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January 24, 2007

Lecture: How are technologies shaped and why does it matter?

Key concepts: demand-pull, marketing-push, internalism
Examples: the one-minute timeline of communication technology, the riddle of the Yir Yoront and the bark canoe, Cook and Wheatstone's invention of the telegraph

Announcement: A link to "blogs" is now at the top of every page

Announcement: Sign-Ups for the assigignment due 1/31 are open

Announcement: The first assignment is due 1/31

Class Reader: Case study: Solresol, the Universal Musical Language

Collins, Paul. (2000). The Strange and Epic and Tragic Trajectory of Solresol, the Universal Musical Language. McSweeney's 5: 50-66. Password Protected Online Full-Text (PDF) [Get Password Help] Key concepts: Solresol, Solresol as an example of contingency and the garden of forking paths, Solresol as an example of a communication technology

Class Reader: How are media born and developed?

Winston, Brian. (1995). How are media born and developed? In: John D. H. Downing, Ali Mohammadi, & Annabelle Sreberny (Eds.), Questioning the Media: A Critical Introduction. (pp. 55-74). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Password Protected Online Full-Text (PDF) [Get Password Help]