The government of Ontario produced this film early last century. Fascinating look back at the machinery used early on to enable the societies we enjoy today.

https://youtu.be/FnsZwO0M1qY

Very nice.

You can see how a farmer needed to be a welder and a machinist to support the on-going maintenance. And, some of the pictures show in retrospect why being on a farm can be dangerous work; especially in those days.

Alexd

It's still dangerous work.

What's even more dangerous is that the likes of John Deere, who turned what began as an open-source free for all let the best ideas win farm equipment industry upside down over the decades, has become a poster-child for the DMCA (the Digital Millennium Copyright Act), and now actively fights farmers who simply want to fix their own tractors and access their own data (as farmers have done for decades), by saying that doing so violates the 1998 DMCA's prohibition on bypassing "copyright locks."

John Deere just reiterated its position to a US Copyright Office inquiry on the future of the DMCA, joined by auto manufacturers and other giant multi-national corporations, all of which argue that since the machines we buy these days utilize software, and since most of that software is licensed, not sold, we don't really own the stuff we buy, including modern farm equipment and other machines.

As a machine buyer/user these days you're simply a licensee, and you're required to use the gadget you purchased according to the license terms that come with it, which spell out where you MUST BUY whatever services, parts, consumables, apps, and so on you need to keep your machines running.

What a joke we've allowed ourselves to become, slowly ceding powers to groups, corporations and governments that have other than our best interests in mind with the rules they make up, rules we're legally forced to live by - or suffer the consequences for not doing so.

To me, having grown up an Arizona/California farmer/rancher's oldest son, what's happening today is far more "dangerous" to our freedoms and way of life than anything last century farmers faced as they made a living off the land with the cattle, the sheep and the crops they raised.

If you guys enjoy tractors and are in and around Boise Idaho, you need to stop by JUMP in downtown Boise.

http://jumpboise.org/vintage-tractors-and-steam-engines

Thanks for the info, JD! Looked through the photos of the old tractors and equipment that JUMP has on display and was really impressed.

Every 4th of July weekend, here in the Rim country community of Heber/Overgaard, we have a HUGE parade that expands our little town of 2500 +/- residents by about 40,000 visitors. There's marchers, horses, fire trucks, custom cars, trucks, public safety teams, the American Legion, Jeeps, motorcycles, plus vintage tractors pulling wagons and floats of all kinds in the parade.

Later, in a meadow at Bison Ranch, there's a tractor pull that's fun to watch. People get to see what some of this old equipment can actually do.

We set up along side Arizona 260 the evening before the parade in order to secure a choice spot from which to observe the next day's festivities. Anyone in the area this coming 4th of July is more than welcome to come enjoy what the 4th means to those of us here on the mountain!..

As a follow up to what's happening with John Deere and the DMCA in the farm equipment industry, as well as with powerhouse automotive companies, it's notable that Apple, in the computing industry, forces the shreding of iPhones and Apple computers traded in for new machines, under the cover of the DMCA, so these devices don't end up being refurbished and resold, thereby cutting into Apple's corporate bottom line.

Apple just released this year's Environmental Responsibility Report, an annual effort by the company to portray itself as progressive and environmentally friendly. However it has been revealed that behind the scenes Apple runs a program focused on not prolonging the lifespan of older Apple products.

Apple claims they want to make iPhones and Apple computers entirely out of recycled components and materials. They say they encourage recyclers to work with them in this regard. But just released Freedom of Information request documents show that Apple prevents recyclers from salvaging iPhones phones and Apple computers, shredding them instead.

Having "older" but perfectly usable Apple products readily available in the marketplace is something Apple won't consider. Most computers, smartphones, and tablets from the past few years are perfectly usable today. We see this in the refurbished PC's and non-Apple smartphones available in today's marketplace.

If older Apple products were similarly available for sale many would purchase one of these devices instead of forking out mega dollars for a fancy new Apple machine. However if that were to happen Apple wouldn't sell new machines at a volume that kept their bottom line attractive. So they have the "recycling" companies they work with destroy otherwise good machines to keep them off the market.

Profit - whether we're talking about planes, trains, farm equipment, automobiles, computers or whatever - always comes before the long term best interests of consumers at large. Although Apple publicly postures as an environmentally friendly company focused on long term sustainability, it's main interest is in maximizing company profits here and now - just like John Deere in the farm equipment industry, or any other mega power in whatever industry or group we might name.

Those in power, whoever they may be and whatever level of power they may wield, are typically where they are doing what they're doing for their own selfish purposes, seldom if ever for the overall good of mankind or the real benefit of the world we live in..