Conversations Ongoing: Bigger, Better, Faster or How to Waste Time, Money, and Energy
"Where a new invention promises to be useful, it ought to be tried."
- Thomas Jefferson
I don't think anything exemplifies our culture's belief (mania) in progress, modernization, and innovation than new inventions. We have become war-torn veterans of innovation, each of us with a wary eye on things that work vs. things that say they work. Today, we have people selling products that making things either more complicated than they need to be or just down right useless.
See video.
We may see these products and laugh now, obviously we are well equipped to deal with the absurdity of their messages, but in the early days of our countries inception, with a reimagining of the American landscape, it may not have been so easy to distinguish between a worthy product and, let's say, crap. Perhaps, the faith in these new inventions proves that people were optimistic and willing to view their world with a new imagination, able to look at their world in a new and creative light, and try new things that fit into this unique perspective. In hindsight, we can laugh at the failures of these inventions and the absurdity of their uselessness, but during the times it might not have been so easy. Here are a couple early examples of some such inventions.
Wind Wagons
The tall masts sailed above a wheeled cart. The wind did blow strong across the plains but never in a consistent direction. Hills, valleys, and various soil compositions made their use fickle at best. One observer saw one near the base of the Rockies but couldn't deduce if it was coming or going due to the lack of movement.
Prairie Motor
(later model)
Early versions of the prairie motor consisted of a steam engine powered by wood shanks. The wheels were six feet in diameter and it was posited to carry 25,000 lbs at 4 miles per hour. The only record of its short existence was an observation where it was seen leaving Nebraska City, going towards the plains, and was never heard from again.
The significance of these inventions is akin to the sham-wows of today. Their usefulness is questionable at best, but more importantly they highlight an aspect of our culture that goes unnoticed by many. Our desires to become self-reliant entrepreneurs, to become independent success stories stems from a culture that values progress and modernization. These desperate attempts at discovering the next big thing shows how imagination fueled the people of the past, their lives, their world, and their goals. It continues to do so today.
- Thomas Jefferson
I don't think anything exemplifies our culture's belief (mania) in progress, modernization, and innovation than new inventions. We have become war-torn veterans of innovation, each of us with a wary eye on things that work vs. things that say they work. Today, we have people selling products that making things either more complicated than they need to be or just down right useless.
See video.
We may see these products and laugh now, obviously we are well equipped to deal with the absurdity of their messages, but in the early days of our countries inception, with a reimagining of the American landscape, it may not have been so easy to distinguish between a worthy product and, let's say, crap. Perhaps, the faith in these new inventions proves that people were optimistic and willing to view their world with a new imagination, able to look at their world in a new and creative light, and try new things that fit into this unique perspective. In hindsight, we can laugh at the failures of these inventions and the absurdity of their uselessness, but during the times it might not have been so easy. Here are a couple early examples of some such inventions.
Wind Wagons
The tall masts sailed above a wheeled cart. The wind did blow strong across the plains but never in a consistent direction. Hills, valleys, and various soil compositions made their use fickle at best. One observer saw one near the base of the Rockies but couldn't deduce if it was coming or going due to the lack of movement.
Prairie Motor
(later model)
Early versions of the prairie motor consisted of a steam engine powered by wood shanks. The wheels were six feet in diameter and it was posited to carry 25,000 lbs at 4 miles per hour. The only record of its short existence was an observation where it was seen leaving Nebraska City, going towards the plains, and was never heard from again.
The significance of these inventions is akin to the sham-wows of today. Their usefulness is questionable at best, but more importantly they highlight an aspect of our culture that goes unnoticed by many. Our desires to become self-reliant entrepreneurs, to become independent success stories stems from a culture that values progress and modernization. These desperate attempts at discovering the next big thing shows how imagination fueled the people of the past, their lives, their world, and their goals. It continues to do so today.
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