000			04370nam a2200457 i 4500
001			xb3128193x
006			m d
007			cr n
008			201102s20202020enka sb 001 0 eng d
020			_a9781800640313 _q(pdf)
020			_a9781800641044 _q(epub)
020			_a9781800641051 _q(mobi)
020			_a9781800641068 _q(XML)
020			_z9781800640290 (Paperback)
020			_z9781800640306 (Hardback)
040			_aStSaUL _beng _erda
100	1		_aRobertson, Stephen, _eauthor.
245	1	0	_aBC, before computers _h[electronic resource] : _bon information technology from writing to the age of digital data / _cStephen Robertson.
246	3		_aB C, before computers
246	3		_aBefore computers
264		1	_bOpen Book Publishers,
300			_a1 online resource (170 pages) : _b19 colour illustrations.
500			_aAvailable through Open Book Publishers.
504			_aIncludes bibliography (pages 145-146) and indexes.
505	0		_aAcknowledgements -- Prologue / Stephen Robertson -- 1. In the beginning... / Stephen Robertson -- 2. Sending messages: the post / Stephen Robertson -- 3. Sending messages: electricity / Stephen Robertson -- 4. Spreading the word / Stephen Robertson -- 5. More about the alphabet / Stephen Robertson -- 6. Organising information / Stephen Robertson -- 7. Picture and sound / Stephen Robertson -- 8. On physics and physiology / Stephen Robertson -- 9. On perspective-and music / Stephen Robertson -- 10. Calculation / Stephen Robertson -- 11. Data processing / Stephen Robertson -- 12. Ciphers / Stephen Robertson -- Epilogue / Stephen Robertson -- Bibliography -- List of illustrations -- Index of topics -- Index of names.
506			_aOpen access resource providing free access.
520			_a"The idea that the digital age has revolutionized our day-to-day experience of the world is nothing new, and has been amply recognized by cultural historians. In contrast, Stephen Robertson's BC: Before Computers is a work which questions the idea that the mid-twentieth century saw a single moment of rupture. It is about all the things that we had to learn, invent, and understand - all the ways we had to evolve our thinking - before we could enter the information technology revolution of the second half of the twentieth century. Its focus ranges from the beginnings of data processing, right back to such originary forms of human technology as the development of writing systems, gathering a whole history of revolutionary moments in the development of information technologies into a single, although not linear narrative. Treading the line between philosophy and technical history, Robertson draws on his extensive technical knowledge to produce a text which is both thought-provoking and accessible to a wide range of readers. The book is wide in scope, exploring the development of technologies in such diverse areas as cryptography, visual art and music, and the postal system. Through all this, it does not simply aim to tell the story of computer developments but to show that those developments rely on a long history of humans creating technologies for increasingly sophisticated methods of manipulating information. Through a clear structure and engaging style, it brings together a wealth of informative and conceptual explorations into the history of human technologies, and avoids assumptions about any prior knowledge on the part of the reader. As such the expert and the general reader alike will find it of interest."--Publisher's website.
538			_aMode of access: World Wide Web.
540			_aThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). For more detailed information consult the publisher's website.
650		0	_aCommunication _xTechnological innovations _xHistory.
650		0	_aInformation technology _xHistory.
650		0	_aMass media _xTechnological innovations _xHistory.
650		0	_aWriting _xHistory.
710	2		_aOpen Book Publishers, _epublisher.
856	4	0	_uhttp://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0225 _zConnect to e-book
856	4	2	_uhttp://www.openbookpublishers.com/shopimages/products/cover/1232 _zConnect to cover image
999			_c29075 _d29075