Ryan,
Overall, I thought your slidecast was really good! I think you did a great job showing how the history of technology (trains in this case) is a very human activity. I really liked how you talked about the evolution in train design, gave the reasons behind the changes, and showed how invention begot necessity. The story of how the walkways around the trains came about was great example of that. I also found it interesting that people bought the diesel trains in packs so they would be uniform, I hadn’t heard that before. I thought that for the most part, your pacing was really good. However, for a moment or two in the middle, your speech really accelerated, which was not a huge issue, but just something that I noticed. That did not take away from the slidecast though, I liked it. Good job!
I know zero things about diesel locomotives, so your project taught me a lot. As we have learned in class, the railroads are a perfect example of socio-technical systems, and your presentation did a good job of expanding on the topic. I had never really considered that the locomotives acted not only as transportation, but also served as a company car and office for workers. Because of this set up, the technology is only as safe and efficient as the human controlling it. With technology at the mercy of human control, many new innovations evolved to make diesel locomotives safer and more efficient. You do a great job of describing each innovation and explaining how technology is the mother of necessity. I also had no idea that locomotives and their sleek design were used as a way to boost optimism during the Depression even if it was only a facade hiding the preexisting technology. Overall, your presentation was very well done.
Wow that was a lot of detail in a short amount of time. There’s almost nothing I would change about that presentation. It was concise, had great photos, catchy sayings and what seemed to be the perfect pictures. Another thing that was done very well was the connection to our class with the use of socio technological systems and being sure not to have that presentist point of view that Cohen loves so much. One of the slides mentioned a locomotive with its improvements (well a lot of them did) and how it was supposed to be better than the previous, and they only thought that because of what was needed at the time. You also mentioned the relationship between those working the locomotives and those building them and why they built them. A great example of socio-technical systems. There were a lot of cool details, like about how companies in the great depression tried to cheer up its customers. Great idea, great execution, great project.
Ryan,
Wow, I knew you spoke fast, but that was really fast, haha. Your content was great and similar to Tom’s battery project, trains are often a very overlooked aspect of our modern economy. I really liked how you chose one train, the SD70ACe-T4 to explain the history and development of the industry around. Within the first minute, you asked, “Why?”. This might be the most important question to ask, especially when looking at a topic not many people know about. Trains pull cargo (people or freight), become the house of the crew, need to be safe and efficient. As you explained, the SD70ACe-T4 accomplishes a lot of these goals, but they are what drove the industry for the past 100 years. Starting with Alco and GM back in the twenties and thirties when GM developed the first diesel electric locomotive. I found it interesting how you spent almost half of the project discussing how the train manufacturers spent almost the last 50 years catering to the crew of these engines. Whether that included more glass, walkways, or even a safety cabin, they were all eventually implemented to make a better vehicle. The trending theme throughout the presentation seemed to be a push for better efficiency and safety, which you explained very well.
—Josh
Ryan,
Overall, I thought your slidecast was really good! I think you did a great job showing how the history of technology (trains in this case) is a very human activity. I really liked how you talked about the evolution in train design, gave the reasons behind the changes, and showed how invention begot necessity. The story of how the walkways around the trains came about was great example of that. I also found it interesting that people bought the diesel trains in packs so they would be uniform, I hadn’t heard that before. I thought that for the most part, your pacing was really good. However, for a moment or two in the middle, your speech really accelerated, which was not a huge issue, but just something that I noticed. That did not take away from the slidecast though, I liked it. Good job!
Ryan,
I know zero things about diesel locomotives, so your project taught me a lot. As we have learned in class, the railroads are a perfect example of socio-technical systems, and your presentation did a good job of expanding on the topic. I had never really considered that the locomotives acted not only as transportation, but also served as a company car and office for workers. Because of this set up, the technology is only as safe and efficient as the human controlling it. With technology at the mercy of human control, many new innovations evolved to make diesel locomotives safer and more efficient. You do a great job of describing each innovation and explaining how technology is the mother of necessity. I also had no idea that locomotives and their sleek design were used as a way to boost optimism during the Depression even if it was only a facade hiding the preexisting technology. Overall, your presentation was very well done.
Wow that was a lot of detail in a short amount of time. There’s almost nothing I would change about that presentation. It was concise, had great photos, catchy sayings and what seemed to be the perfect pictures. Another thing that was done very well was the connection to our class with the use of socio technological systems and being sure not to have that presentist point of view that Cohen loves so much. One of the slides mentioned a locomotive with its improvements (well a lot of them did) and how it was supposed to be better than the previous, and they only thought that because of what was needed at the time. You also mentioned the relationship between those working the locomotives and those building them and why they built them. A great example of socio-technical systems. There were a lot of cool details, like about how companies in the great depression tried to cheer up its customers. Great idea, great execution, great project.
Ryan,
Wow, I knew you spoke fast, but that was really fast, haha. Your content was great and similar to Tom’s battery project, trains are often a very overlooked aspect of our modern economy. I really liked how you chose one train, the SD70ACe-T4 to explain the history and development of the industry around. Within the first minute, you asked, “Why?”. This might be the most important question to ask, especially when looking at a topic not many people know about. Trains pull cargo (people or freight), become the house of the crew, need to be safe and efficient. As you explained, the SD70ACe-T4 accomplishes a lot of these goals, but they are what drove the industry for the past 100 years. Starting with Alco and GM back in the twenties and thirties when GM developed the first diesel electric locomotive. I found it interesting how you spent almost half of the project discussing how the train manufacturers spent almost the last 50 years catering to the crew of these engines. Whether that included more glass, walkways, or even a safety cabin, they were all eventually implemented to make a better vehicle. The trending theme throughout the presentation seemed to be a push for better efficiency and safety, which you explained very well.
—Josh