π πΏπππππππππ π°ππππππ Roundup
π¦Έ πΈ π π³ ππ€³ π
π¦Έ 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 shouldnβt be curtailed because new mediums offend era specific.
πΈ 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!
π 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.
π³ Ship Idea (1850s)
We did some digging on the Suez Canal, since it was in the news, this guy really didnβt think it was commercially viable or worth the time, effort or moneyβ¦
ππ€³ 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 βsun picturesβ early on.)
π 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: βDonβt tell anyone about it.β
