Descripciones mejoradas de Syndetics:

Complex technology is now widely available and commonplace, with new developments emerging almost every day. So how are we to keep up with and make sense of technological changes behind media and communication systems? Do new technologies change society, or are new media the products of social forces?

This book examines how media and communication technologies work and considers the society that develops and uses them. From the telegraph to the future of mobile communication, Stephen Lax takes the reader through a critical examination of the most important technologies to come out of the past century. Each chapter is filled with insightful case studies and thought-provoking examples that clearly explain key concepts, whilst exploring historical context and chronological developments to show that 'new' technology depends upon its history. Assuming no prior technical knowledge, the book addresses both technical and social aspects of these developments, explaining bandwidths and frequencies alongside issues of policy and regulation.

Illustrated with clear diagrams, boxes and tables, Media and Communication Technologies helps students to confront and make sense of the technological changes taking place in communications today.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• List of Boxes(p. viii)
• List of Tables(p. ix)
• List of Figures(p. x)
• Introduction(p. 1)
• 1 The Early History of Technology and Communications: The Telegraph and the Telephone(p. 9)
• Celebrating Technology: The Telegraph's Reception(p. 11)
• The Telephone's Genesis(p. 15)
• The Telephone and Social Change(p. 25)
• Conclusion: Lessons from History(p. 26)
• 2 Radio(p. 30)
• Selling Radio(p. 33)
• Institutionalisation(p. 37)
• Local, National and International Broadcasting(p. 41)
• Radio Becomes a Household Item(p. 47)
• The Radio in Everyday Life(p. 52)
• Radio Alternatives(p. 55)
• Digital Broadcasting and the Future of Radio(p. 58)
• Conclusion(p. 59)
• 3 Television(p. 60)
• Television's Origins(p. 61)
• 1936 and Television Broadcasting Begins - Official!(p. 66)
• Setting Television's Technical Standards(p. 68)
• Image Capture and Display: Cameras and Screens(p. 72)
• Audio for Television(p. 73)
• Television Transmission and Innovation(p. 74)
• Video and Television Recording(p. 78)
• Other Developments in Television Technology(p. 83)
• Conclusion(p. 84)
• 4 Communication Channels and Delivery Platforms(p. 86)
• Overview of Delivery Systems(p. 86)
• Broadcasting and New Distribution Technologies(p. 91)
• The Wired Nation: Cable Communications(p. 95)
• Unplugged: The Unravelling of Cable in the UK(p. 100)
• Conclusion: Competing Platforms(p. 102)
• 5 Digital Signals and Digital Broadcasting(p. 104)
• Analogue and Digital Signals(p. 105)
• Advantages of Digital Signals Explained(p. 111)
• Digital Consumers: The Compact Disc(p. 115)
• Bit Rates and Data Reduction(p. 117)
• The Introduction of Digital Broadcasting(p. 123)
• Why Digital Broadcasting?(p. 125)
• Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting in the UK(p. 128)
• Digital Broadcasting in Europe and in the US(p. 136)
• Digital Quality and Channel Quantity(p. 144)
• Switchover Strategies(p. 145)
• Conclusion: Technology, Policy, Economy(p. 146)
• 6 Computing, Communication and Convergence(p. 148)
• Origins of Computing: The Calculator(p. 148)
• The Electronic Business Machine(p. 153)
• The Personal Computer(p. 157)
• GUI, WIMP and WYSIWYG(p. 161)
• From Computation to Communication: Networks and the Internet(p. 164)
• World Wide Web: A GUI for the Internet(p. 168)
• Convergence(p. 169)
• Convergence is Not New(p. 177)
• Conclusion(p. 178)
• 7 Mobile Communications(p. 181)
• Frequency Re-use and the Cellular Structure(p. 182)
• Mobile Numbers(p. 187)
• Mobile Computing(p. 190)
• Non-telephone Mobile Technologies(p. 191)
• Domestic Wireless(p. 194)
• Localisation(p. 195)
• Conclusion: The Mobile, Social World(p. 195)
• 8 An Information Society?(p. 198)
• Exploring the Information Society(p. 204)
• The Role of Technology(p. 212)
• Technology and the Information Society(p. 216)
• Bibliography(p. 218)
• Index(p. 229)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Lax (Univ. of Leeds, UK) has written a well-organized and thoroughly illuminating critical history of the development of communication technologies from the telegraph to mobile phones and mobile computing. The author provides chapters dedicated to radio and television, subjects often overlooked in recent computer-dominated communications histories. He also includes a comprehensive chapter on the full range of computing technologies, ranging from the calculator to today's convergence of all media into a single digital delivery system. An excellent chapter titled "Digital Signals and Digital Broadcasting" gives readers much-needed insight into the importance of digital technologies to the political economies of communications. The concluding chapter, "An Information Society?" is quite thoughtful and very relevant to any discussion of the role of communications technologies in the globalized economies of the 21st century. The book contains excellent graphics, with tables and figures all contributing to the overall critical thrust of the text. The bibliography, though not comprehensive, is thorough and will be useful to communications/media researchers and theorists. Though Lax's writing style is academic, he does not resort to providing an overly intellectual critical analysis of the subject matter--thus making the book quite accessible for general readers interested in a more in-depth discussion of media/communication technologies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. J. Craine California State University, Northridge

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Stephen Lax is Senior Lecturer in Communications Technology at the University of Leeds