Wires, Watt, and Waves - Oh my!

The majority of my educational background has roots in media, journalism and writing, and promotion. So, my familiarity with these technologies reaches a peak at merely using them as a means to a mass communication-based end. Being able to explore them from their technological beginnings, understanding the basic science of these communication tools was interesting. I had no idea that so many similar ideas were generated at the time of radio and television’s conception. I must confess that most of the scientific writing was dry and hard to read, but only because it is not what I normally consume. I am used to studying the social impact of communication technology, not understanding how they work as a technology alone. Reading about the technological ancestors and siblings of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and television has really cast a light on how people continued to build on the pre-existing technology. The article about virtual reality, not only opened my eyes to a new optical science, but asked me to think of communication technology not only as a “tool” but as something with value outside mediating social influence and interaction. For if such advancements do not have value, as Hillis asks, why invent a technology in the first place?