Icebreaker: Machine that represents me

Hello, 

in today's post I would like to share with you the final outcome of last icebreaker task I have gone throught during last online class.

Please look at my drawing underneath

The task I was given included a sketch or a  drawing of a machine that represents me. The first item that came to my mind was a microphone as it has one very specific function - it helps to be heard clearly. I believe that in a future career in media I will be using it many times and it will help me share my ideas with the audience through many channels of communication (even through social media). In a metoraphical meaning to me a microphone represents voice, power and the ability to decide what do you want to do with your life. The last aspect is the most important as in media world is crucial to know who are you and what are you trying to achieve wheather you are going to be a popular show TV host or a film director you have to be able to defend your ideas and convince people that they are interesting. 

The Early History and Invention of the Microphone

Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell or the Shure brothers have developed numerous types of microphones from electromagnetic and liquid microphones to a carbon microphone. These inventions revolutionaised our world, so it hahve become dependent on microphones in almost every media field and  in everything from common telephones to highly specialized scientific instruments used even to predict the structural failure of a building, car desing or locating vessels (Edison Tech Center, 2015).

1850s-1879s 

Electromagnetic Microphone

The discussion of who came up first with an invention of an electromagnetic microphone as a part of a telephone has been considered as the matter under disscusion, as it is unclear, who was 'the first' among engineers. Although there is a one sure thing that engineers, Charles Bourseul, Johann Phillipp Reis, Antonio Meucci, Werner von Siemens, Cromwell Varley, Poul la Cour and Elisha Gray all contributed to the development of electromagnetic microphones and speakers however none of them patented a product transmitting foolproof clear voice. Two engineers Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson what a little from hlep sponsoring foundations have created a product which worked just barely enough to be used commercially. 

According to Edison Tech Centre (2015) in 1876 for the first time Bell trasmitted voice, as long-distance call work (10miles), what ushered in further microphone and magnetic system project development over the following few years.

Liquid Microphone

The first engineer who developed this liquid microphone with a needle place in a liquid acid conductor to work, was an American Elisha Gray, who in fact never finished his patent process. However the invention originally belonged to Gray, according to University's of Georgia Special Collections Library (2011) it was demonstrated by Bell in 1876 as his own project at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, which were more responsive than his last microphone, as it provided a more effective method of electrical signal modulation.

Source:Spark Museum: Bell Liquid Telephone Transmitter and Receiver Replica of 1876 Invention (2021)

1879-1920's

Carbon Microphone

The outcome of Thomas Edison's process on carbon microphone contributed to the commercial success and revolutionaized the communications industry. This microphone was realitively cheap to produce, had a long life and was easier to use in comparision to the liquid microphones. That invention dominated from 1879 to 1920s when it was replaced by variable resistance microphones (Edison Tech Center, 2015).

source: Edison Tech Center:Shure Brothers Carbon Mic Model: 33 (2015)

References:

Edison Tech Centre (2015) Microphones. Available at: http://edisontechcenter.org/microphones.html (Accessed 17/04/21).

University's Georgia Special Collections Library (2011) EARLY HISTORY OF THE MICROPHONE. Available at: https://digilab.libs.uga.edu/scl/exhibits/show/steel_vintage_mics/mic_early_history (Accessed: 17/04/21).

Bibliography:

Munn, O.D., Beach, A.E. (1878) 'THE INVENTION OF THE MICROPHONE',Scientific American , 39(2), p. 16.

Wills, I. (2007) 'Instrumentalizing Failure: Edison’s Invention of the Carbon Microphone', Annals of Science, 64(3), pp. 383-409.