Visual Rhetoric Presentation

1. Fax?
Why Not Just Send It Over
on a Dinosaur?
Anna Delvillar
Telefax
Engl 3050, Dr. Burmester, Fall 2015
November 2nd, 2015

2. Etymology
O repr. Greek τηλε-, combining
form of τῆλε afar, far off; used
in numerous (chiefly recent)
scientific and technical terms,
mostly denoting or connected
with special appliances or
methods for operating over
long distances; also in several
terms connected with psychical
research, denoting actions or
impressions produced at a
distance from the exciting
cause, independently of the
normal means of
communication.1
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3. O Latin fac, imperative of facere to make +
simile, neuter of similis like.
O The form factum simile , occurring in quot.
1782 at sense 2a, is often stated to be the
original; but of this we find no evidence.
O The making a copy of anything, esp.
writing; imitation. Obs.2
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4. Origins
O The first telefax machine to
be used in practical
operation was invented by
an Italian priest and
professor of physics,
Giovanni Caselli (1815-
1891).
O In an effort to improve
existing electrical telegraph
devices, he conceived the
pantelegraph, a telegraph
that would write everything.
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5. Genealogy
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6. Welcome to early
telecommunications where the
players play
Cooke and Wheatstone
May 1841 – 1st British
patent for the electrical
telegraph.
Morse and Vail
May 24th, 1844 –
1st U.S. patent for
electrical writing
telegraphy. Vail is
not listed on the
patent but was
instrumental in
invention.
Giovanni Caselli
1863 – Receives .
U.S. patent for first
telefax.
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7. Kairos:
O Historically, this innovation is happening
during a war-time effort (Civil War) and
efficient communication is more important
than ever.
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8. Evolution

9. Technology Then
O Caselli understood that inefficient synchronization was the
major downfall of early telefax prototypes.
O He then introduced a regulating clock with a oscillating
pendulum which would break the current for magnetizing
the pendulum regulators, which would then ensure that the
receiving writing stylets would scan and move precisely.
O Thus, two messages were written directly on two separate
metal plates. One was scanned during the movement of the
right pendulum, the other during the movement of the left.
O Caselli’s innovation led to the ability to scan two messages
in one cycle, using the breaks in the magnetized
pendulums.
O This realization was revolutionary for its time. Entire
documents could be transmitted hundreds of miles. Instead
of using telegraphs/telegrams to relay messages using a
special code, the message did not have to be listened to
and recorded, but rather ‘drawn’ by stylets to achieve a
simple copy.

10. Technology Now
O Crudely simplified, it looks at each line separately,
detects the black areas and the white areas, and
transmits one kind of electric pulse down the
phone line to represent black and another to
represent white (just like saying "black" and
"white", in fact). The phone line transmits this
information almost instantly to a fax machine at the
other end. It receives the electrical pulses and
uses them to control a printer. If the receiving fax
hears "black", it draws a tiny black dot on the page;
if it hears white, it moves along slightly, leaving a
white space instead.
O Even contemporary fax machines do not possess
that instantaneous quality that a scanned pdf or
email has, thus rendering its technology ‘out
dated’.

11. Ideology / Axiology
O Like many exciting technological advances, the fax machine
was perceived as an exciting means to open up channels of
communication that would have otherwise been shut off.
O Similar to social media’s effect on the Arab Spring, in the late
1980s, American students were faxing newspaper articles to
Chinese students during the news blockade.
O This line of communication was essential for students who
could not participate in the Beijing demonstrations.
O This is a perfect example of the ideology behind this level of
communication at the height of its efficiency.
O This invention gave people an opportunity to receive
something tangible. Not a bias second-hand account or poorly
articulated overview, but a connection of sharing unlike
anything else.
O In our current moment, this technology is wildly outdated, and
cliché is that fax machines are ancient and obsolete. However,
they are still in use today.

13. Popularity / Decline
O Fax machines hit their peak in
popularity in the mid 1990s.
O At this time sales reached 3.6
million.
O However, with the rise of email,
and more efficient internet
browsing, those sales have
declined ever since.
O Unlike Back to the Future II’s
prediction that fax machines would
only grow in popularity, they have
not yet become entirely obsolete.
O Often the punchline with ancient
history jokes, the fax machine is
persistently sticking around, but for
how long is still a mystery.
O In the mean time, email, texts, and
social media seem to be slowing
but surely replacing this tough
technology.
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14. Do I Even Know How to Send a
Fax??
O Personally, I found this technology compelling because I think it is so bizarre.
O It has a very specific function and purpose that I have never really experienced the
need for.
O I definitely knew what fax machines were, but I did not understand their rather long
history. I had assumed that the technology was not available until at least the 1950s,
but discovering its lineage to the telegraph was surprising however logical.
O I have personally never used this technology, and if someone were to ask me to send
a fax before this research project, I would not have known how to.
O I would certainly consider myself biased against this technology. I am quite the
stickler for efficiency, and by the descriptions and testimonies I have read, this does
not appear to be the technology to accomplish such a task.
O Also, growing up on the cusp of the explosion of smart phones, social media, and
lightning fast internet, we were never taught as children to consider the fax machine
as a viable option for communication.

15. Benefits, Harms, and
Consequences.
O While completing this research project, the generational disconnect became more and
more apparent to me.
O To assert any personal benefit or harm would be a grotesque lie.
O When I think critically however, I can assess the myriad of ways I have indirectly
experienced benefits and harms.
O For work, my father heavily relied on his fax machine, and when in good working order,
his mood would be that of a gentle ocean wave.
O But as soon as his machine became adversarial, his mood would become drastically
unpleasant.
O Not a lot has changed in this regard only now when our current technology fails us, it
seems to be a more universally accepted excuse, for we all have experienced technical
difficulties.
O Also, the disposal of such technologies on their declines has a great effect on the state
of our environment. Innovation is a good thing, but the rate at which old electronics are
occupying our landfills is alarming.
O So, when I read the New York Times article about people who still use their fax
machines, I was somewhat relieved, that they were not being trashed.
O Even though, I personally do not like fax machines, I understand their significance in
history and admire those who still employ their use.

16. Practice of Rhetoric
O A perfect example this technologies contribution is the aforementioned
circumstance in 1989 in the highly censored Beijing, China.
O Rhetoric is not merely an art form, its implications seep into every aspect
of our lives; politics, social interactions, and education to name a few.
O Out of the birth of the telegraph came an explosion of new media to
communicate with, and this ultimately set a precedent for the wave of
new technology we are arguably experiencing in our current cultural
moment.
O This technology affected dictation, and recording. No longer was this
‘new language’ of Morse code necessary.
O Messages did not have to be transcribed they could be electronically
copied and transmitted.
O And while this technology was highly undervalued during its conception,
being a precursor to email is significant.
O This is arguably when we start to see a trend toward visual rhetoric, and
the act of speaking in person or on the telephone begins its slow
decrease in commonality.

17. Study of Rhetoric
O Student should consider studying this
technology to acquire a more substantial
understanding of how we communicate with
one another today, and what rhetorical
devices can be implemented with this
technology.
O I gained a little more of this understanding,
myself.
O Reading about these early
telecommunications really presents a unique
perspective regarding the evolution of our
communication in this country and globally.

18. Notes
O Sources can be found in the “notes”
section of this powerpoint.