If you haven't already, you might want to consider the arguments made by Bolter & Grusin in "Remediation" that all new media technologies refashion prior media forms. On Feb 11, 2004, at 3:12 PM, Jonas Heide Smith wrote: Jesper,

Who was the first to say that the computer can simulate all former kinds of media?

I believe the honour goes to Alan Kay ("Personal Dynamic Media", 1977): "...the ability to simulate the details of any descriptive model means that the computer, viewed as a medium itself, can be all other media if the embedding and viewing methods are sufficiently well provided. Moreover, this new “metamedium” is active..." But you could - I think - call the statement an extension of Alan Turing's description of the computer as a machine which could simulate (or be, if you like) all other machines. Best, Jonas -----Original Message----- From: air-l-admin@aoir.org [mailto:air-l-admin@aoir.org] On Behalf Of jespert Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 3:50 PM To: air-l@aoir.org Subject: [Air-l] a question Dear list, Who was the first to say that the computer can simulate all former kinds of media? Best Regards Jesper -- Jesper Tække - MA. Ph.D.-Student - IT University of Copenhagen - Dept. of Digital Aesthetics & Communication - Glentevej 67 - DK-2400 NV Copenhagen NW - Phone +45 3816 8888 - Direct +45 3816 8881 - Fax +45 3816 8899 - http://home16.inet.tele.dk/jesper_t/ - e-mail: jespert@it-c.dk _______________________________________________ Air-l mailing list Air-l@aoir.org http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l _______________________________________________ Air-l mailing list Air-l@aoir.org http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l ------------------------------------- Michael T. Zimmer PhD Student, Media Ecology Department of Culture and Communication New York University

Yes indeed. In comparing Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine with Joseph Jacquard's loom, Ada Lovelace said: "We may say most aptly that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves." According to Ada, the Analytical Engine "might act upon other things besides number, were objects found whose mutual fundamental relations could be expressed by those of the abstract science of operations, and which should be also susceptible of adaptations to the action of the operating notation and mechanism of the engine." It seems to be only fair to atribute to Ada Lovelace the primacy in regard to the acknowledgment of the media-universal nature of computers. Rgrds, Luiz Carlos Baptista lucabaptista@sapo.pt lucabaptista@hotmail.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Mary Bryson To: air-l@aoir.org Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2004 6:11 AM Subject: Re: [Air-l] a question Alan Kay? --maybe not... I'd venture to say we could go back a little further back And say it was a woman what a surprize :) I'd say it was Ada Lovelace who wrote eloquently about the ways in which digital code could simulate all kinds of media This is discussed at some length in Plant's Zeros and Ones mary On 2/11/04 12:12 PM, "Jonas Heide Smith" <jonas@autofire.dk> wrote:

Jesper,

...

Who was the first to say that the computer can simulate all former kinds of media?

I believe the honour goes to Alan Kay ("Personal Dynamic Media", 1977):

"...the ability to simulate the details of any descriptive model means that the computer, viewed as a medium itself, can be all other media if the embedding and viewing methods are sufficiently well provided. Moreover, this new "metamedium" is active..."

But you could - I think - call the statement an extension of Alan Turing's description of the computer as a machine which could simulate (or be, if you like) all other machines.

Best, Jonas

-----Original Message----- From: air-l-admin@aoir.org [mailto:air-l-admin@aoir.org] On Behalf Of jespert Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 3:50 PM To: air-l@aoir.org Subject: [Air-l] a question

Dear list,

Who was the first to say that the computer can simulate all former kinds

of media?

Best Regards Jesper

---------------------------- Mary Bryson, Associate Professor and Coordinator, Human Learning, Development and Instruction Graduate program, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia Research Site: http://www.shecan.com Online C.V.: http://www.educ.ubc.ca/faculty/bryson/cv.html _______________________________________________ Air-l mailing list Air-l@aoir.org http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l