Early Computers | 1930s - 1980s AD

What is an abacus?
Considered first computer. Used to solve simple math equations.

In 1936,  Zuse invented this type of computer?
Created the first freely programmable computer.

Post a photo of the 1944 Mark Computer. 













In 1944, Aiken and Hopper designed the Mark Series of computers to be used for what?
They invented it for gunnery and ballistic calculations
Post a photo of the UNIVAC Computer.
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In 1951, Eckert and Mauchly designed the first commercial computer for whom?
The invented it for the Census Bureau

What does UNIVAC stand for?
Universal automatic computer.

In 1953, IBM enters the scene. What does IBM stand for?
International Business Machine

What is FORTRAN?
The IBM mathematical formula translating the system.

Post a photo of the first mouse.

In 1964, how did Engelbart change the way computers worked?
They made them a more user-friendly tool.

What is the significance of ARPnet?
The first internet, it created a netowork of geographically seperated computers.

In 1971, Intel introduced this? Post a photo of it.
The single chip microprocessor.

In the same year, IBM introduced this? Post a photo of one.
The floppy Disc

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

During the next several years, the first consumer computers were marketed. Post photos of the Altair, Apple I, Apple II, TRS-80, Commodore PET. Label each.
 Altair

Apple 1

Apple 2

Commadore PET

In 1981, Bill Gates and Microsoft introduced this package?
The ms-dos operating system and then IMB pc.
Post a photo of the Lisa computer.
In 1983, who introduced the Lisa computer?
Apple.

What is GUI?
Graphical user interface.
Post a photo of the computer mentioned below.
In 1984, a more affordable home computer was introduced. Name the computer and the company that marketed it?
Apple. Apple Macintosh.

 


The commercial only ran one time. When?
The super bowl.

In response to the Apple GUI, Gates and Microsoft introduced this?
The 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?
It was released in 1993.

Over the years, Apple has included "easter eggs" within their software. What is an "easter egg"? An undocumented procedure or unauthorized feature that's playful in nature or gives credit to the software developer. 

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

Take the "Red Pill" with Adobe Photoshop CS3

Where do you think computers will take us in the next 10 years?
I believe that computers will be able to perform 3d graphics easily without the need of 3d glasses.

Photography | 1839 - 1960s AD

Until the 1880s, how were news stories illustrated?
They were illustrated with engravings. 

What is a camera obscura?
A way to observe light.Post an example of a camera obscura.

How did scholars and artists utilize the camera obscure?
They used it to observe solar eclipses. Artists used it as a way to paint and trace outside scenes. 

From where did the photographic camera develop?
The portable box.

Who first used the term "photography"? Where was is derived from?
John Hershel. It was derived from the greek words for light and writing.Post an the first photograph.  

Who is credited with making the first successful photograph?
Joseph Niepce.Post an example of a Daguerreotype image. 

Who invented the Daguerreotype process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?
Louis Daguerre. It was faster and could be made permanent. However, the image could not be duplicated.Post an example of a Calotype image. 

Who invented the Calotype process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?
William Fox Talbot. It's quality was inferior to the other processes. But, an unlimited amount of duplicates could be made.Post an example of a Wet Collodion Process image. 

Who invented the Wet Collodion process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?
Frederick Scott Archer. It was faster and cheaper. Unfortunately, it was inconvenient to have to carry around the "dark room".Post an example of a Dry Plate Process image. 

Who invented the Dry Plate process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?
Richard Maddox. This process had all the advantages of the wet plate process, but rid it of it's disadvantages.

Who is George Eastman? What company did he establish?
The man who made photography more easily accessible by the public. He invented roll film. Eastman Kodak Company.Post an example of The Kodak Camera from 1888. 

In 1888, he produced a camera that use his flexible roll film. How did he make this camera/photography accessible to the public? He made the camera cheap and easy to use. 


What is Edwin Land best known for? What company did he establish?
Patenting light filters and instant photography. Poloraoid Corporation. Post a photo of the first Polaroid camera.

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

What was Eadweard Muybridge known for?
Helped develop a way to capture motion using cameras.Post a photo of the Zoopraxiscope.

What is the Zoopraxiscope?
A device used to project a series of images in successive phases of motion.Post a photo of Muybridge's horse in motion.


How did Muybridge settle the debate and photograph a horse in motion?He used a large line of cameras in a line and took pictures of the horse moving.

