B C, Before Computers
Subtitle: On Information Technology from Writing to the Age of Digital Data
By: Stephen Robertson
Contributors: Open Book Publishers
Publisher: OpenBook Publishers
Published: 2020
Place of publication: Cambridge, UK
Language: eng
Number of pages: 156
ISBN-13: 9781800641044; 9781800641051; 9781800641068; 9781800640313; 9781800640306
Subjects: Information technology; History; Electronic digital computers; Computers; Technologie de l'information; Histoire; Ordinateurs
Description: 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 bac.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 145-146) and indexes.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Open Book Publishers website; viewed on 2020-10-28).
Table of contents: title: Contents
pagenum: vii; title: Acknowledgements
pagenum: ix; title: Prologue
pagenum: 1; label: 1
title: In the beginning...
pagenum: 3; label: 2
title: Sending messages: the post
pagenum: 17; label: 3
title: Sending messages: electricity
pagenum: 27; label: 4
title: Spreading the word
pagenum: 35; label: 5
title: More about the alphabet
pagenum: 49; label: 6
title: Organising information
pagenum: 65; label: 7
title: Picture and sound
pagenum: 75; label: 8
title: On physics and physiology
pagenum: 89; label: 9
title: On perspective—and music
pagenum: 97; label: 10
title: Calculation
pagenum: 115; label: 11
title: Data processing
pagenum: 123; label: 12
title: Ciphers
pagenum: 131; title: Epilogue
pagenum: 143; title: Bibliography
pagenum: 145; title: List of illustrations
pagenum: 147; title: Index of topics
pagenum: 149; title: Index of names
pagenum: 155