Category Archives: Social Impact

Postcards on the Edge

Posted on August 3, 2011 by GilPress

The earliest known picture postcard was posted in London to the writer Theodore Hook in 1840. The hand-coloured card was addressed to “Theodore Hook Esq, Fulham”, a playwright and novelist noted at the time for his “wit and drollery”. It caricatures the … Continue reading →

Posted in Lost and Found, Social Impact, Social Networks | 1 Comment

Typographer Invented

Posted on July 23, 2011 by GilPress

Today in 1829, William Austin Burt, a surveyor from Mount Vernon, Michigan, received a patent for the typographer, the earliest forerunner of the typewriter. Fifty years ago this month (July 31), IBM introduced the IBM Selectric, replacing typebars and the moving carriage with … Continue reading →

Posted in IBM, Social Impact, This day in information | Leave a comment

The Government Steps in to Reduce Information Overload

Posted on June 28, 2011 by GilPress

“The storekeeper and the clerk depended for their livelihood on selling the goods in your day. Of course that is all different now. The goods are the nation’s. …  

Posted in Information Overload, Predictions, Social Impact | 1 Comment

Hot News Becomes Cold in a Nanosecond in the Modern World

Posted on June 27, 2011 by GilPress

Today in 1846, the first telegraph link was established between New York City and Boston. From the AP Archives: “In the spring of 1846, Moses Yale Beach (1800-68), publisher of The New York Sun, establishes a pony express to deliver … Continue reading →

Posted in Law, News, Social Impact, Telegraph, The Information Business, This day in information | Leave a comment

The Richard John Interview: The Politics of Network Evolution

Posted on June 16, 2011 by GilPress

The Politics of Network Evolution: An Interview with Richard John  Richard John is Professor at the Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University, and a historian of communications networks in the United States. His most recent book, Network Nation, won the … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Network Effect, News, Post Office, Social Impact, Social Networks, Telegraph, Telephone | Leave a comment

How Online Education Is Changing the Way We Learn

Posted on June 11, 2011 by GilPress

Via: OnlineEducation.net

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Vint Cerf on Talking Back to the Machine

Posted on June 8, 2011 by GilPress

“…anyone who has used a voice-enabled navigation system will have encountered the ‘recalculating’ phenomenon when you miss a turn. I admit that after several of these incidents, I’m convinced the robot speaker sounds increasingly impatient and cynical, leaving off the … Continue reading →

Posted in Artificial Intelligence, Social Impact | Leave a comment

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

Posted on May 17, 2011 by GilPress

Today is World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD). Its  purpose “is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well … Continue reading →

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The Value of Virtual

Posted on May 14, 2011 by GilPress

“The very fact that virtual possessions don’t have a physical form may actually enhance their value, researchers at Carnegie Mellon’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) and School of Design discovered in a study of 21 teenagers. 

Posted in Digitization, Predictions, Quotes, Social Impact | Leave a comment

AIEE (IEEE) Established

Posted on May 13, 2011 by GilPress

Today in 1884, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) was established in New York. 

Posted in Social Impact, This day in information | 1 Comment