Reflection on Misa's Leonardo to the Internet

           Thomas J. Misa’s book, Leonard to the Internet, takes a look at the history of technology, dating back to the 1400’s.  Misa lays the book out in chapters that represent significant eras in technology development.  This book shows the progression of technology through the influence of cultural and social change.

            In chapter one, “Technologies of the Court,” Misa looks at the time period from 1450 to 1600.  This era covers the time period of Leonardo da Vinci’s life and was defined by court patronage.  This means that the wealthy would support an artist or scientist in his or her creations.  This was the case for Da Vinci.  He was able to create art and other technologies by having a patron.  I found it interesting to learn that Leonardo was very involved with the military, and wasn’t just an artist. In addition, during this time, the printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg, which changed the way information was produced and shared.

            Chapter two is titled “Techniques of Commerce” and focused on the time from 1588 to 1740, also called the Dutch Golden Age.  Dutch merchants used technologies like herring fishing boat factories, windmills, and textile factories to develop international trade. During this time period, merchants found inexpensive items to trade with others for a large profit.  With the high importance of trade, many improvements were made to navigation, ships, trading routes and so on to make trading easier and more efficient.

            “Geographies of Industry,” Chapter 3, considered the time period from 1740-1851.  This time period is illustrated by the Industrial Revolution which began in England, then spread throughout Europe, Japan, North America, and eventually the world.  During this time there was a large shift from manual labor to machine-based factories. James Watt’s invention of the steam engine during this time helped factories increase their profits and production. Some of the other important inventions or developments during this time were: iron making, textiles, and also steam power. Factories were developed to produce products faster and cheaper to increase profits.

            In Chapter four, “Instruments of Empire,” Misa discuss the technological advances from 1840 to 1914.  This time framed encompassed British Imperialism, when many, many miles of land and thousands of people were added to the British Empire. Britain’s ability to take over so much land was due in part to the developments of the steamship and telegraph, which allowed for better communication and transportation. In addition, railroads were developed which transported goods and people.  It was “the next big thing” since the canal. Railroad systems were lined with telegraphs which improved communication as well. Furthermore, roads and harbors were improved which also improved travel, which were vital to the growing empire.   

            Chapter 5, “Science and Systems,” focuses on the time period from 1870 to 1930, which is also referred to as the second Industrial Revolution. During this time many new industries were developed and there was a high focus on consumer products.  This also brought about the importance of collaboration between research universities and government agencies.  Also, during this time there was a focus on improving current systems, instead of developing new ones.  This was done through the use of patents. One of the important discoveries of this time was coke, a by-product of burning coal.  Coke was used as fuel for many decades, was now used to make synthetic dyes, which vastly diversified the textile industry in Germany.  The German chemists “set the stage for  a science-based industry.” (Misa, 2004, pg. 130) One of the most important and productive inventors of this time was Thomas Edison.  Edison pursued full-time invention and built an invention factory.  In his most productive year (1882) he had 107 patents. He had 1,093 patents in his lifetime.  Edison developed Edison Electric Company, the precursor to GE or General Electric as we know it today.  He developed the classic light bulb which was bright, cheap, and long-lasting.  He also invented a lighting system. As Misa (2004) states, “The system-stabilizing innovations, with the heavyweights of industry and finance behind them, also created new mass-consumer markets for electricity, telephones, automobiles, household appliances, home furnishings, radios and much else.”

            “Materials of Modernism” is the title of chapter six, which covers the time period from 1900 to 1950.  This chapter discusses how the second Industrial Revolution helped to pave the way for modern culture, with focuses in art and architecture.  The modern movement or aesthetic movement was driven by science and systems technology.  Some of the important developments were machine-age glass and steel.  Benjamin Huntsman developed the steel making process. These materials were inexpensive and made it possible to mass produce housing and other buildings. There were three groups the highly influenced the modern style.  Those three groups were the futurists in Italy, De Stijl of the Netherlands, and the synthesis of theory and practice in the Brauhaus of Germany. Modern architects relied on the use of glass and steel to characterize their buildings with horizontal lines, pillars, large amounts of glass, and concrete.

            Chapter 7 is titled “The Means of Destruction.”  This chapter focuses on the technological developments from 1936 to 1990.  During this time, the driving force behind most technological advances was the military.  The title for the chapter describes the development goals of many countries including the United States, the Soviet Union, France, England, China, and Germany.  World War 2 and the Cold War forced these countries to work with large companies, universities, government agencies to develop military related technology such as nuclear weapons and communicative and digital computing technology.Also during this time, in the United States, the “nation became a factory” while working to develop nuclear weapons.  Some of the specific technological advances were: atomic bomb, transistor, and the Internet.  Although there seemed to be many technological advances because of the military influence and demand, the development of other technologies were hindered because of this focus.

            In Chapter 8, “Toward Global Culture,” Misa shows how globalization changed the world, which began with world trade.  This chapter focused on many of the advances of technology that are still in use today such as: fax machines and the Internet. Fax machines were developed much earlier in time, however the 1980’s was the first time when fax machines were able to communicate well with each other.  This allowed companies to work together to make products cooperatively. Also, McDonald’s was used as an example of the globalization of fast food. McDonald’s is the epitome of fast food technology.  These fast food restaurants are present in over 120 countries.  The World Wide Web was a huge factor in globalization.  It made networking easy and fast, which meant companies could share information. Also, micro-computers were developed in the 1980’s that were small and cheap enough for consumers to buy. Soon came electronic mail or email which made communicating even easier and faster.

            “The Question of Technology” is the title of Chapter 9.  This chapter focuses on three different technologies: unsustainable energy, information networks, and global shipping. Unsustainable energy is cheap and abundant; however it consumes fossil fuels at a fast rate.  Suburban sprawl was also discussed which has negative affects like global warming.  Information networks, while very useful and efficient, are also very vulnerable to hacks and viruses.  Global shipping, which is very important to the economy, has a lot of concerns with security.  This chapter detailed some important technologies that can be very useful, however they can also be harmful to our economy and environment.

            Chapter 10 is a summary of the book, which summarized each chapter in detail.  It is obvious that technology plays a large role in our world and will continue to do so in the future. Although there are concerns that globalization will end due to the lack of trust after the attacks on 9/11, I do think that it will continue to bring people and technologies together in the future.  In conclusion, it is apparent that technology has shaped our culture, but our culture has also been shaped by technology.