The Typewriter

The concept of a typewriter existed long before the first typewriters as we view them were produced. In 1575, Francesco Rampazetto created the 'Scrittura Tattile', a machine that impressed letters on to paper. A little later, in 1808, Pelligrino Turri created a machine for his blind friend to use in place of handwriting. In 1829 William Austin Burt created a 'Typographer' that never found success due to its slow pace and unpractical size. These early on attempts show that people saw a need for a replacement to handwriting. These are just a few examples out of the 112 machines similar to the typewriter created before 1867.

 

In 1867, Christopher Latham Sholes constructed the first practical typewriter. After improvements to make the machine quicker and more functional, "The Remington" was placed on the market in 1874. The typewriter was created to be a faster mechanism for documentation of words than handwriting, so when this first model still seemed a bit slow and only wrote capital letters, "The Remington 2" came out with a shift-key addition, which made the resemblance of handwriting more accurate. This second model was placed on the market in 1878. In 1882 1,400 were sold, but by 1887, 14,000 typewriters had been sold.

In 1972, Thomas Edison Created the first electrical typewriter. This new style continued too add to the sought after quickness and efficiency of the machines, the only issue was its lack of portability due to its need for electricity - hence the 'electrical' in the title. In 1909 portable typewriters joined the market and by 1950 portable was the way to go. Knowing the reason typewriters were made helps to know why portability was important. 

 

As made clear through the extensive history of machines that resemble the typewriter we know today, past generations saw a need for a swift and simple substitute for handwriting. Because handwriting varied by the hand doing it, whether that in looks or speed, the typewriter provided a consistent look easy for anyone to read, and an opportunity for speed. The ultimate goal of the practical typewriter was to type faster than a person could write, and it was successful in doing that. 

 

This quick writing, beginning to be known as typing, was useful for business and pleasure. It's impact to the world of office work was major, especially for women during the time of its creation. In a post-civil war America women began to enter the workforce due to the loss of numerous men during war. By 1890, 64% of all typists were women. The typewriter gave women a job opportunity in something other than a teacher, and quickly became a symbol for their entrance into office work. 

  

The typewriter began to fade in sales by the 1980s when the word processor entered the market. While the machine couldn't keep up in efficiency, simplicity, or portability, its impact on our world today is not to be forgotten. Think of how often you spend your day typing away, whether its on a phone screen or a computer, the action of typing began with the typewriter. The assortment of the keys even stems from it, seeing that most electronics use a QWERTY setup, just as the typewriter did. Of course, some people still use the typewriter for pleasure, or own them just for looks. You can find them on Ebay, or at antique stores, new or old. Even though they may not have a spotlight on the market, the typewriter had a major impact on the world of communication as we know it.

8 Values of Free Expression

When it comes too the eight values of free expression, it is difficult too choose just one that strikes me as important. This is mostly because without one, our country and its democracy would be doomed, meaning they are all vital in their own ways. Each value goes hand in hand, but there are a couple that seem to be the most important, especially in the modern United States. 

The first one that struck me was the third value, Stable Change, otherwise known as "the safety valve". This is the idea that it is in the government's best interest to allow citizens to voice their opinions and feelings about the government and its actions. Throughout life I have learned the importance in venting, whether that takes place when I am angry, sad, or happy, it makes me feel better. This action is often what takes place in therapy, which is proven to be successful in making a difference in people's lives. Venting relieves people from having pent up emotions, which often result in an explosion. Much like putting too much in a cup and expecting the lid to stay on, people cannot be expected to be filled with intense emotions and not act on them.

This action, especially with anger, is typically seen as explosive. When it comes to our anger towards the government, this explosion is often a violent one, that puts civilians and the government alike in danger. Being able to vent releases the anger in a different way, avoiding these violent explosions. Hence why it is called a safety valve. This venting is often seen through rallies or marches. One example of this is the many women's marches that have taken place as a result of the overturning of Roe V Wade. But these rallies are not the only way American people let off steam. 

 

Many people turn to social media and use their profiles, anonymous or not, to express their issues with our government. The best part about social media, to some users, is the ability to hide behind a screen. People can say almost anything they want (opinion-wise) and not receive many punishments, other than the occasional other user disagreeing. Some members of our government have even resorted to putting their opinion on social media. Donald Trump even got banned for venting too much - but that's a different issue.

Another of the 8 values that struck me as extra relevant in current America is to Promote Tolerance. While this one seems outwardly frustrating, the protection of hate speech is important in out current culture. With the rise of the internet and social media, the rise of hate speech has come as well. People feel more confident spewing negative views from behind a screen. While the rise of hate speech seems to have jumped, the internet has learned how to respond. This response is referred to as subsequent punishment. Social media users do not take hate speakers lightly, instantly firing back at them with corrections, comebacks, and often a flurry of blocks and reports. While the hate speech is protected from legal punishment, it is not protected from people's reactions! Giving people the right to an opinion, even if it is a negative one, allows others too learn how to handle others opinions, along with their own.

U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court is the most powerful judicial body in the world. The first thing that I learned from the video we watched on the Supreme Court is that in the 200 years America had been around when the video was made, there had been just about 100 justices in place. This is not a number I had paid much attention to previously, yet I find interesting. Another interesting thing I noted was how difficult it is to adjust as a new justice. The idea of it being "akin to being struck by lightening" and the idea that it takes three or even five years to get used too were surprising to me, although it shouldn't be. This video was a reminder that although they have a powerful, important position, the people appointed to these positions are humans just like us, trying to do whats best for us.