In 1880s, the development of the motion picture camera allowed this?
Individual images to be captured and stored on a single reel film.Post a photo of a motion picture projector.

What is a motion picture projector?
A machine that, when light is shone through the screen, magnifies the image and can be shown on the screen. 

The Linotype Machine | 1886 AD

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

What is a "stenographer"?
A court reporter.Post an example of Shole's typewriter.

Why did Sholes send a prototype of his typewriter to Clephane?
He realized that stenographers would be among the most important users.

After the typewriter began production, why did Clephane pursue another machine?
He realized that the typewriter did not solve all of this problems and sought out a machine that could.

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

What is meant by "typesetting"?
The composition of text by means of types.Post an example of Linotype Machine.

How does the Linotype Machine differ from the typewriter?
Allowed type to be set mechanically instead of by hand. 

How did this machine change the newspaper industry?
More pages could be created daily with the same amount of operators.Post an example of a Linotype keyboard.

How did the keyboard of the Linotype Machine differ from keyboards that we use today?
There were 90 characters because there was no shift key.Post an example of a Linotype slug.

What is a slug?
An assembled line of type that is cast into a single piece of metal.Post an example of a person operating a Linotype Machine.

Why is the Linotype Machine the greatest advanced in printing since movable type?
It made printing much faster than it's predecessors. 

The Gutenburg Press | 1450 AD

What is Johannes Gutenberg credited with?
The technology to print with movable type.
Post a photo of the Gutenberg Press.

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How did the printing press work?
Ink was rolled over hand set block letters. The form was then pressed against a type of paper.

What motivated Gutenberg to find a better way of creating books?
Working at a crafting shop and his love of reading.

Why did Gutenberg experiment with metal type versus wood type?
Because wood cuts were not durable. 

Post an example of movable type in a type case.

What is moveable type?
Metal type.

What is a matrix?
A copper bar with a hard metal pinch hammered in.

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

What is paper made from? Where did paper originate?
Wood pulp. From China.

What is a "substrate"?
A layer where something occurs.

Who did Gutenberg seek to help with the invention of the press? 
John Fust. 

Close to the end of the 5 years, what happened? 
Just sued Gutenburg.

What was the first book he printed?
The Bible. 


 Post an example of this book.








How did the Gutenberg Press impact communication?
It made script easier to read and made books faster making current information quicker to travel around the world. It also influenced people's will to learn.

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?
The Boston Letter was published in 1704.

What kind of press was built in the US in the mid 1800s?
A press made of cast iron.  

Post an example of a 1930s printing 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"?
An impression is where ink is put onto paper (basically printing.)

Which printing process is the Gutenberg press an example of? Briefly describe the process?
Relief Printing Process. Type is placed on a press and ink is placed on the type. Then, paper is placed on top of the type.  


Post an example of an intaglio press.

What is intaglio printing and how is ink transferred?
The process in which an image is incised into a surface and that area holds the ink. The ink is placed on the surface and paper is pressed on top.  


Post an example of a screen (porous) printing press.

What is porous printing and how is ink transferred?
Using a basic stencil. An image is placed on a screen and ink is forced through the mesh.  


Post an example of a lithography printing press.

What is lithography and how is ink transferred?
Using a flat surface to print off of. A drawing is made from an ink and water is added. It is then rubbed on the flat surface and the ink stays but the water doesn't. 


Post an example of a offset lithography printing press.

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?
Printing has gotten easy and it is possible to print more pages at once now.

Describe four-color process printing using CMYK? 
Each letter of CMYK stands for a different color: C- Cyan M- Magenta Y- Yellow K- Black

The Codex and the Illuminated Manuscript | 1st Century AD

Post an example of a scroll.

What were the drawbacks of the scroll?

The scroll only allowed sequential usage.
Post an example of a codex.

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

"Codex" is derived from the Latin meaning "block of wood". Why?
The was compact and sturdy.

What is the difference between "sequential access" and "random access"?
One can go to any point in the book for information.

What were the advantages of using the codex?
It was more portable and random access.

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

What replaced papyrus? Describe the process used to create it?
Parchment. It was made from animal skins.

What is vellum?
A finer quality of parchment.

Name several examples of current technology that utilizes the format of the codex?
The online books that can be found on Kindles and iPads.

