intrust

Early artefacts, such as those produced by chisel on stone, charcoal on wall, hand on clay or pen on paper were, of course, instrumental in the distribution of W3, and qua technologies, their rational was clear – an increase in the economy, permanence , portability, duplicability and veracity of W3. All of these objectives, weighted according to alternating needs, served to drive the evolution of media technology on the heels, or in many cases, at the forefront, of scientific discovery. We will presently take up the story of that progress at one historical moment; the first large scale introduction of computing powered by electricity, 20 years after Charles Babbage’s marvellous vision of an “Analytic Engine”, a steam powered contraption beyond the technical feasibilities of its time, which was fated to be buried together with its inventor.

The 19^th century saw significant advancement in media technology. Through the harnessing of electricity, a greater understanding of chemistry, and increasingly sophisticated mechanical engineering; lithography (1798), the telegraph, the camera, the typewriter, rotary printing machines, the Wharfedale cylinder press, mechanised paper manufacturing, wireless radio, the telephone, the gramophone, the motion picture camera, and Linotype all saw the light of day.

This was the great analogue age, and it continued until the 1950s, by which time practically all major discovery and invention in analogue technology had been made. From then on, digitalization and medium commonalization has ruled the day, as all media channels merge into a common stream. And though digitalization was the key to matching up binary coded W3 production with logical machines – it is the ensuing commonalization of media channels which vies to be the most significant event in human technology.

// posted by Greg FitzPatrick @ 14:53