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Monthly Archives: February 2012
From the Dead Media Archives: Laserdisc
Early optical Laserdisc technology was invented by David Paul Gregg in 1958. By the time Gregg had patented his transparent videodisc system in 1961 and again in 1969 he decided to sell the patents to electronics manufacturer Philips. Philips had … Continue reading
Posted in Dead media, Film, Video
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Magnetic Core Memory Patented
Today in 1956, Jay Forrester of MIT was awarded a patent for his magnetic core memory. It became the standard for computer memory until it was supplanted by solid state RAM in the mid-seventies. It has continued to be used, … Continue reading
Radar Invented
Today in 1935, Scottish physicist Robert Watson-Watt demonstrated in Daventry, England, that radio waves could be reflected by an aircraft. The experiment, prompted by fears of the development of death rays by Germany, launched a research program into what later will be … Continue reading
Posted in Innovation, Radar, Radio, This day in information
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From Analog to Digital: Film and Music
Today in 2007, Netflix announced its billionth DVD delivery. Today, with more than 23 million streaming members globally, Netflix claims it is “the world’s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows.” Today in 2010, Apple announced that it has sold … Continue reading
Posted in Apple, Data growth, Digitization, Film, music, Netflix, This day in information
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From Analog to Digital: Bank Checks
Today in 1925, New York banker, George McCarthy received a patent for the Checkograph, the first bank check photographing device and the first practical use of commercial microfilm. In 1928 Eastman Kodak bought McCarthy’s invention and began to market it under … Continue reading
Posted in Computer history, Data growth, Digitization, Imaging, Paper, This day in information
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We Are What We Remember
“Memory is the power to revive again in our minds those ideas which after imprinting have disappeared, or have been laid aside out of sight”–John Locke “Memory is a process by which what is learned persists across time”–Larry Squire and … Continue reading
Posted in Memory, Quotes
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A Calculating People
Congress assigned responsibility for the 1790 census to the marshals of the U.S. judicial districts under an act that, with minor modifications and extensions, governed census-taking through 1840. On April 2, 2012, the National Archives and Records Administration will make individual records … Continue reading
Posted in Censuses
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Education Spoiled, Purpose Lost
“Most people are mirrors, reflecting the moods and emotions of the times; few are windows, bringing light to bear on the dark corners where troubles fester. The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”–Sydney J. Harris, journalist … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Quotes, Social Impact
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Instant Photography
Today in 1947, Edwin H. Land demonstrated the first instant camera, the Polaroid Land camera, during a meeting of the Optical Society of America. Land started thinking about an instant camera a few years earlier when his 3-year-old daughter asked … Continue reading
Posted in Photography, This day in information
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Phone Booth Library
From Alltop: Architect John Locke wanted to give forgotten phone booths a purpose again, so he transformed an antiquated call box in New York City into a bookshelf. Part of Locke’s “Department of Urban Betterment,” the project encourages reading and … Continue reading
Posted in Libraries, Telephone
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The Story of Information 