Pessimists Archive Newsletter

Share this post

πŸ—ž π™ΏπšŽπšœπšœπš’πš–πš’πšœπšπšœ π™°πš›πšŒπš‘πš’πšŸπšŽ Roundup

newsletter.pessimistsarchive.org

πŸ—ž π™ΏπšŽπšœπšœπš’πš–πš’πšœπšπšœ π™°πš›πšŒπš‘πš’πšŸπšŽ Roundup

🦸 πŸ“Έ πŸ“– πŸ›³ 🌞🀳 🎞

Pessimists Archive
Apr 3, 2021
3
Share this post

πŸ—ž π™ΏπšŽπšœπšœπš’πš–πš’πšœπšπšœ π™°πš›πšŒπš‘πš’πšŸπšŽ Roundup

newsletter.pessimistsarchive.org

🦸 Comic Idea

In 1955 moral panic around graphic comic books in the UK lead to an outright ban. Printing, publishing or selling them could lead to fines or even imprisonment. It is a good reminder that freedom of the press shouldn’t be curtailed because new mediums offend era specific.

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
Reuters, 1955: β€œπ™ΏπšŽπš˜πš™πš•πšŽ πš πš‘πš˜ πš™πš›πš’πš—πš, πš™πšžπš‹πš•πš’πšœπš‘ πš˜πš› πšœπšŽπš•πš• π™°πš–πšŽπš›πš’πšŒπšŠπš—-πšœπšπš’πš•πšŽ β€œπš‘πš˜πš›πš›πš˜πš› πšŒπš˜πš–πš’πšŒπšœβ€ πš’πš— π™±πš›πš’πšπšŠπš’πš— πš πš’πš•πš• πš‹πšŽ πš•πš’πšŠπš‹πš•πšŽ 𝚝𝚘 πšπš˜πšžπš› πš–πš˜πš—πšπš‘πšœβ€™ πš’πš–πš™πš›πš’πšœπš˜πš—πš–πšŽπš—πš...”
Image
4:37 PM βˆ™ Mar 29, 2021
1Like1Retweet


πŸ“Έ Mark Twain was anti-photography (1910)

Mark Twain, good friend of Nikola Tesla and overall tech-optimist, was really cynical about photography. The below piece notes that his home had no photographs, why? He claimed they distracted from looking out the window. No one is immune from luddite hot takes!


πŸ“– Reading in Bed (1903)

You know how The Daily Mail likes to stoke a good health panic about a new technology? Well even in its earliest years it was applying the same tried and tested formula of luddite populism. An article from the Spectator accuses the Mail of stoking health fears of reading in bed.

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
In 1903 The @spectator noted The Daily Mail (@MailOnline) was stoking guilt/fear about reading in bed. C'est la vie! Quotes from Dr's in Daily Mail: πŸ§‘β€βš•οΈ"Reading in bed is a disease" πŸ‘©β€βš•οΈ"The habit is as bad as drug taking" πŸ‘¨β€βš•οΈ"It is bad for the whole body"
Image
Image
2:22 PM βˆ™ Mar 24, 2021
37Likes15Retweets

πŸ›³ Ship Idea (1850s)

We did some digging on the Suez Canal, since it was in the news, this guy really didn’t think it was commercially viable or worth the time, effort or money…

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
1850s hot take on construction of Suez Canal: β€œThis canal has not the power of creating for the commerce of the world a cheaper route between the two hemispheres, and is therefore without any commercial justification” - Frederic de Coninick newspapers.com/clip/74413616/…
Image
5:00 PM βˆ™ Mar 26, 2021
16Likes11Retweets

🌞🀳 Enchained Sunlight Pictures (1850s)

The most poetic description of photography appeared in an 1855 article that recounted reactions Louis Daguerre got when he first claimed to have developed early photography. (Fun fact: photographs were referred to as β€˜sun pictures’ early on.)

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
πŸ“· Photography described in 1855 "πš‘πšŽ πš‘πšŠπš πšŠπš›πš›πšŽπšœπšπšŽπš πšπš‘πšŽ πš•πš’πšπš‘πš πš’πš— πš’πšπšœ πš™πšŠπšœπšœπšŠπšπšŽ 𝚝𝚘 πšŽπšŠπš›πšπš‘ πšŠπš—πš πš‘πšŠπš πšŽπš—πšŒπš‘πšŠπš’πš—πšŽπš πš’πš πšŠπš—πš πš‘πšŽπš—πšŒπšŽ πšπš˜πš›πšπš‘ πš‘πšŽ πš πš˜πšžπš•πš πš–πšŠπš”πšŽ πšπš‘πšŽ πšœπšžπš— πš™πšŠπš’πš—πš πšπš˜πš› πš‘πš’πš– πš‘πš’πšœ πš™πš’πšŒπšπšžπš›πšŽπšœ"
Image
2:21 PM βˆ™ Mar 29, 2021
37Likes16Retweets

🎞 Goliath v. Goliath (1970s)

Did you know digital photography was invented at Kodak? A technology that would ultimately see its demise! Steven Sasson the employee that created the first digital camera recounted the reaction when he presented it to management: β€œDon’t tell anyone about it.”

Twitter avatar for @PessimistsArc
Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc
Steven Sasson invented digital cameras at Kodak in the 1970s. How'd management react? Sasson: π™Έπš 𝚠𝚊𝚜 πšπš’πš•πš–πš•πšŽπšœπšœ πš™πš‘πš˜πšπš˜πšπš›πšŠπš™πš‘πš’, 𝚜𝚘 πš–πšŠπš—πšŠπšπšŽπš–πšŽπš—πšβ€™πšœ πš›πšŽπšŠπšŒπšπš’πš˜πš— 𝚠𝚊𝚜, β€˜πšπš‘πšŠπšβ€™πšœ 𝚌𝚞𝚝𝚎 Β— πš‹πšžπš πšπš˜πš—β€™πš πšπšŽπš•πš• πšŠπš—πš’πš˜πš—πšŽ πšŠπš‹πš˜πšžπš πš’πš
Image
4:43 PM βˆ™ Mar 28, 2021
88Likes25Retweets

πŸ“¬ Subscribe to this newsletter for regular roundups of new archival finds:

Follow us on: Instagram and Twitter

Share this post

πŸ—ž π™ΏπšŽπšœπšœπš’πš–πš’πšœπšπšœ π™°πš›πšŒπš‘πš’πšŸπšŽ Roundup

newsletter.pessimistsarchive.org
Comments
TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

Β© 2023 Pessimists Archive
Privacy βˆ™ Terms βˆ™ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
SubstackΒ is the home for great writing