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History and revolution of typewriters
History and revolution of typewriters
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There are many tablet PCs, portable electronics and variety of technologies to help people to communicate and share opinions or thoughts now. How about the past? People drew, scratched, painted, engraved and finally typed their stories or thoughts. The typewriter was the first machine to write in history. Among many typewriters, IBM Selectric I typewriter was the most revolutionary one. Selectric typewriter was not only a step stone for the next typewriter generations, but it also was a big part of historical event in feminism and the speed and the convenience of the model helped the work-force in the history. There could not be computers, iPads, or many other electronic items without the history of typewriters, especially the breakthrough technology of IBM Selectric typewriter.
The beginning of typewriter is unknown, but the ‘official’ first invention was in 1714, which patent granted to Henry Mill. The first letter typed was by William Burt who typed letter to his wife in 1830. Typewriter was originated from the search for a method to enable blind people to read and write by using the embossed letters. It is a mechanical interface that shares a fundamental connection between the act of tactile impression and the ideal of evocative expression. It was also the role of ‘digital’ transmission in the literal sense which operated by fingers. The most common keyboard arrangement of typewriter is the ‘QWERTY’, and the word ‘typewriter’ could be typed on the top line of the machine and was helpful for those who could not type. There are different types of typewriters such as portable, electronic and standard models invented. IBM, one of the best typewriter companies of U.S.A., introduced the revolutionary and the most notable electronic...
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By 1975, the Selectric accounted for about 75 percent of the US electric typewriter market. The first Selectric model to hit the typewriter market offered breakthrough functionality to office workers around the world. This revolutionary machine saved time and reduced errors. The influence of the typewriter has been significant. Most notably, typewriters brought women into the workforce, contributing to liberation. Great works of literature have been composed by typewriters and also it has had important roles in film, art and popular culture, elevating it to iconic status. Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, the Selectric served as the iconic machine of secretaries. The famed relationship between Selectric typewriters and secretaries is still celebrated in movies and TV series depicting the era, including the current hit TV series Mad Men.
Centuries ago, man faced a significant transition in society from an oral-based to a writing-based culture. In Phaedrus 274, Socrates said with regard to written culture “Writing will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves. . . .” Others, such as Plato saw the benefits of writing and recommended that all citizens should receive education in writing. Change was indeed coming, with both positive and detrimental
Throughout history, there have been many inventions to help humans communicate, such as the telephone, typewriter, and many more. One great milestone was the printing press. The printing press was invented in 1,450 CE by Johannes Gutenberg. The printing press is a machine that could quickly mass produce books at a cheap cost. He created the invention in Germany. The printing press lead to a higher distribution in books at a lower price. As a result, the literacy rate was increased and more people were able to learn about science, religion, and geology.
In Postman’s book that our society is redefining what family, religion, education, privacy, and history mean as a result of technology, known as technopoly. He proposes several theories about how our society got to where we currently are;including social, and symbolic traditions, and totalitarian technocracy. Postman compares technology to Thamus’ concern that writing would have an impact on an individual’s wisdom and memory. However, not all technology has been viewed negatively in Postman’s eyes. He has viewed some technologies as blessing to society; including technologies that once were provided as a helpful tool to society; including technologies such as, the printing press and clock. According to Postman, current technology is now considered a totalitarian order on society (Postman, 1992). These technologies brought beneficial aspects to society but did not control s...
6. McLuhan, Marshall. The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man. [Toronto]: University of Toronto Press, 1962.
"Personal Computers." UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History. Sonia Benson, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. Vol. 6. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 1222-1228. Student Resources in Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2013
Wood-type printing allowed new typefaces to be created and used for printing cheaper than ever before. Technological advances permitted machine-set typography to be printed on machine-manufactured paper with high-speed steam-powered printing presses. The use of color lithography passed the aesthetic experience of colorful images from the privileged few to the whole of society.
began to take over the worlds market for tabulators, clocks, and electric type writers. By 1940 it was the us largest office firms that deals with machines. There sales had reach $50 million.
