COMS1001 Week 3 Lecture - Conquering Distance - Telegraph & Telephone PDF

COMS 1001 History of Communications Conquering Distance: Telegraph & Telephone  Precursors to Electric telegraph Fire Beacons Water clock telegraph Fire signal systems Optical Telegraph – Semaphore signalling  Challenge One of the challenges of communicat...

COMS 1001 History of Communications Conquering Distance: Telegraph & Telephone  Precursors to Electric telegraph Fire Beacons Water clock telegraph Fire signal systems Optical Telegraph – Semaphore signalling  Challenge One of the challenges of communication has been to send a message further than you can see.  Overcoming Physical Limitations Many attempts were made to overcome physical limitations: Smoke Signals Fire Signal Systems Semaphore Telegram Water Clock telegraph  Fire Beacon What is a beacon? A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a speci c location. Fire beacons can be seen for a long distance. Used to direct ships, indicate beginning of the month etc. fi  Fire Signal Systems Series of beacons. Ability to send a predetermined message over a large distance. Lord of the Rings example. Fire Signals 1 2 3 4 5 1 α ζ λ π ϕ 2 β η µ ρ χ 3 γ θ ν σ ψ 4 δ ι ξ τ ω 5 ε κ ο υ In this example they are Sending “σ” Water Clock Telegraph  Water clock telegraph A torch signals to start Running the water, and another to stop. Then the message can be read Based on what is visible At water level. Requires 2 sets of pre-arranged Message indicators. Developed in 341 BCE By Aeneas Optical Telegraph  semaphore an apparatus for conveying information by means of visual signals, such as a light whose position may be changed. Claude Chappe In 1792 invents the Chappe telegraph. 556 stations stretching a total distance of 4,800 kilometres. 12 - 15ks apart. British Optical Telegraph British Optical Telegraph  The state, the military and media development Telegraph and its electronic successor clearly contributed to nation building of rising nation-states Invented during divisive and chaotic period in France Most networks were government owned & controlled Political and military uses and later extended to commercial and public uses Also see the early development of state regulation of media technologies, businesses and eventually the content  The Electric Telegraph Developed in the 1830s and 1840s by Samuel Morse (1791-1872) and other inventors, the telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication. It worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations. signi es a move from the transportation model of communication to a transmission model fi  Electric Telegraph 1840’s Advance over optical: 1) faster 2) not impeded by darkness and bad weather Morse’s prophetic in its rst message – “What has God Wrought?” – in 1844 Telegraph lines/ ushered in the electronic media age. poles were run West alongside the It becomes possible to communicate in railway virtual space at a distance because electronics can send electronic signals over great distances – conquering of distance fi During its 18 months of operation, it reduced the time for messages to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about 10 days.  What code is used to encode messages to be sent over the telegraph?  Morse Code a series of dots and dashes which can be translated into letters of the alphabet/ messages  Agenda Hour #1: Finish our discussion on the telegraph/ telephone + watch the lm “The Telephone” Hour #2: Image technologies. Photography and lm. Hour #3: Discuss Midterm fi fi  Origins of New Media in the Telegraph 1. normalized the idea of sending instant messages worldwide 2. Telegraph companies grew into large monopolies that attracted regulation and conferred themselves as cooperative networks, sharing revenues and carrying each others traf c. 3. established an approach to the digitization of information that still persists today fi  Scanning Sending an image on the wire as a series of dots- dashes through the use of a light sensor. First instance of sending pictures electronically. First cable linking England and France. August 28, 1850. Using the tug boat Goliath. Newspapers must “submit to destiny, and go out of business” James Bennet (New York Herald) 1845  Uses for news Adopted immediately by newspapers Changes the way news is described (pg. 262) Faster spread of news from farther away Along with railway expansion, extended spread of newspapers Advent of “wire services” such as Associated Press and Reuters Reuters services expanded coverage in local papers and developed reputation for impartiality and reliability These “wire” services continue to operate today  Changes in commerce Shift from arbitrage to futures trading Markets no longer independent of each other – geography made irrelevant Products become standardized through grading system so can be traded sight unseen The telegraph had the practical effect of diminishing space as a differentiating criterion in human affairs.  Monopoly By the combination of the Western Union, Associated Press, and the railroad monopolies, almost every daily paper in our large cities is brought under dominion of the monopolies and extortionists  Regulation Telegraph was so important to business, material, governmental needs that the govt decide to regulate We can think about the telegraph network as similar to the modern Internet. There were online marriages, traders made huge some of money, monopolies such as the Western Union began. Thoreau “improved means to an unimproved end”  Inventing the telephone Bell had been trying to improve the telegraph & to improve the lives of deaf people Harmonic telegraph then.. First telephone March 1876 Patent submitted same day as Gray, but granted to Bell Holding of the patents led to founding telephone industry in US Not without some challenge from Western Union who bought Elisha Grays patent Bell’s Early phones  Founding of Telephone industry 1877 founding of Bell Telephone Company (later AT&T) 1878 first switchboard in New Haven Lease equipment and license franchisees, kept control of telecom system Much litigation with competitors including Western Union By 1882 also had manufacturing unit Focus on business and professional market, not residential until much later Patent ran out in 1893 resulting in competition and expansion of services and 1913 government regulation  The telephone in Canada Introduced in 1878 Bell received charter to operate in 1880 Patent expired in 1885 in Canada Provincial governments owned phone systems Government regulation begins in 1906 By 1920s coast-to-coast phone service possible 1930s regional companies formed a consortium Formed a “natural monopoly” until the late 80s Now we have cable companies and others offering competitive phone services as well as service “bundles” due to convergence  Broadcasting by phone Telefon Hirmondo (Budapest) – From 1893 until after WWI – Provided scheduled programming to subscribers – News, politics, music, stock quotes, lit criticism – Also sold ad time Telephone Herald Co. (USA) – Inspired by Budapest service but didn’t catch on – Only lasted a few months in 1911 These services clearly anticipated broadcast radio Early use of phone for entertainment purposes Telefon Hirmondo  So… Telegraph represents a leap from transportation model of communications to a transmission model Messages separated from messengers First instance of digitization of data for transmission Unifies national territories & markets - “shrinks” world Facilitates centralized control in emergent nation- states and corporations Some uses of phone prefigure broadcasting