Early Computers | 1930s - 1980s AD

What is an abacus?
considered the first computer because it was able to perform simple math calculations

In 1936,  Zuse invented this type of computer?
freely programmable computer

 
In 1944, Aiken and Hopper designed the Mark Series of computers to be used for what?
used by the navy for gunnery and ballistic calculations
 
 
In 1951, Eckert and Mauchly designed the first commercial computer for whom?
the census bureau

What does UNIVAC stand for?
universal automatic computer

In 1953, IBM enters the scene. What does IBM stand for?
international business machines

What is FORTRAN?
the IBM mathematical formula translating system
 
 
In 1964, how did Engelbart change the way computers worked?
made them a more user-friendly tool

What is the significance of ARPnet?
it was developed to protect the flow of information between military installations by creating a network of geographically separated computers

In 1971, Intel introduced this? 
the first single chip microprocessor
 

In the same year, IBM introduced this? Post a photo of one.
memory disk

In 1973, Metcalf and Xerox created this?
the first ethernet computer network

During the next several years, the first consumer computers were marketed. 

Altair 


Apple I




Apple II




TRS-80


Commodore PET


In 1981, Bill Gates and Microsoft introduced this package?
the ms-dos computer operating system which was packages with the IBM pc

 
In 1983, who introduced the Lisa computer?
apple

What is GUI?
graphical user interface




 
In 1984, a more affordable home computer was introduced. Name the computer and the company that marketed it?
apple macintosh computer, apple

The commercial only ran one time. When?
January 22, 1984

In response to the Apple GUI, Gates and Microsoft introduced this?
windows operating system

Two men are known for their development of the Apple I computer. Who are they?
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak

When was the internet that we know, world wide web, developed and introduced?
1990

Over the years, Apple has included "easter eggs" within their software. What is an "easter egg"?
a hidden setting

Search for easter eggs in Photoshop and Illustrator. List a few in this post ... and try to find them in the applications.

Where do you think computers will take us in the next 10 years?
 I think computers will become like ipads instead of big machines

Photography | 1839 - 1960s AD

Until the 1880s, how were news stories illustrated?
from engravings or woodcuts

What is a camera obscura?
 an optical devise that projects an image of its surroundings onto a screen 

 
How did scholars and artists utilize the camera obscure?
as a way to trace outside scenes and paint or draw them

From where did the photographic camera develop?
from the portable box

Who first used the term "photography"? Where was is derived from?
Sir John Hershel, derived from the Greek words for light and writing  
 

 
Who is credited with making the first successful photograph?
Joseph Niepce
 
 
Who invented the Daguerreotype process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?
Louis Daguerre, a image could be made permanent by immersing it in salt, the process was good but expensive, a image could not be duplicated

 
Who invented the Calotype process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?
William Fox Talbot, from the negative an unlimited amount of duplicates could be made, it is the basis of our modern photographic process

 
Who invented the Wet Collodion process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?
Frederick Scott Archer, this process reduced the exposure time, cot less then other processes, equipment had to be portable, a much sharper image was produced

 
Who invented the Dry Plate process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?
Richard Maddox, used gelatin instead of glass, still the base of our film today

Who is George Eastman? What company did he establish?
he made photography accessible to all, Eastman Kodak Company

 
In 1888, he produced a camera that use his flexible roll film. How did he make this camera/photography accessible to the public?
a camera owner could send in the camera and the company would process the film and then return it to the owner

What is Edwin Land best known for? What company did he establish?
patenting polarized light filters, The Polaroid Corporation

 
How long did the first Polaroid camera take to produce a photo?
60 seconds

What was Eadweard Muybridge known for?
paved the way for motion picture photography

 
What is the Zoopraxiscope?
device used to project a series of images in successive phases of motion


 
How did Muybridge settle the debate and photograph a horse in motion?
he used a series of large cameras placed in a line, each being triggered by a thread as a horse passed by
In 1880s, the development of the motion picture camera allowed this?
individual images to be captured and stored on a single film reel


 
What is a motion picture projector?
 it magnifies the "moving picture" onto a screen for an audience

The Linotype Machine | 1886 AD

Who is credited with the invention of the typewriter?
Christopher Sholes

What is a "stenographer"?
the first and most important users of the typewriter
 
Why did Sholes send a prototype of his typewriter to Clephane?
he tested it with unsparing tests, his judgement was similarly caustic

After the typewriter began production, why did Clephane pursue another machine?
the typewriter still took long to typeset and copy the words

Who spent a year redesigning Clephane's typesetting machine?
Mergenthaler

What is meant by "typesetting"?
composition of texts by means of type
 
How does the Linotype Machine differ from the typewriter?
allowed type to be set mechanically rather than by hand, produced a solid line of type

How did this machine change the newspaper industry?
it made it possible for a small number of operators to set type for more pages on a daily basis


 
How did the keyboard of the Linotype Machine differ from keyboards that we use today?
it had a 90-character keyboard, the arrangement of keys was based on letter frequency, and the keys were color coded for lowercase, uppercase, and punctuation

 
What is a slug?
 the assembled line of type in a single piece

Post an example of a person operating a Linotype Machine.
Why is the Linotype Machine the greatest advanced in printing since movable type?
it had faster typesetting and composition than by hand

