For my first critical analysis blog I will take a look at the first half of Swedin and Ferro's book, Computers: The Life Story of Technology. In this book, they provide the reader with a simple history of computers. While their book touches on all the main points it would be foolish to believe that the story of computers could be told in a 150 page book.
As I mentioned in my previous post I am fairly computer literate and knew a little bit about the history of computers prior to opening this book. However the second line of the introduction struck me where they write: "The computer has changed how we work, how we organize and store information, how we communicate with each other, and even the way that we think about the universe and the human mind." (Pg VII). What a enormous statement, however it rings with truth. The computer has truly changed everything about our society. And the changes it has spurred are so drastic I can't even begin to imagine what being a college student would be like without my MacBook.
One thing that the beginning section of the booked helped me realize was that even when computers weren't created using motherboards and CPU's, people still sought to make things more automatic and simpler. Examples of this include the Greeks using a device that dispensed a set amount of water for washing things. Other famous examples include the Roman abacuses and the Babylonian Astrolabe. What interested me about this is that for as far back as humans go, we have always sought to be more efficient. Every day computers become obsolete and new technology is developed and this pattern has existed for the history of mankind. Our species is constantly seeking improvement in our daily lives by making things faster, easier, and more efficient.
Another interesting point was that ENIAC, the first modern computer, had so much government support. I never realized that the US Army was affiliated with them. It makes sense to me now however this example shows how quickly and rapidly technology evolves. ENIAC represents a time in computer history where only the wealthiest and best could afford to use a super computer like this. Now the laptop that I am typing on surpasses that technology immensely. As I said before, computers becoming obsolete happens everyday, and it is simply because the computer revolution has taken our world by storm.
One of my favorite parts of this book is the details they provide about the people involved in the history of computers. A prime example can be the introduction of "jogging" by Atanasoff. (p.27) His invention of periodically passing electricity through the condensers as a way of retaining memory is still used today. While this invention of his was new to me, I was able to appreciate the story that the authors tell. In many other textbooks the fact that Atanasoff took a long drive and thought of his idea while drinking at a roadhouse would be left out. I enjoyed this read because simple details like that kept the read from becoming so boring. As a history major many of my readings are very dull and bland and so this was an easy read.
The book continues to discuss the evolution of computers. In addition it relates the history of computers to the world's history. I think it is important to know that "need" sparks innovation. The funding the military provided into the fields of science and technology was "at unprecedented levels during the Cold War" (p.48). The historical context that is provided was extremely important to me as a reader because it gave me a sense of where we were in history when these things were happening and more importantly, WHY these things needed to happen at this point in history.
I believe that the first section of this book does a great job explaining the history of computers. More so than anything else I think it really communicates how society is constantly trying to better itself. Clearly, complacency is not an issue within our society since every time we achieved a new innovation with computers, someone else was asking, "why can't it be faster, why can't it be smaller, why can't it be stronger". The history of computers is shocking to me because the first electronic computers were not developed very long ago at all. I knew computers advanced quickly, however I couldn't believe that it was moved along as rapidly as it did. While one person was developing a quicker computer, one person was working on programming languages. And all the while other people were trying to make it more accessible to everyone through things such as software. The development of computers comments on the nature of humanity trying to do everything better and faster.
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