Computer

(Paperback)

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Description

The computer has in many respects become so common that it largely disappears from view. Originally a room-sized, esoteric, carefully-tended machine, breeding fear, awe and respect, over the years it has decreased in size, and with the rise of the personal computer it has now become a prosaic appliance little-more noted than a toaster or vacuum-cleaner. In Computer designer and design historian Paul Atkinson shows how changes in attitudes have been reflected in the physical design of the computer, and the ways in which the computer has been represented and promoted by manufacturers in advertising media.

Reviews

"Computer is an extraordinary historical account of the electronic computer. Atkinson takes the reader on a tortuous journey through the technological time line of these amazing machines, from the days of Colossus to the modern notebook computer. . . . The book is imbued with priceless photographs of everything from the ICT 1301 to the quirky but beautiful iPad. It will be truly appreciated by all who have an interest in the history of our favorite machine. . . . Highly recommended."

An elegant history of the computer's journey from its 'initial form as a forbidding room-sized construction' to 'an innocuous box sitting on top of an office desk.' Atkinson describes all the important technological milestones -- stored memory, the first mouse, the development of touch screens -- but this is more art book than technical manual . . . Computer offers dozens of great photographs of and vintage advertisements for boxy old computers, and Atkinson analyzes these images as a means of exploring how our attitudes toward computers have changed over the years . . . an oddly fascinating history.--New Yorker Book Bench

The many illustrations (often old ads) are fascinating and often funny (1980s businessmen tripping off to work with massive 'portable' computers), or reveal obscure aesthetic precedents (1983's Orb computer looks suspiciously like the first iMac).

Author Bio

Paul Atkinson is Reader in Design in the Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences at Sheffield Hallam University.