Agriculture of the Future from 1950 (John Blanchard)
4 Replies to “Agriculture of the Future from 1950 (John Blanchard)”
John,
Your slidecast was informative and extremely interesting. I had never made the connection between the births of the Baby Boomers and the rise of what is now problematic industrial agriculture. You laid out the progression/ sequence of these events very well. I also found the connection to “Brave New World” to be especially interesting. Additionally, the kind of animation you used where the pictures layered over each other to the speed of your voice was a very nice element that really tied the vocal and visual components of your project together, however I’m not exactly sure if that is true, strict PechaKucha format (I could be wrong here). Another suggestion for improvement for your already great project would be to try and connect the topic to the underlying themes of the class (ex: Kranzberg’s Laws), not just the themes of the unit. Overall, I thought it was a great slidecast!
I really enjoyed your slidecast. You were able to cover a large amount of detail and information without rushing through any one topic. I specifically enjoyed that the background you provided on the artist, including his beliefs and other works. This enriched the background information by providing a context beyond the context of the time period. I also really liked that you tied in the history of post-war food production with modern agriculture. Instead of only discussing how the system influenced predictions of the future, the connection to modern CAFOs and industrialized agriculture was insightful. You did a great job connecting the image to predictions f the future. For example mentioning that only one farmer is shown because it was believed that people would have increased leisure time. However, I was wondering if this could be a possible criticism of the future, suggesting that machines will replace jobs? I also noticed that the video is 6:53 rather than 6:40. In keeping with the format, you may want to try to get the next video down to exactly 6:40. Overall great job!
I like how you describe exactly what you are going to be discussing in your slidecast in the very beginning. It acted as a great roadmap! I also liked that you said who created the image, and what date it was created. The description of the baby boomers was effective for putting the image into its historical context. I enjoyed the slide in which the consumer goods pop up consecutively because it truly emphasizes the growth of a consumer society. I think you did a really good job describing the transition from wartime technology into agricultural society. It showed how the changing historical context influenced the technology of the time. Focusing on exactly what values Aldous Huxley had in mind when creating the main image of the slidecast was informative and a great representation of Kranzberg’s first law! You did a great job really dissecting the image and figuring out exactly what values it represents. One suggestion I have for the project would be to try to find additional images of future visions of technology to back up your point. But overall, this slidecast was well thought out and very informative.
You had a very nice introduction, it set the tone for the entire slide cast. Although it was extremely interesting to hear about the war and baby boomers I wish it was done in one fewer slide so that agriculture was brought back into the conversation earlier on. That being said, the video was set up nicely. I never thought of the large factories being the reason why fewer, larger farms dominated the market. I also enjoyed how you went back to the original image multiple times, it allowed for a uniformity in the video. That was further emphasized by how Huskley and his views were brought back into the slide cast. That really helped to solidify what you wanted us to know. Overall your presentation was very in depth and kept tying back all the information you thought was important which was very effective. The nod to your bibliography and paleofuture was comical.
John,
Your slidecast was informative and extremely interesting. I had never made the connection between the births of the Baby Boomers and the rise of what is now problematic industrial agriculture. You laid out the progression/ sequence of these events very well. I also found the connection to “Brave New World” to be especially interesting. Additionally, the kind of animation you used where the pictures layered over each other to the speed of your voice was a very nice element that really tied the vocal and visual components of your project together, however I’m not exactly sure if that is true, strict PechaKucha format (I could be wrong here). Another suggestion for improvement for your already great project would be to try and connect the topic to the underlying themes of the class (ex: Kranzberg’s Laws), not just the themes of the unit. Overall, I thought it was a great slidecast!
-Olivia
John,
I really enjoyed your slidecast. You were able to cover a large amount of detail and information without rushing through any one topic. I specifically enjoyed that the background you provided on the artist, including his beliefs and other works. This enriched the background information by providing a context beyond the context of the time period. I also really liked that you tied in the history of post-war food production with modern agriculture. Instead of only discussing how the system influenced predictions of the future, the connection to modern CAFOs and industrialized agriculture was insightful. You did a great job connecting the image to predictions f the future. For example mentioning that only one farmer is shown because it was believed that people would have increased leisure time. However, I was wondering if this could be a possible criticism of the future, suggesting that machines will replace jobs? I also noticed that the video is 6:53 rather than 6:40. In keeping with the format, you may want to try to get the next video down to exactly 6:40. Overall great job!
Kayla
I like how you describe exactly what you are going to be discussing in your slidecast in the very beginning. It acted as a great roadmap! I also liked that you said who created the image, and what date it was created. The description of the baby boomers was effective for putting the image into its historical context. I enjoyed the slide in which the consumer goods pop up consecutively because it truly emphasizes the growth of a consumer society. I think you did a really good job describing the transition from wartime technology into agricultural society. It showed how the changing historical context influenced the technology of the time. Focusing on exactly what values Aldous Huxley had in mind when creating the main image of the slidecast was informative and a great representation of Kranzberg’s first law! You did a great job really dissecting the image and figuring out exactly what values it represents. One suggestion I have for the project would be to try to find additional images of future visions of technology to back up your point. But overall, this slidecast was well thought out and very informative.
You had a very nice introduction, it set the tone for the entire slide cast. Although it was extremely interesting to hear about the war and baby boomers I wish it was done in one fewer slide so that agriculture was brought back into the conversation earlier on. That being said, the video was set up nicely. I never thought of the large factories being the reason why fewer, larger farms dominated the market. I also enjoyed how you went back to the original image multiple times, it allowed for a uniformity in the video. That was further emphasized by how Huskley and his views were brought back into the slide cast. That really helped to solidify what you wanted us to know. Overall your presentation was very in depth and kept tying back all the information you thought was important which was very effective. The nod to your bibliography and paleofuture was comical.