Student 4


I (Steven Coy) will claim this page

 

 

The WECs are catalogs that are very specific to certain fields, phenomena, items, etc, you name it. It's a very expansive catalog that provide a lot of room for those said things to showcased in the catalog itself. From medical supplies to photography to even agriculture items, all of that is in the WEC. Though, a certain individual that would pick up one now would say that it's outdated and such, which I kinda agree on that though it does do one thing. It provides a perspective of what it was like 40 years ago when you pick up a catalog. Not like now where its nearly all digital. You actually had to read from page to page in this catalog. It's a not a small catalog either as it has tons upon tons of informative inside the covers. 

 

Through all the information I looked through, one article stood out to me and that article was about the Aurora Borealis. The Aurora Borealis or known as the northern lights dazzle the sky on conducive nights. It puts people in just pure awe and its crazy to think that this phenomena has been around in photos for that long. Though, 40 years ago or so when the WEC was in full bloom, the photography aspect was still coming into play. Pictures of the Aurora were few and far between back then compared to now. No matter what, it's one of the best and beautiful phenomena out there and if you ever get to see it, you'll be blown away! 

 

The early personal computer really changed the aspect of how everything ran before the introduction of the personal computer. When it comes to new items, the community was confused on how it ran because on the doubt of what exactly was a personal computer. The personal computer gave people options, new ideas and new hopes for what the future could hold for technology and the aspect of the computer and its potential advances. It compares to the way when the WEC came out and essentially rose to the top because of how advanced and game changing it was. Though, the difference between the early personal computer and the WEC was the fact that the WEC had so much info to go around about every thing but the early personal computer was basic at the start. Well, that would end up changing.

 

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In the book "From CounterCulture to CyberCulture" written by Fred Turner, he gave a lot of key points to fit the idea of what I am explaining above. 

 

Turner mentioned on pg 114 that the Catalog provided a framework within which engineers and hobbyists could link their own desires for both certain forms of information processing and counterculture legitimacy.

 

Also stated that the Whole Earth Catalog reminded its readers that "you don't have to leave the industrial society, but you don't have to accept it the way it is" (Turner, pg 114)

 

Finally, " Computers can change your life for the better" (Turner 134)