What led to a period of cultural and economical deterioration?
The decline in the roman empires creation of books. 


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 and illustrations. Initials of chapters and paragraphs.

What tool was used for creating the illuminated manuscripts?
Feathers from animals and animal hides.

Why were these manuscripts reserved for religious purposes?
The creation of these manuscripts was difficult.

What is craftsmanship? Why is it important?
The work used to create the books. 

The Roman Alphabet | 7th Century BC

What was the basis of the Roman uppercase alphabet?
The greek alphabet.
What were the purposes of the formal and informal styles of lettering?
There were different writing styles for different occasions.

Why is the Roman alphabet the most widely used and what contributions did it make?
This writing style is used by many cultures and contributed the serifs type and baseline.

From where did serifs originate?
The roman alphabet from the carving of stones in Italy.

When and where did lowercase, or minuscule, letters develop?
The two types of letters were kept in different drawers (the lowercase being on the bottom) so the uppercase ended being up on the top and the lowercase on the lower drawer.

What is a ligature and why were they utilized?
When two or more graphemes are joined as a single glyph. 





Post an example of the Roman alphabet in visual form. 

The Greek Alphabet | 800 BC

How did Greeks come in contact with the Phoenicians?
Through trade agreements.

How was the Greek adaptation of the alphabet different from its predecessor?
It adapted the letter forms.

Why is the Greek alphabet considered to be the world's first true alphabet?
It has given rise to other alphabets.

Name several similarities and differences between the Greek and modern English alphabets?


The greek alphabet uses different symbols than the english alphabet, but still conveys a consonant or vowel. 

Post an example of the Greek alphabet in visual form. 

The Phoenician Alphabet | 1050 B.C.

The Phoenician alphabet is based on what principle?
That one sign represents a syllable (phonetics)

Describe the shape of the letters and what tool created them?
Letters were carved with a stylus, with the letters being mostly angular and straight.

What two reasons made the Phoenician alphabet so successful?
It was much simpler than the other pictographs and complex characters of other scripts.

What long term effects on the social structures of civilizations did the Phoenicians have with the creation of their alphabet?
Because of its widespread script and simplicity, it could be used in multiple languages. Also, this allowed the commoners to become literate.

Post an example of the Phoenician alphabet in visual form. 

Hieroglyphics and the Egyptians | 3,000 B.C.

In the sixth century BC, what three civilizations invaded Egypt? 

• Persia
• Greece
• Rome

Post an example of the inside wall(s) of an Ancient Egyptian temple.


What was discovered on the inside of the temples?
Hieroglyphics and painted and carved images.

Scholars believe that Ancient Egyptians were inspired and influenced by which written language?
It was probably influenced by the Sumerians' Cuneiform and the style of expressing words through writing.

What is the difference between logographic and alphabetic elements?
Logograms are visual symbols representing ideas or objects.
Alphabets are characters representing syllables.

The term Hieroglyphic derived from what two Greek words?
Hiero means sacred
Glyphic means engraving

What is a scribe?
A person who copies and records documents.

Who else was trained to read and write? Why?
Military leaders, so they could communicate in battle.Post an example of hieroglyphics on papyrus.



What is papyrus and how was it made?
It was a form of paper made from Egyptian Reeds. Reeds were placed in a criss-cross fashion and then flattened with stones.

What is a substrate?
A surface on which a material grows.

What were the Books of the Dead?
Books created by scribes, containing various instructions and spells to help the dead find their way to themselves in the afterlife.

How did Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics become a forgotten language?
After the three Empires invaded Egypt, the original Egyptians were suppressed and few could actually read the original Egyptians hieroglyphics.

Post an example of the Rosetta Stone.

What is the Rosetta Stone? Where was it discovered?
It was a rock slab with Greek, Egyptian, and Demotic inscriptions.


What three languages are included on the stone?
Greek, Egyptian, and Demotic.


Why couldn't the text on the Stone be deciphered?
A chunk of the stone was missing, and none of the three texts were complete.


Who finally deciphered the text? What was his breakthrough?
Jean Francois Champollion, who matched the hieroglyphic symbols of the Greek version of the name 'Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses'.


Why does the interpretation of the Rosetta Stone have such significance? 
It referred to King Ptolemy V Epiphanies during his coronation and provided a lot of vital information about the Ancient Egyptians and Egyptians Hieroglyphics.