Ep. 105: The Information Age w/ Juniper

About this episode

The episode explores the Information Age with guest Juniper, discussing key figures, early computing history, and the cultural implications of digital technology.

The Information Age is a historical period, beginning in the mid-20th century, that is characterized by an accelerated shift from analog technologies to digital ones. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, the boys are joined by Juniper, a friend of the pod who designed an app called Atopia that coordinates hangouts between like-minded individuals. Together, the three begin by detailing the contributions of two figures that sparked the Information Age: Claude Shannon and Margaret Hamilton. They then survey the history of early computing, eschewing the “Silicon Valley mythology” that jumps from mainframes to personal computers by focusing on time-sharing and the Whole Earth Catalog. After that, they examine the physical infrastructure of the internet and the evolving nature of the web. The episode concludes with a discussion about how culture is shaped by information in the modern era, and how “social computing” can still be found on Discord. Links: www.atopia.world A People’s History of Computing in the United States by Joy Lisi Rankin From Counterculture to Cyberculture by Fred Turner A Mathematical Theory of Communication By Claude Shannon How Claude Shannon Invented the…

People in this episode

Host: Silent Generation

Guest: Juniper

Topics covered

• Information Age
• digital technology
• history of computing
• internet infrastructure
• social computing
• cultural impact of information

Keywords

• Information Age
• Claude Shannon
• Margaret Hamilton
• digital technology
• computing history
• internet
• social computing
• Discord

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Atopia, The Verge

Books & works: A People’s History of Computing in the United States, From Counterculture to Cyberculture, A Mathematical Theory of Communication, How Claude Shannon Invented the Future, The Bit Player, Evenings at Home: Then and Now - political cartoon, Time-sharing - IBM Whole Earth Catalog, Fall 1968, A Prehistory of the Cloud

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