Tag: clay tablet

1. When I attempted to write on a clay tablet, I had to not only think about what I wanted to write, but I also had to consider how I was going to have something legible appear on the clay. Whenever I have to type anything on the computer, I only need to worry about what I want to communicate and not how the computer is making the letters appear on the screen.
2. If the technology I have to use for writing is something that I’m familiar with, then the writing process itself is fairly simple, and I can write just about anything I feel like. When I have to use technology I never use (like a block of clay and a stick), I become less concerned with the content of my writing and will focus all of my energy towards producing any writing at all.
3. If the writing itself is very simple in appearance, like if you had to write a series of vertical lines, you could just apply a stick to the clay. But, if you want to write out words onto the clay, you might want to consider all of the different ways you could use that stick and which technique could be the best for getting the job done. You might even decide that the stick isn’t good enough and you have to upgrade like you would with a modern computer.
4. If the technology isn’t used well, it can be difficult to read any text that is created. I have no idea how people from ancient civilizations were able to survive using clay tablets. What I first wrote on the tablet wasn’t legible enough. I had to go back over each letter, pressing and scraping, until I was confident that other people could actually read it.

1: How did writing on clay force you to deal with the technology at the same time trying to get the writing done?

The Clay was incredibly limiting. First of all, attempting to bring the clay into a workable format was tedious and difficult to accomplish. Then after laboring away at the shape of the medium, writing in it was even more intensive. The medium makes communication intensive and a tedious process. unfortunately this caused for a select few people in history to record anything.

2. How does technology affect the the content of the writing as well as the writing process.

It makes it considerably more primitive. The amount of information that I was able to communicate became increasingly smaller with the less tools i had. There are fountain of issues I’d never be able to explain without being there in person to give a walk trough of my drawing.

3. How does the type of writing they are doing influence the technology they are using?

The writing back in older ages was often pertained to laws or codes. To have them written in stone or on something permanent meant that they could always refer back to it. There would be no confusion. “An eye for an eye” Just like Hammurabi. Henceforth they needed the material to last for a certain extent of time anyhow. Writing in clay or on stone kept it from being tampered with.

4. How does technology affect the way that we read a document or text?

In the modern era, there are standardized forms of text and certain fonts that we use to get our meanings across to one another. Back in older times, many couldn’t comprehend or understand written documents due to handwriting and illiteracy. With more legible and standardized materials, literacy goes up dramatically since everything is nearly the same and information is processed in one familiar way.

1. How does writing whether on clay or on computers force us to deal with the technology at the same time we are trying to get writing done?

It makes us have to adapt to whatever device is being used at the time to get the message out. Of course today most people have either been born late enough to make an easy transition from mainly pen and paper to typing daily, or are born knowing how to use new tech at a young age. The first scriptors had to be able to get acclimated quickly to the new mode of communication because there was so few many of them. The evolution of technology and modes of communication force us to quickly learn or quickly fall behind.

2. How does technology affect the the content of the writing as well as the writing process.

Technology affects the content by allowing for it to be full of mistakes that can easily be corrected in an instant during modern times. Older technology meant making mistakes could drastically change how long it took a writer to complete whatever was being written because erasing wasn’t easily accessible. Or on the other hand, it could have made to content more precise and because every stroke mattered and they knew errors wasn’t acceptable. It also could have made content less detailed if there wasn’t enough physical space to fit a lot of material.

3. How does the type of writing they are doing influence the technology they are using?

I think changes the amount of words are used to get the message across and out there. With clay tablets, the message had to be shorter then what we are used to with multiple page analysis because it takes long to create a writing surface: then to actually use precise penmanship to make it clear and finish it off by making sure it is permanent. With modern technology, we can put out blurbs or essays without a problem.  We can type multiple words per minute, and send any and all communication across the globe just like that.

4. How does technology affect the way that we read a document or text?

Technology allows for the text to be read anywhere and then has the ability for the reader to come back to it with ease if they weren’t able to pick up the message the first time or go right to google to define words in the text.

 

 

 

 

 

1. How does writing force us to deal with the technology at the same time they are trying to get the writing done?

While writing on the clay tablets I realized how much I had to slow down and really think about the words I was putting down on the page but I also found myself concentrating on the shape and formation of the letters and the spacing of the words for the writing to be legible. When using a computer you don’t have to think about the shape or formation of the letters but rather the position of that letter on the key board and how far you’ll have to move your finger in order to strike that key to make the letter.

2. How does technology effect the content of the writing as well as the writing process?

Writing in the clay no only makes you slow down while writing but take into consideration the space that you have to write in. It makes you use shorter, more concise language in order to communicate your thoughts and ideas onto the page where as with a computer you don’t need to conserve space because you have unlimited area to write in.

3. How does the type of writing done influence the technology they are using?

The type of writing we can do today is largely influenced by the technology we have. Word programs make writing easy and accessible to anyone so we are able to quickly create anything we want. When using clay tablets writing was very restricted and not everyone had the ability to read and write so it was reserved for though of the upper class that could.

4. How does the technology effect the way we read a document or text?

When reading from a clay tablet we have to focus more on the letters and the formation of them.  When we’re looking at a printed document we are able to look at the ink that gives contrast to the medium its written on which makes it more visible.

Question 1: How did writing on clay force you to deal with the technology at the same time trying to get the writing done?