Computers are a magnificent feat of technology. They have grown from simple calculators to machines with many functions and abilities. Computers have become so common that almost every home has at least one computer, and schools find them a good source for information and education for their students (Hafner, Katie, unknown). Computers have created new careers and eliminated others and have left a huge impact on our society. The invention of the computer has greatly affected the arts, the business world, and society and history in many different areas, but to understand how great these changes are, it is necessary to take a look at the origins of the computer.
To begin the personal computer altered human lives and influenced the way we are educated, share knowledge, and entertain. In the 1900s a computer was the size of a whole room with the ability to do nothing more than be a basic calculator. Such a device today would be scoffed at but at its time it was
Computer has made the life easier by providing various applications and technologies. For example, while computer has replaced typewriter, it helps the students to become a better writer as they can “revise text, rearrange paragraphs, and experiment with the tone and shape of an essay” () while using word processing. Thus, the computer helps the students to improvise their writing. Human relationship with co...
The proponents of technology have always believed that technology is a product of independent creation and thus follows its own pace. They say that technology is forceful and society does not have a choice but to adapt to the changes that it imposes on the people. The members of any particular society may not be actually happy with the change but eventually they learn to accept it, as a result of which the process of change comes a full circle. This idea however is debatable because many critics point out that technology is in fact a planned phenomenon. Not only this but also they point out that there are certain forces that control and introduce technology into the society and that the expected changes from such an introduction is said to be a deliberate attempt at transforming the society. Marshall McLuhan wrote extensively about this subject in his book The Gutenberg Galaxy. The book is basically about the changes that were imposed in the European society as a result of the creation of the printing press in the fifteenth century. It was this printing press that was responsible for a number of changes in the society, which include the social, political and economic forces that were present at the time. The printing press was primarily responsible for the Protestant Reformation because a large number of bibles were available for everyone to read which meant, “Every man can be a priest.” The following essay will thus attempt to discuss McLuhan’s ideas in the light of the phenomenon of technology and discuss whether it is relevant to the current revolution in electronic publishing. The initial Gutenberg revolution discussed by McLuhan is just an introduction of other things to come. He is more interested in finding out about the...
Baron, Dennis. “From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literary Technologies.” Writing Material. Ed. Evelyn Tribble. New York. 2003. 35- 52.
First was the invention of movable type and the printing press. Johannes Gutenberg and Johann Fust, German goldsmith, invented movable type in 1446. Then, Gutenberg invented the printing press to produce the world’s first printed book, the Bible.
First of all, the computer’s role in society has increased significantly throughout recent years. In the past, a computer was mostly used for minor tasks, such as typing a paper or playing a game for leisure. A child could rarely be found sitting in front of a monitor screen, and they usually didn’t even know how to operate the machine. Software games were on the market, but were not very popular for purchase. Usually the more developed households and higher-class families were the ones that contained a computer at home, but mostly adults were found to be the users. Many families found it easy to do without one, as they were mostly used for typing, and typewriters or handwriting took their place. In the past, computers went without the Internet, were extremely slow, and weren’t capable of much of anything.
While taking a typing course in high school, the hardest part was remembering where each key was. I could never figure out why the typewriter keys were set up in the order they were, but once I learned the various keystrokes, it became second nature to type. Although, I still have trouble with some of the keys on the top row, such as numbers and symbols. This is probably because they aren't used as much as the others. Another difficult part was remembering to hit the return key when I wanted to go to the next line. Setting the tabs and margins properly could also be quite trying. Never in my wildest imagination could I have envisioned a typewriter that could wrap-around to the next line, automatically set margins, and even tell you when words are misspelled or used improperly. Now I know that there is no limit to what computers will be able to accomplish in the future. It will only take imagination and determination to make them do whatever we want them to do.