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Jacquard's Web: How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age

Jacquard's Web: How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age

Essinger, James

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Circuits from silk? Today's technophiles probably have no idea how much today's computer technology owes to the invention of one ingenuous textile manufacturer in nineteenth-century France. Here, master storyteller James Essinger shows through a series of remarkable and meticulously researched historical connections how the Jacquard loom kick-started a process of scientific evolution which would lead directly to the development of the modern computer.
Jacquard's 1804 invention, a loom which used punch cards with stored instructions for weaving different patterns and designs, enabled the master silk-weavers of Lyons to weave fabrics 25 times faster than the competition. Here, Essinger reveals the plethora of extraordinary links between that innovation in weaving and today's computer age, introducing us to the intriguing and colorful people who paved the way. The book concludes by bringing the story completely up-to-date with the latest developments in the World Wide Web and the fascinating phenomenon of artificial intelligence.
Attractively illustrated and compellingly narrated, Jacquard's Web presents an eye-opening and scarcely known history that will prove fascinating to readers of popular science, especially those interested in the history of science, technology, and computing, as well as professional scientists, historians, and students.
Accessories:
No Accessory
Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PR
Bisac Major Subject
Technology & Engineering
Bisac Minor Subject
History
Binding Type
Paperback
Country Of Origin
US
Number Of Units
1
Length
7.64 Inches
Barcode Indicator
ISBN
Width
5.14 Inches
Publication Date
2010-05-26
Height
0.76 Inches
ISBN 10
0192805789
Weight
0.55 Pounds
Book EAN
9780192805782
Target Audiance
Adults

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