The most shocking thing I learned from this video is that the supreme court receives more than 100 cases a week and usually only takes on 100 a year. While they only work with that few, they make sure each case that comes through is reviewed thoroughly, which is impressive to me, and proves the fairness of their process. My favorite thing they discussed was that every time the nine justices meet, the first thing they do is shake hands. This seems like a minor thing, but too me this makes their decision process more personal and allows a connection between people who may not always agree on everything. As one of the justices said, even though they disagree each one has the same end goal for the people of the U.S. I was also surprised to learn that each opinion draft can take up to four weeks to be created, and then can be revised for months on after. This amount of time shows how much the justice's care and are constantly searching for the best outcome, even if it takes a long time. That time is worth it to them, and to the people. 

The most important take-away from this video for me is the idea that the Supreme Court has no inside story, and no secrets. The way the court handles each case in front of the public eye allows for the people their decisions effect the most to be involved and watch the whole process. Because their end goal is too make a decision in the civilians best interest, this publicity is vital to the people's faith in the court. And this faith in the court is vital to the success of the system the United States runs on.

 

Privacy, Online & Off

While I believed I had a decent understanding of my privacy and what a digital footprint is, the issue appears to be much greater than I could have known. Previously, I believed my privacy was only slightly unsafe, and the issue was only online. Through the TED Talks we watched in class, I have realized how poorly the government handles security issues, and even uses these issues to their advantage. This is a problem that not only effects me, but also my family, friends, and everyone around the world.

 

 

I was shocked when Catherine Crump pointed out that we can't even drive our cars around without that information being noted somewhere, in someone's system. Things like the Automatic License Plate Reader can pin point everywhere we have visited in the past, which are things that are added to our personal dossier. This dossier is like the government's version of our personal portrait. The major issue here is how easily this portrait can become inaccurate. The collection of this location data was new information that left an uneasy feeling in my stomach. While I understand the argument that this tracking is necessary, especially for the police, because it tracks the people doing illegal things, this brings about the major question of "What about those of us who are not doing illegal things?" The truth is, more of us are living normal, legal lives than not, so the government has no need to track our everyday movements. It is invasive, and I believe with enough research we could find a way to limit location tracking of the general public and only use it when necessary. 

 

 

 

  While solutions too the privacy issue may not be an immediate, simple fix, especially on the government scale, there are things we can do to protect our online privacy. After learning how unprotected Google Chrome is as a browser, I made the switch to Firefox as soon as possible, and I believe everyone else should do the same. Just like any online website, browser, or application, it still isn't perfect. This is why everyone should clear their search history, cookies, and cache at least weekly. Small actions like this can be part of a huge step in minimizing your digital footprint. Even if you have nothing too hide, giving the rest of the world too much information can result in miscommunications, and ultimately an infringement on your safety. Because, if the government knows everywhere you went last week, who else does? 

 

Top 5 Sources of Information and News

Before I start, it is important to note that I was raised in a single news-source type family, specifically Fox News. During the 2020 pandemic, I gained a new appreciation for news and quickly realized just one news source would never do the trick. Typically, when I catch wind of new information, I search the topic on multiple stations to see what each one has to say. There are also local stations I check when I am back in Texas, and websites I browse for news on my interests. 

My go-to for any information is Google News. Being that it is a news aggregator, a simple search of the word "News" allows the search engine to direct you to a broad list of all the top new stories on various websites. I enjoy this search engine because it does all the searching for me, it often offers up stations that tend to oppose each other, such as Fox and CNN, with stories on the same subject right next to each other. This lets me gather information from differing sites in a quick and easy manner. 

Whenever I am not in the mood to use Google News, I typically take my curiosity to The New York Times. One reason is that I find the website itself easy to maneuver. I appreciate the numerous topic tabs on the home page that include topics ranging from the world and the U.S., to books and arts. Because the NYT is a well-known company, I feel that the writers of the articles have a level of professionalism that other stations may not have consistently. Of course, they are not perfect, as no journalist is, but I tend to appreciate these articles a tad more from personal preference. 

Aside from national or global news, sometimes I am searching for things related to my hometown, San Antonio Texas. MySA is a news outlet that covers almost entirely stories related to San Antonio. This includes political matters, but also things like restaurants, sports, and shopping. The website homepage even includes a tab for my favorite (struggling) basketball team, the Spurs. This website keeps me up to date with everything I may be missing at home during my time here in NC.

While I try to stay up to date on political and particularly important news, it can often get a bit heavy. For this reason, I find myself indulging in the dramatic world of entertainment on E! News. Entertainment news is something I enjoy looking at every now and then for things like celebrity drama, interviews, new movie information, etc. I also like how it is not all articles, but also contains many pictures and videos. 

Since I participate in the equestrian sport, Eventing, a lot of the news I pay attention to is related to that world. The United States Eventing Association has a website that not only has relevant news stories, but also national placings, a competition calendar, and the rulebook. I love this website because the articles are often about important things that interest me. They are often about big event venues, tips from professional riders, inspiring stories, and so on. I find that I spend more time on this website than any of the others mentioned because it's my favorite topic.