news.volyx.in

How photos were transmitted by wire in the 1930s (kottke.org)

491 points by bookofjoe · 887 days ago · 113 comments on HN

Article summary

The article discusses how photos were transmitted by wire in the 1930s, using a technology called wirephoto, which allowed photographs to be sent over telephone lines. This technology was used by newspapers to receive photos from remote locations. The article also mentions the use of wirephoto in the fashion industry, where it was used to transmit sketches of runway designs. The technology was still in use in the early 1990s.

Main themes

  • Wirephoto technology
  • Photography transmission
  • Telephony history
  • Journalism
  • Fashion industry
  • Vintage technology

What commenters say

  • The quality of audio for remote broadcasts using land lines was better than a typical phone call due to the use of special techniques and equipment.
  • The production of explainer videos has decreased in quality over time due to the lower barrier to entry and the focus on generating clicks and ad views.
  • The use of leased lines was a common practice in the past for broadcasting and other applications, and the internet began on these leased lines.
  • Some commenters argue that the pedagogical level of old explainer films is higher than that of modern videos, while others point out that there are still many high-quality educational videos available online.
  • The idea of using a Dewey Decimal-style classification system for YouTube videos is proposed as a solution to the problem of finding high-quality content, but others argue that it would be impractical due to the vast amount of content uploaded every minute.
  • Some commenters recommend various YouTube channels that produce high-quality educational content, such as 3blue1brown and Huygens Optics.
  • The use of auto-captioning and AI-generated tags could potentially be used to classify and organize YouTube videos, but others argue that this would not be a reliable solution.
  • The production of high-quality explainer videos requires a significant amount of time, effort, and expertise, which can be lacking in modern online content.