QUESTION
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Weekly Response Assignment
For Wednesday's class, I had wanted us to watch the film Linotype: In Search of the Eighth Wonder of the World, a documentary which was released in 2012. The film chronicles a "second printing revolution" (the first being the commercial production of Johannes Gutenberg's movable type printing press) inaugurated by the development and proliferation of Ottmar Mergenthaler's Linotype machine which quickly replaced the long standing Gutenberg press around the globe. The film also provides a window onto the world of those individuals who currently operate and maintain Linotype machines. Although we were unable to access the film, there are a number of videos on YouTube that convey what the Linotype machine is and how it works. One video that we watched in class is entitled "O. M. Linotype," which also includes a history of Ottmar Mergenthaler's life and his role in the development of the Linotype (you can access it vial the following link: https://youtu.be/e8Z4JZ6swp0 ). Two additional videos we watched were a trailer for the Linotype documentary (https://youtu.be/CUKCUMkLuaA ) as well as a short clip from the film that explains the "Etaoin Shrdlu" phenomenon associated with Linotype history (https://vimeo.com/43461598 ). Using the Information Literacy practices and skills that were introduced in Monday's class, please do the following:
1. Imagine that you have chosen the Linotype machine or Ottmar Mergenthaler (or both) as the subject of your Final Research Essay assignment. Find at least two (2) published sources (1 primary and 1 secondary) that provide information about the Linotype machine or Mergenthaler (or both). The sources could be a book, a journal essay, a magazine or newspaper article, correspondence by Mergenthaler himself, a patent, a diagram, or anything else that you are able to locate.
2. Clearly identify the sources. This includes determining which source is a primary source and which is the secondary source, as well as identifying the author, publisher, and publication type (for example, a book, journal, newspaper article, or other type of publication).
3. Discuss and explain the content of the sources. What information is each source attempting to convey? Do you think that the sources you identify would serve as useful sources for your research essay?
4. Operating a Linotype machine requires the utilization of tacit knowledge, a concept we have touched upon a number of times during class. Based on the YouTube videos cited above, can you identify any examples of tacit knowledge on display in any of the videos? If not, can you imagine an instance where tacit knowledge would be useful for someone who operates a Linotype machine?
Address these points in a 300-400 word essay (feel free to exceed that amount if you have more to say). Consult the "Citation and Bibliography Guide for Weekly Responses and Research Essays" (posted on Blackboard) for guidance on locating and identifying sources. Note that there is a great deal of information available on this topic so numerous sources should be readily accessible. This exercise will (hopefully) help prepare you for finding sources for your Research Essay.
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Literature
| Subject | Essay Writing | Pages | 3 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Primary Source
Bodmer J. Rudolph (1914). The Book of Wonders. Havard University
The book was written by Rudolph J. Bodmer and published by XXX in 1914. The book records the linotype machines as the 8th wonder of the world. It is a primary source because it presents the rawest account of the linotype machines. Bodmer, while focusing on the linotype machines explains why the machines were worth being a wonder of the world. He further explains how the machines worked. In the explanation, the machine is likened to a typesetting machine but it was not really a typesetting machine. The machine did not set type but rather came as a substitute for typesetting. Bodmer explains why the machines was a break through, combining for major functions namely, printing, assembling mechanism, casting mechanism and distribution mechanism. The source is therefore essential for the research because it provide some of the most original information about the linotype machine.
Secondary Source:
Glorfeld Jeff (2019), Science history: the Linotype machine; Ottmar Mergenthaler created the “eighth wonder of the world”. Retrieved from https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/science-history-the-invention-of-the-linotype-machine/
This is a secondary source because it is written by an individual who relied on historical literatures from various writers and articles to produce his version of the account about the linotype machine. It is an article written by Jeff Glorfeld and produced by the Cosmo Magazine on June 30 2019. The article presents the history of the linotype machine starting from the history of printing before the machine itself was innovated. The articles are captures information about the inventors of the machines, and ho the machines worked to produce type written materials. Also notable in the description of how the machine worked and why it was a milestone breakthrough in the printing industry in the United State and Europe. Finally, Glorfelt also highlight the advantage of the machines over its predecessor printing technologies. The article is also directive because it highlights on primary source which can further be used in the research.
Tacit Knowledge is a personalized knowledge which cannot be transferred to another person by verbal or written instruction. In operation of the linotype machine, the speed of typing is an example of tacit knowledge. A person skilled in speedy typing cannot pass his/her knowledge of speedy typing to another through written or verbal instruction.
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