Being married to a history nerd, and I mean that in the absolute nicest
way possible, often gives me access to pieces of information that I may have
never known otherwise. As I think about
rhymes in history and the relationship between technology of the past and
technology of the present, I immediately recall one of my husband’s nuggets of knowledge. The printing press, most commonly known to
have been developed by Johann Gutenberg, is one of the most influential and
profound advancements in history. After
doing some research I found that the Chinese actually perfected the art of the
printing press long before Gutenberg, but the effect of the Gutenberg printing
press is immeasurable.
David Thornburg (Laureate, Inc.), a leading futurist and expert of emerging technology,
contends that all technology is inspired by themes and ideas of previous technological
advancements. I mention the Gutenberg
printing press because it is an example of a rhyme of history. Since the development of the printing press
the ability to produce and distribute printed material has improved and
advanced exponentially. From the
printing press with moveable type, technology to produce printed material has
included the earliest typewriters, advanced typewriters, the development of
computers and word processing applications with attached printers, to the
ability to produce printed text in eBook form.
While the technology has changed, the theme and the idea has remained
the same: print material as quickly and efficiently as possible.
While I do give my husband quite a hard time for his interest in
history, this activity has brought about an appreciation for being able to
trace things back to the root of the innovation. Understanding the profound effect of the printing
press and connecting its solution to a problem to the modern ability to print
on command has been enlightening and interesting.
Thornburg, D. (Producer). (nd.) Rhymes of history. [Video podcast].
Laureate Education, Inc.
Margaret,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your posting. History nerds are the best! Gutenburg's printing press is a great example of a rhyme of history. It is probably one of the greatest inventions to influence modern society. The printing press influenced many other areas of society and newer technologies over time. It completely changed how people write and record information. It also led to the wide spread publication of the Bible and other texts. Good post!
Brian
My Dear Margaret,
ReplyDeleteI will take everything you said as a compliment. Maybe if you will listen more often to me, you would learn a lot more.
Great post. This is a great example of a rhyme of history as the printing press has influenced every person on this planet. Who would have thought that from the printing press would evolve the ability to print materials at any moment from anywhere.