I tell people that today is the Age of Wonders. They don’t always believe me.

Imagine for a moment that my #7 tool pouch ended up in 1960. Number seven has a Leatherman Charge, the extra bit assortment, the bit extender, and one of the new Maglite Solitare LED flashlights. My Leatherman Charge predates the titanium and aluminum models. I loved the original Solitare, but it ate batteries. Nothing in this pouch is beyond 1960 technology, but the idea that it’s widely available consumer level products is unheard of in 1960.

And I didn’t even include my cellphone or my iPod touch. Technically those aren’t exactly beyond 1960 tech either. But both depend heavily on a refined infrastructure that barely existed in 1960. So let’s skip those for now.

There were Swiss Army knives in 1960, but it didn’t have near the capability of the Charge. Since the Charge wasn’t Leatherman’s first model, it’s design was tweaked so it was easier to use.

It isn’t that they couldn’t have made a multitool, it’s that no one had yet put all the pieces together in 1960.

I’ve got a neighbor who’s been experimenting with aquaponics. All the pieces were there back in 1960. What wasn’t there was cheap sensors and cheap Arduino boards to control everything.

Yes, they had computers in 1960. But nothing remotely like this MacBook Air. And the thought of someone just casually typing up a blog entry at their kitchen table while sipping hot chocolate, well, that would be mind blowing.

And all this begs the question.

What will things be like in 2060? What wonders will we have then?

It’s still the Spark of Inspiration.

If I’m still here, I’m pretty sure I’ll still be looking for the Divine in my gadgets and tools just as much as I look in the plants, animals, land, and humans around me.

Look around at the wonders that surround us all.

Tags: tools & world song & Christianity & clean sheets & hot running water & Arduino & Age of Wonders & Spark of Inspiration