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…
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