Monrovia, Liberia Alfred Sirleaf, editor-
publisher http://www.monocle.c
om/film/culture/the-daily-talk/
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1. Hearing Public1. Communal
1. binding2. Local embrace3. Face-to-face
participation4. Pulpit News5. Religious(?)
1. Reading Public1. Atomistic
1. fragmenting2. Distant
embrace3. Vicarious partic.
1. Imagined Communities
4. Printed news5. Secular(?)
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1. Scarcity/expense writing material
1. stone, clay, papyrus, parchment
2. “Calligraphy as enemy of literacy”
1. Transportation to Transmission Model
1. Message Faster than Messenger
2. Early Examples1. smoke signals,
drums2. ship-to-ship/shore
semaphore
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1. Claude Chappe (France, 1794)
2. Technology:1. Wood, rope, iron,
stone
3. “Software”1. Code book
4. Paris-Toulon 760km: How long to send message?
5. Other lines (Strasbourg, Brussels)
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1. Military Use2. Nationalism/
Nation State1. Sweden, Russia,
Spain, Prussia (1830s)
3. Exclusive State Use (France)
4. Drawbacks?
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1. Samuel F. Morse (US)1. Alfred Vail2. http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=oo0hSZ9R_Xk
2. First message, 18441. Washington-Baltimore
3. Software: Morse Code1. Dots/dashes linked to
alphabet4. Hardware:
1. Electricity, magnetism, reliable batteries
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1. Rapid Growth in Miles of Telegraph Cable
1. 1846: 40 2. 1850: 12,0003. 1865: 37,000 (US)
2. 1861 transcontinental line
3. Pony Express1. 1860-612. 10 days, MO to CA
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1. Conquer Distance1. Space-biased
2. Sublime/Wonder3. Use in Warfare4. News Agencies:
1. Havas, Reuters, Associated Press
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1. Rail Right-of-Way2. Monitor rail traffic
(dispatching)3. controlling device for
‘physical things’4. Integrated system5. Transmission-cum-
Transportation
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Optical Telegraph 5-10
characters/min 0-13 hours
daily/summer Many dozens of
skilled employees
Electrical Telegraph 60 per minute 24 hours 10+ times volume
of information Handful of skilled
employees
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1. Central Offices1. Lines/Local
Offices2. “same spoke”
direct communication
2. Messenger boys3. Reply mechanism
1. Circular Process
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1. Send messages/ verify receipt
2. Short-hand Lexicon
1. SFD, GM
3. “Network” socializing
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1. James Carey: 1. Maintenance of Society in Time (Time-
biased media)2. Extension of Messages in Space (Space---
biased media)
2. How commodity markets work before telegraph?
1. Arbitrage trading
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1. National markets1. Geographic
distance less relevant
2. Space-binding media
2. Arbitrage to Futures1. Speculation: from
space to time2. Futures contracts
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1. Chicago Commodities Exchange, 1848
2. De-contextualize markets
3. Eradicate Space; Speculate w/Time
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1. Printing press to Telegraph
2. Large capacity/less enduring
3. Administration1. territorial control
4. Cultural homogenization
5. Secular
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Alexander Graham Bell http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=aimMH-ChUK0
Scotland/Brantford/Boston
Deaf students/teachers Acoustics/sound waves
electronically 1876: patent/
demonstration
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1. Three Boxes1. generator2. Speaker tube3. Wet-cell battery
2. Switchboard operators1. female 2. (male telegraph
operators)
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1. Voice transmission 2. Bi-directional3. Real-time4. Unskilled users5. minimally mediated6. Rapid growth?
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1. Telefon Hirmondo, 1. Budapest, 1893-1920s2. 6,000 subscribers
2. Daily Schedule1. News, concerts,
children’s programs, etc.
3. Electrophone Co. (UK)4. Telephone Herald (US)
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1. Telegraph Influence2. Interactive Function3. Complement
Telegraph, not compete with
4. New Media Improve on Older Media
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1. Bell/AT&T2. 66% of phone
lines were business: 1893
3. Cities, not rural areas
4. High rates/Long distance
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