Certainly the
organization of the recorded information society has accumulated over the years
is a constant struggle. With the amount of research done every day and
the scientific progress (not to mention other mediums of enlightenment, art and
political changes), finding order in the chaos of information takes patience
few of us have. I'm going to focus however not on the organization of
information but its history of what and how it was recorded.
In the first half of Bush's article, "As We May
Think," he describes how recording information is only half of it.
Without an audience to listen, understand and expand on, progress has
little chance. Human education started verbally; without any means of
recording the information memorization was used to remember. As our
society grew the amount of available and even useful information was far too
abundant of the capacity of the human brain. Written language helped
humans specialize. Bush describes stenography and photography as the most
widely used forms of recording information. "Today we make the
record conventionally by writing and photography, followed by printing; but we also
record on film, on wax disks, and on magnetic wires." Although
photography and written record have their benefits, sound recordings are
sometimes over looked.
Photographs
can catch the sight of fear and a news report can record how the reporter
viewed a scene and even get quotes from victims and witnesses but a sound
recording can demonstrate emotion on another level. An individual's
voice can be quite transparent especially during a high energy situation.
In 1856, Leon Scott de Martinville successfully recorded 10 second
sound bite using a device that etched glass based on sound waves. In
"Some Recorded Thoughts on Recorded Objects," Dellaira explores how
recording sound changed certain aspects of society. Music has been
influenced the most by the ability to record sound.
Before sound recording, live music face to face was the only
manifestation of itself. Since specialization and talent flourishes as
society does, music has become a form of wealth. Owning music in the form
of recordings meant the owner could afford it. As the music industry
proliferated, artists, producers and anyone else involved in the recording and
distribution of recorded music prospered as well. Sound recording has
shaped our country in more ways than just music. Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr.'s famous "I have a Dream" speech can be moving if read on paper
but it is the emotion in the recording of his voice that inspires millions of
people over 30 years after it was given.
Sound recordings can now be stored digitally and take up very
little space however before digitization, storing sound recordings was
difficult and organization was tedious. As we move into the digital
world, organization of information becomes easier simply with Ctrl F (or
Command F on Mac's). Simply finding a specific word can be daunting
however. A single word can have so many different
meanings especially in the English language; it's the relationship between
words that changes a random collection of symbols into an understandable
thought. With an infinite number of "word relationships" out
there, finding the information you're looking for becomes more and more
difficult each day. Search engines are thriving and although some
information may get lost, it's all out there, waiting to be read.
Some Recorded Thoughts on Recorded Objects
Perspectives of New Music , Vol. 33, No. 1/2 (Winter - Summer, 1995), pp. 192-207
No comments:
Post a Comment