tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843157625045099797.post101802261138540383..comments2024-03-27T23:56:25.286-07:00Comments on Cabinet of Wonders: Semaphore as Information NetworkHeather McDougalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683209580852572301noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843157625045099797.post-31018870870896471212007-12-04T10:15:00.000-08:002007-12-04T10:15:00.000-08:00A little known novel from around 1840 or so, by th...A little known novel from around 1840 or so, by the great French writer Stendhal, Lucien Lieuwen refers extensively to the semaphore system (called the "telegraph" system) and reflects on the possible impact of rapid communications technology on politics. In the last section of the book, the young protagonist, sent out from Paris on a political mission by the government, uses the semaphore system to try to get his bosses to make a shift in electoral strategy in response to local conditions before it's too late. His messages get through but are ignored.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843157625045099797.post-48288538368522280342007-11-30T09:18:00.000-08:002007-11-30T09:18:00.000-08:00I have been much intimidated by Neal Stephenson's ...I have been much intimidated by Neal Stephenson's later work, but I do love Quicksilver (haven't got to the rest of the trilogy yet; my life is not slow-paced enough). The descriptions of the Royal Society, and Hook's horrific experiments, and Newton's weird brilliance, are marvelous.Heather McDougalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09683209580852572301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843157625045099797.post-8656813228546058292007-11-27T15:11:00.000-08:002007-11-27T15:11:00.000-08:00Love these images, very iconic shapes. The map is ...Love these images, very iconic shapes. The map is interesting, also the mobile semaphore...of course Napoleon put it to good use.<BR/><BR/>(Them Pratchettian clacks starts several books earlier in the series - my fav chewing-gum-for-the-brain.)<BR/><BR/>Agree that it's interesting with in-between tech. Have you read Neal Stephenson? Either Cryptonomicon or that (rather far too long) trilogy starting with Quicksilver. The former deals with analogue turning into digital (among other things) and the latter about natural science emerging from alchemy (again, along with a ton of other themes, these four books are very well written). Not too much obviously about anachronisms but very much about things changing. Fun reads. I'd love if he'd start digging into early use of steam power or electricity.Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557092226753597222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843157625045099797.post-5993698601262778702007-11-27T04:12:00.000-08:002007-11-27T04:12:00.000-08:00Oops. Here's a better link: http://en.wikipedia.or...Oops. Here's a better link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clacks_%28Discworld%29Ed Lambhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15413250256732954601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843157625045099797.post-63714974861469165372007-11-27T04:09:00.000-08:002007-11-27T04:09:00.000-08:00Terry Pratchett, in his Discworld novel _Going Pos...Terry Pratchett, in his Discworld novel _Going Postal_, describes a continent-spanning semaphore system very much like the one France set up in the Napoleanic era. In the novel, the system is called "the clacks."<BR/><BR/>Some details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_PostalEd Lambhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15413250256732954601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843157625045099797.post-42013372530631611832007-11-27T03:58:00.000-08:002007-11-27T03:58:00.000-08:00My god, it's the clacks! Terry Pratchett must have...My god, it's the clacks! Terry Pratchett must have known about this before he added the semaphore network to Discworld.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4843157625045099797.post-68283732000037373652007-11-26T23:28:00.000-08:002007-11-26T23:28:00.000-08:00Ben Rubin - San Jose Semaphore<A HREF="http://sanjosesemaphore.com/" REL="nofollow">Ben Rubin - San Jose Semaphore</A>Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00175571450739926953noreply@blogger.com