47 Follow us on Twitter @BetterFarmingON Better Farming | February 2024 How it Works ‘WHO AM I TO PREDICT THE FUTURE?’ Many older essential items have become redundant. By Ralph Winfield In 1962 when I started my final academic year at the University of Toronto while studying to become a professional engineer, two items were essential. One was a big log-log slide rule, carried on my belt to do mathematical calculations (electrical calculators were very expensive and not readily available at that time). The other item was a large briefcase to carry the heavy textbooks necessary for use in laboratory assignments. At that time, the U of T had just acquired the largest IBM computer in Canada. And yes, all aspiring engineers had to take a course in “computer appreciation.” To do that, we had to feed that monster computer punch cards with basic instructions in computer language. As I remember, the language was called Fortran. The process was challenging and very time-consuming, especially for those of us who had never developed our typing skills. Many of us also declared that computers would never replace the slide rule out in the field. That big IBM computer required a large environmentally-controlled room. When I returned to Guelph to do a masters program, a statistics course was essential. The statistics laboratory had several old, large mechanical calculators. They were so large and clunky that they had to sit in permanent locations on tables, and as you worked them, they made a noticeable grinding noise. The calculators were later replaced by electronic calculators, which were relatively small and could be placed on a desktop. Some of them could also be carried in a pocket like smartphones. Smartphones have now replaced both standalone calculators and the need for the many textbooks we carried in those large briefcases. Years later, many of us carried much smaller briefcases for notes during technical meetings, but even those have gone by the wayside, as smartphones and tablets have taken over this need. Will the next generation of students or professionals see similar reductions in the need to carry large or heavy items to meetings? I doubt it very much, but then who am I to predict the future? I certainly missed out on predicting the future use of computers during my lifetime. Postscripts All three of my degrees are from the U of T even though I only attended the university for one year. All Guelph degrees were granted by the U of T until Guelph became a university in 1964. How many of you remember when large sets of the Book of Knowledge were present in every classroom or library? And the travelling encyclopedia salesmen that came door-to-door? Like slide rules, these giant book collections have been replaced with modern technology. They too have become collector’s items. Fortunately, none of them have appeared in my office space. BF RALPH WINFIELD Ralph is a retired professional engineer, farmer and technical writer. He has a BSA, BASc, and an MSA in engineering from the University of Toronto. Highlighting everything farm-related: Agricultural technology Animal husbandry Crop management GODERICH MEMORIAL ARENA Join us for two fun filled days. February 21 10-4:30 February 22 10-4:00 Admission: $5 These are the large and smaller briefcases that I carried for many years. Slide rules in various sizes were the essential calculation tools of engineers for many years.
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