The Gutenberg Press | 1450 AD

What is Johannes Gutenberg credited with? 
inventing the technology of printing with movable type
 
How did the printing press work?
ink was rolled over the raised surface of movable hand-set block letters held within a wooden form

What motivated Gutenberg to find a better way of creating books?
this love of reading

Why did Gutenberg experiment with metal type versus wood type?
 woodcuts were not durable because they split in the press after repeated use
 
What is moveable type?
the system of printing that uses movable components to reproduce the elements of a document

What is a matrix?
hard metal punch hammered into a softer copper bar

What ink did Gutenberg develop that he used specifically for the printing press?
oil based ink

What is paper made from? Where did paper originate?
wood pulp, china

What is a "substrate"?
bring s a print color

Who did Gutenberg seek to help with the invention of the press? Close to the end of the 5 years, what happened?
john just, Gutenberg could not repay the loan with interest so just would get the press, tools, and materials
What was the first book he printed?
 bible

 
How did the Gutenberg Press impact communication?
perfected script, made it easier to read, books were made more rapidly, current information could be shared locally and around the world, cost of books decreased, demand grew and the population became more literate, people wanted books written in their own language, greater variety of books, book trade began to flourish, economies became stronger, art an science began to flourish

Who introduced the printing press to England?
William Caxton

What was the early form of newspapers?
 trade newsletters

When was the first news weekly published? What was it called?
1704, The Boston Letter

What kind of press was built in the US in the mid 1800s?
 cast iron press
 
By the late 1930s, presses had increased in efficiency and were capable of 2,500 to 3,500 impressions per hour. What is meant by "impression"?


Which printing process is the Gutenberg press an example of? Briefly describe the process?
 relief printing, ink is applied to a raised surface and then stamped on the paper
 
What is intaglio printing and how is ink transferred? 
 image are is etched into the plate surface to hold the ink, ink is applied then rubbed with a cloth to remove the excess, damp paper is placed on top, and a press applies pressure to transfer the ink to the paper
 
What is porous printing and how is ink transferred?
 basic stencil process, image carrier is attached to a screen and ink is forced through open mesh areas
 
What is lithography and how is ink transferred?
 printing from a flat surface, artwork is made on the plate with greasy ink or crayon, water is applied, when the ink is spread on top, the greasy parts accept the ink, and the wet parts do not
 
What variation of lithography is used by the commercial printing industry today?
offset lithography

How do printing presses used today compare to the Gutenberg Press?
the Gutenberg type was put together by hand and we use computers

Describe four-color process printing using CMYK?
 four colors are used on a paper and they can create a illusion to make it seem like their are more colors being used

The Codex and the Illuminated Manuscript | 1st century AD

Post an example of a scroll.

What were the drawbacks of the scroll?
only allow sequential usage, readers must read the text in the order it was written
Post an example of a codex.

What is a codex?
covered and bound collection of hand written pages

"Codex" is derived from the Latin meaning "block of wood". Why?
because it is made out of wood

What is the difference between "sequential access" and "random access"?
sequential access: one must go through the scroll to find a certain passage
random access: one can go to any point to find information

What were the advantages of using the codex?
easier to organize in libraries

What helped spread the use of the codex?
the rise of Christianity

What replaced papyrus? Describe the process used to create it?
parchment, hair and fat was removed from animals and skin was smoothed out, hide was soaked in water, calcium, flour, and salt were added, skin was stretched out, flattened and dried

What is vellum?
finer qualities of parchment made from skins of young calves

Name several examples of current technology that utilizes the format of the codex?
durable parchment

What led to a period of cultural and economical deterioration?
the decline of the roman empire resulted in fewer books being created
Post an example of an illuminated manuscript.

Who began creating books by hand, taking the creation to an art form?
monastic monks

What does "illumination" refer to? What was included in this ornamentation?
the borders, illustrations and ornamentation added to each page of text, ornamentation included initials of character or paragraphs, paintings in margins, borders, and around text

What tool was used for creating the illuminated manuscripts?
quill pens

Why were these manuscripts reserved for religious purposes?
the work was laborious

What is craftsmanship? Why is it important?
 employed to make the materials used, without craftsmanship we wouldn't have tools

The Roman Alphabet | 7th century BC

What was the basis of the Roman uppercase alphabet? 
variant
What were the purposes of the formal and informal styles of lettering?
formal: for important manuscripts and official documents
informal: for letters and routine types of writing

Why is the Roman alphabet the most widely used and what contributions did it make?
widely known because it is still used in the world today, its contributions ensured that type was perfectly aligned in rows and greatly contributed to type aesthetics

From where did serifs originate?
the carving of words into stone

When and where did lowercase, or minuscule, letters develop?
in the 7th century in Greece

What is a ligature and why were they utilized?
 a ligature is when two characters are joined as one, utilized to control spacing

The Greek Alphabet | 800 BC

How did Greeks come in contact with the Phoenicians?
Phoenicians regularly traveled to Greece and established trade agreements with them

How was the Greek adaptation of the alphabet different from its predecessor?
several of the consonants were adapted as vowels

Why is the Greek alphabet considered to be the world's first true alphabet?
it has given rise to many other alphabets including the Latin alphabet

Name several similarities and differences between the Greek and modern English alphabets?
similarities: arrangement of the Phoenician alphabet
differences: consonants changed to vowels, and letters were added