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A review by firstwords
The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage
3.0
Entertaining book, lots of interesting trivia, but not an "in-depth" look at the telegraph system as it operated (such a book would occupy several volumes). The author looks primarily at the French, English and American systems, noting differences between the two and major players.
The author does not smack you in the face with the comparisons to today's system (there is no "SEE! THIS IS JUST LIKE A CHAT ROOM!"), but rather lays them out and lets the reader have their a-ha moments.
When it comes to data transmission methods and governance, there actually are more similarities between the telegraph and internet than between the telephone and internet. That part, for me, was the most interesting. And indeed, the ITU, which still governs some parts of international internet routing rules, started as the "International Telegraph Union," updating its job responsibilities as the internet came into wide use. Neat trivia.
This is more entertainment and trivia than education, and that is just fine. I enjoyed the book very much.
The author does not smack you in the face with the comparisons to today's system (there is no "SEE! THIS IS JUST LIKE A CHAT ROOM!"), but rather lays them out and lets the reader have their a-ha moments.
When it comes to data transmission methods and governance, there actually are more similarities between the telegraph and internet than between the telephone and internet. That part, for me, was the most interesting. And indeed, the ITU, which still governs some parts of international internet routing rules, started as the "International Telegraph Union," updating its job responsibilities as the internet came into wide use. Neat trivia.
This is more entertainment and trivia than education, and that is just fine. I enjoyed the book very much.