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Author Topic: Remember when they used to print photographs on paper?  (Read 6163 times)

RSL

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Remember when they used to print photographs on paper?
« Reply #20 on: January 11, 2010, 03:09:27 pm »

Quote from: ckimmerle
And as for the story, I predict that flying cars will have built-in cell phone capabilities, so that shouldn't be an issue. Besides, ever try to find a phone booth nowadays? Not many left. Why? The non stoppable force of technology which will consume us all.

Chuck, Those points were exactly why I related the story. The guy who wrote that particular piece of science fiction projected his today into his tomorrow. His today contained helicopters and cars and phone booths, so he projected the combination into his tomorrow. In his today no one had heard of a cell phone, so there were no cell phones in his tomorrow. This also, incidentally, is the absolutely intractable problem governments run into when they try to do central planning, even when it's done by "the best and the brightest." No matter how bright you may be you can't predict a cell phone if you've never heard of a cell phone. The future simply doesn't do linear progression.

But to say that technology will "consume" us is to put an ominous slant on it. As near as I can tell, the only observable consumption by technology has been of the minds of people who watch television. The rest has been pretty benign. I appreciate being able to get a couple hundred thousand miles out of my Hondas. I appreciate being able to Google things. I appreciate the superior performance of my Nikons. I love being able to overcome problems with a photograph using Photoshop, without having to mix chemicals and work in the dark. Etc., etc. That doesn't seem like "consumption." I'm old enough to remember what things were like in the days of telephone operators, so I can appreciate the up-side of technology.
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ckimmerle

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Remember when they used to print photographs on paper?
« Reply #21 on: January 11, 2010, 03:18:49 pm »

Yeah, I think you're right. "Consume" seems too diabolical. I should have used "envelop".

Sorry I missed the point of the story. Misinterpretation on my part.
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bill t.

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Remember when they used to print photographs on paper?
« Reply #22 on: January 11, 2010, 05:17:41 pm »

Quote from: ckimmerle
Guess what? Pretty much every one of the hundreds of graduates of that program, as well as those from a similar program at Rochester Institute of Technology, saw their jobs become obsolete over a period of just a few years. We never thought it would happen, either.

Having had the technological rug yanked out from under me at least a dozen times in my life, I can sympathize.  But somehow I always thought my lovely mistresses Silver Halide and the Fine Art Print would stay beautiful forever.  Woe unto me.

From back when I was reading science fiction I can not recall a single story that anticipated digital photography, much less as a fine art medium.  And that includes the time period well after Ansel Adams had predicted the advent of electronic imaging in the early 80's.

I do recall several several fictional extrapolations of chemical technology become futuristic.  Mini-desktop chemical machines could to be used for rapid film development.  These were push-button machines, you could even erase pictures you didn't like by pressing a button that would rewind the film back into the bleach tank.  Or push a button and out pops a print.

But electronic devices as the premiere image display medium seems like a sure bet, except doubtlessly of a character and with implications nobody here has thought of, yet.

But if I can just squeeze another ten years out of my inky Epsons, I'll be happy.  You kids will have to carry on after that, and BTW don't ever get to feeling comfortable with the status quo.
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Ronny Nilsen

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Remember when they used to print photographs on paper?
« Reply #23 on: January 12, 2010, 07:53:01 am »

Quote from: RSL
Yes, and when the power fails, your copy of whatever's in your digital picture frame will fail too. My copy on paper, in a frame, hanging on the wall won't.

But the point is that the frame with ePaper, will work fine, just like the paper copy without power.  

Ronny
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Justan

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Remember when they used to print photographs on paper?
« Reply #24 on: January 12, 2010, 10:28:22 am »

Quote from: bill t.
Having had the technological rug yanked out from under me at least a dozen times in my life, I can sympathize.  But somehow I always thought my lovely mistresses Silver Halide and the Fine Art Print would stay beautiful forever.  Woe unto me.

From back when I was reading science fiction I can not recall a single story that anticipated digital photography, much less as a fine art medium.  And that includes the time period well after Ansel Adams had predicted the advent of electronic imaging in the early 80's.

I do recall several several fictional extrapolations of chemical technology become futuristic.  Mini-desktop chemical machines could to be used for rapid film development.  These were push-button machines, you could even erase pictures you didn't like by pressing a button that would rewind the film back into the bleach tank.  Or push a button and out pops a print.

Not many professions that haven't changed completely in the last 20 years. There are hardly any professional fields that haven’t been redesigned due to the dual influences of computers and professionalism itself, complete with ever evolving ways of doing things.

IIRC AC Clarke alluded to digital imagery several times; the first was in the City and the Stars. Clarke's general direction was that computers would replicate great works of art & literature. But the idea for this definitely came on the heels of TV.

WRT the OP, paper is probably the single greatest achievement of humanity. It’s use will never go away. What we’re seeing with the inexpensive digital reader display is only a mechanism to increase sales by use of a new mouse trap that creates a new way to duplicate current technology.

And speaking of which, if anyone is interested in classic literature, check out project Gutenberg - http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page - one of the best on-line digital collections of literature anywhere, and its free!
« Last Edit: January 12, 2010, 10:29:04 am by Justan »
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