December 6, 2016 (Tuesday)
On December 6, 1877, Thomas Edison made the first sound recording. On a cylinder covered in tinfoil, he recorded the words, “Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow.” He later said he was astounded that it worked the very first time, an unusual result for his experiments.
THOMAS EDISON AND HIS RECORDER
Today, 139 years later, in the digital age, we have traveled far in the science of recording. We not only record sound these days, but moving pictures, too, that we call “video.” And we ordinary people can make video recordings as often as we like, because our recorders can be located in our telephones, making it possible to transmit the recordings to as many people as we like as often as we like as far as we like. What a day we live in.
Edison considered his invention a novelty, and many people doubted it had commercial value. How wrong they were.
If you go out of your house today, chances are strong that recordings will be made of you, at the store, at the traffic light, as you walk on a sidewalk, sit in an office, or drive down the street. Surveillance cameras are in many locations, promising security.
Most cable or satellite television systems offer devices that will record your programs, making it convenient for you to watch them later.
Cameras and recorders are just about everywhere these days. I’m sure Edison never imagined where his invention would take us.
Remember the phrase, “Smile, you’re on candid camera?”