4 ms·

Telautograph

68 points by samclemens 7y ago

thanatos519 7y ago
So ... a fax-plotter. Awesome.
- kozak 7y ago
  An analog fax-plotter!
prashnts 7y ago
Linked in the Wikipedia page, found this page [1] with much more information as well as different methods used to transmit images via telegraph lines. Awesome! [1] http://www.jmcvey.net/cable/elements/letters1.htm http://www.jmcvey.net/cable/elements/letters1.htm
- Defenestresque 7y ago
  What a fascinating page! It's amazing how many technologies were invented to solve the same problem until the playing field was winnowed down to the survivors (telegraph, telex).
bradleybuda 7y ago
Margaret Atwood invented a similar device for remote book signings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LongPen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LongPen
- DonHopkins 7y ago
  And who can forget that Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth wished he'd invented the Fing-Longer? https://futurama.fandom.com/wiki/Fing-Longer https://futurama.fandom.com/wiki/Fing-Longer
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
aloer 7y ago
"By my invention you can sit down in your office in Chicago, take a pencil in your hand, write a message to me, and as your pencil moves, a pencil here in my laboratory moves simultaneously, and forms the same letters and words in the same way. What you write in Chicago is instantly reproduced here in fac-simile. You may write in any language, use a code or cipher, no matter, a fac-simile is produced here. If you want to draw a picture it is the same, the picture is reproduced here. The artist of your newspaper can, by this device, telegraph his pictures of a railway wreck or other occurrences just as a reporter telegraphs his description in words." I'm amazed how much this reads like a modern pitch. Fascinating
- Razengan 7y ago
  Is there a term for the common phenomenon where we do not expect or assume humans of the past to be as .. articulate or witted as us? This reminds me of the reactions to the ancient graffiti from Pompeii etc., some of which read like something one might see on 4chan: https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/5iy6i4/ancient_graffiti_in_pompeii_is_hilarious_and/ https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/5iy6i4/ancient_gra...
  - fao_ 7y ago
    That remains one of my favourite web pages on the internet.
  - smallnamespace 7y ago
    parochialism

Telautograph

68 points by samclemens 7y ago

thanatos519 7y ago

So ... a fax-plotter. Awesome.

kozak 7y ago
An analog fax-plotter!

prashnts 7y ago

Linked in the Wikipedia page, found this page [1] with much more information as well as different methods used to transmit images via telegraph lines. Awesome! [1] http://www.jmcvey.net/cable/elements/letters1.htm http://www.jmcvey.net/cable/elements/letters1.htm

Defenestresque 7y ago
What a fascinating page! It's amazing how many technologies were invented to solve the same problem until the playing field was winnowed down to the survivors (telegraph, telex).

bradleybuda 7y ago

Margaret Atwood invented a similar device for remote book signings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LongPen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LongPen

DonHopkins 7y ago
And who can forget that Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth wished he'd invented the Fing-Longer? https://futurama.fandom.com/wiki/Fing-Longer https://futurama.fandom.com/wiki/Fing-Longer

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

aloer 7y ago

"By my invention you can sit down in your office in Chicago, take a pencil in your hand, write a message to me, and as your pencil moves, a pencil here in my laboratory moves simultaneously, and forms the same letters and words in the same way. What you write in Chicago is instantly reproduced here in fac-simile. You may write in any language, use a code or cipher, no matter, a fac-simile is produced here. If you want to draw a picture it is the same, the picture is reproduced here. The artist of your newspaper can, by this device, telegraph his pictures of a railway wreck or other occurrences just as a reporter telegraphs his description in words." I'm amazed how much this reads like a modern pitch. Fascinating

Razengan 7y ago
Is there a term for the common phenomenon where we do not expect or assume humans of the past to be as .. articulate or witted as us? This reminds me of the reactions to the ancient graffiti from Pompeii etc., some of which read like something one might see on 4chan: https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/5iy6i4/ancient_graffiti_in_pompeii_is_hilarious_and/ https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/5iy6i4/ancient_gra...
- fao_ 7y ago
  That remains one of my favourite web pages on the internet.
- smallnamespace 7y ago
  parochialism