4th Annual Mackinac Bridge Antique Tractor Crossing
Owosso Tractor Parts Antique Tractor Parade & Show
2011
Event Date: Friday, September 16, 2011
Nut's and bolt corner: by Bob Baumgras
Digital Age and the way things use to be.
Seems to me we were in the digital age in the 1960*s or late 50*s. True, I
have seen some 1940*s documentaries on computers that showed the military
having computers. One mega-byte took up a whole room. While watching the
movie *Apollo 13* with Tom Hanks in it, I noticed that the splashdown
capsule they were in had digital gauges. So while visiting Space Center
Houston, in Houston Texas quite a few years back, I checked out the real
capsule and sure enough a digital panel. During my electronics class at high
school in the 1970*s, the computer chip was just coming out. I can still
remember Mr. Sowash our electronics teacher, showing a handful of computer
chips as he explained the new technology was up and coming. Yes we were
still in the *tube / CRT* era, There were transistors, resistors, diodes,
that replaced the tubes in TV sets and short wave radio*s. I remember Kmart
store having a tube tester so you could bring your tube from home out of
your television set and have it tested. If your tube was bad, they had one
for you to buy. Today computers are not just for geeks. Computers are in
every part of our lives including your refrigerator, stove, toaster, coffee
maker *if they are new enough* and tractors. WOW! What a leap in 35 short
years. Who would guess that we would have farm machinery controlled by
satellites? Cellular phones that can turn your lights on at home and start
your car. Track your every move and still have dinner on the table before
you get home. Well maybe the last part is a little farfetched but maybe not.
We have digital cameras that can take thousands of pictures on a single
micro-chip. Digital video cameras with HD and beyond quality. So, what*s my
point you may ask. Well, with all this digital age stuff going on, how come
there are so many people still fixing up 60 + year old tractors. With all
this technology going on around us, we still long for the things of
yesterday. It*s amazing to me how many people tell me about riding grandpa*s
tractor when they were a little shaver. And now they are fixing it up for
their grandchildren. It*s what they grew up with. It*s their first real
sense of responsibility and pride when they were allowed to drive that
tractor for the first time by themselves. You see, I believe it*s all about
not letting go of the days gone by. And, to keep the American heritage
*farming* alive for younger generations. When a tractor enthusiast comes to
us for help, we are often told the story of that tractor and the future of
where they would like to see it go. Grandfathers take particular pride when
they watch their grandchildren drive the same tractor they did as a child. I
truly believe that even though we are in the digital age, people don*t want
to let go of the past. Bringing an old tractor back to life has its own
challenges and rewards. A restored tractor that is kept up will outlast any
of these computers built today.
I guess the old saying *The more things change, the more they stay the same*
really applies to the old iron of yesterday.
So, go ahead, get techie, but don*t ever forget the way things use to be.
Thanks for visiting and please visit often.
Bob Baumgras
Owosso Tractor Parts
www.owossotractorparts.com
www.bobstractorpartscorner.com
