much. The less physical work we do, the more time and energy we can put into developing techniques and technology to do even more with less. There is a great deal to be gained by integration of technology into our daily lives but we have to be aware that it will change us as well. People of the land, always known for our independence and self-sufficiency, may soon find that we are expectant of our gadgets to lead us, inform us and comfort us. "Resistance is futile" is the call from the future. The more we control, the more control we surrender. Editor's note: Ken Root is now celebrating his 34th year as an agricultural professional. His career began as a vocational agriculture teacher then turned to agricultural broadcasting and writing as well as environmental consulting and association management. He was the original host of AgriTalk (1994-2001) and now is lead farm broadcaster for WHO Radio in Des Moines, Iowa. Date: 9/6/07
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2012. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
|