Answer Q1: Writing on the clay took a lot of patience. Rolling it out, alone, took even more patience. Writing in this way forced me to be diligent and think outside the box of different ways to tackle the task a hand. I attempted different ways to use what I had to make the task easier (It’s interesting the innate attitude humans have the need to simplify).

Question 2: How does technology affect the content of your writing as well as the writing process.

Answer Q2: The technology has a lot to do with the content of the writing because of how difficult it was to write on clay. I can imagine people who had to use this as a writing tool used a lot of symbols to make it easier to read and write. I chose to draw a map on my clay tablet because I imagined if I lived in a time with little resources, and all i had was a block of clay and a bobby pin, I would use it for something that serves a purpose. I had no intention on spending my time and resources to critically analyze literature or write in Latin. I thought it would be much more resourceful to draw a map of how to get home. My limited source of technology played a huge factor in what I chose for my content.

Question 3: How does the type of writing influence the technology you are using?

Answer Q3: I sort of eluded to this point in the first answer, but I think the writing influences a demand for newer/ more advanced technology. While I was using the clay I tried to think of ways I could make the process easier with the the limited resources I had. When the instructor said we could use what ever we had to write with, my bobby pin turned into a pen and an old PNC bank card became a protractor of some sort, to create lines.

Question 4: How does technology affect the way you read a document or text.

Answer Q4: The technology made it difficult for the author to write as it was difficult for an audience to read. When I observed my classmates clay tablets some were easy to interpret while others were extremely difficult. By this time, I was already exhausted from making my own tablet that I did not want to spend much effort in reading a highly complicated document (To be honest).

 

1) How writing – whether on clay or computers – forces writers to simultaneously deal with the technology at the same time that they are trying to write.

Writers are always simultaneously balancing their use of technology with their message during the writing process. Just as you don’t feel the clothes you are wearing or realize your breathing until you pay attention, technology can sometimes be seamlessly integrated into a writer’s process. A tech-savvy writer may never miss a keystroke or have to fidget with their keyboard position. They become one with their word processor. More often than not however, a writer ends up in a state where they are proficient but not perfect in their use of technology. The writer might always hit the “o” key when they mean to hit the “zero” key right above it. They might feel their itchy wool clothing as they type. They might type with only their pointer fingers despite years of teachers telling them about some mysterious “home-row” that seems to float in limbo somewhere in the center of their keyboard.

Writers must work to master their medium and only a lucky few ever become completely proficient. Just as we have keyboarding classes to improve typing ability, ancient scribes may have had inscription 101 classes where proper stylus positioning was taught along with the most effective clay kneading techniques. Practice makes perfect with everything, even technology. To be successful as a writer, one must also be successful with the medium that they are writing in.

2) How technology affects the content of their writing as well as the writing’s purpose.

Technology opens up many possibilities within the content of a writing, especially in the modern era. Being able to mix media to the extent that we do is truly a modern miracle. To have text on top of video, photos on top of text and audio on top of everything allows for so many possibilities. Audio books allow the blind to read, news programs can feature live footage and radio broadcasts can be heard live in your car from almost anywhere. The purpose of a writing is dictated by the technology used to record it, but only slightly. A good writings purpose should be able to be interpreted accurately regardless of the technology it’s found in. A newspapers online publication should feature the same news and articles, but maybe be slightly enhanced with hyperlinks and video. The physical copy should feature much (if not all) of the same writing.

3) How the type of writing they are doing influences the technology they are using.

I think that the writing’s level of formality has the largest influence on the type of technology a writer chooses to express their message. Many formal institutions require reports to be typed and printed or published online. In addition these works must adhere to strict style and file formats. Not only does this rule out analog writing technologies like handwritten papers or clay tablets, the intense formality also rules out computer programs like Microsoft paint or Notepad. These programs technically allow some word processing features, but don’t offer enough formatting options to meet the formal, professional standards. Professional writing has seemingly limited itself to Word or Excel as the technologies to be used by writers in those fields.

While this provides a nice standardized format, it stifles some of the writer’s creativity. Imagine if while reading a newspaper article, the writer’s original doodles and notes from their investigation were superimposed over the bland newsprint text and into the margins. Suddenly you feel connected to the author and to the article. A sense of sitting there with the reporter during their investigation is gained. The writer would become a real person to their reader. Someone the reader feels they know, instead of someone just recycling the same news format to them during their breakfast. The writer’s process would be opened up to the reader, allowing for a deeper understanding of how the writer arrived at their final draft and point.

Informal writings such as notes passed in the back of a classroom, shorthand notes taken during an interview or even abstract forms of “writing” like a photo essay all place a much lower standard on their formalities, and therefore allow for more freedom in their use of technologies. These informal scenarios actually favor handwriting or photography. It would be ridiculous to type up a note, double space it, left justify it, print it out, walk up to the front of the class to get it, walk back to my seat and then pass the note to my classmate. For the sake of convenience handwriting is preferred. Shorthand can be mixed with pictures and symbols to help convey the message. If someone is working out of a printed text like a repair manual, it makes sense for them to make notes in the technology itself by hand. Writing down measurements or notes by hand in the book makes sense. At the end of the day the situation, circumstance and level of formality the writing requires determines what technology ends up being used.

4) How technology affects the way a document or text is read.

Reader’s experience the medium as much as they experience the content when reading a text. When reading off of a clay tablet the reader smells the clay, feels it stick to the table and can absorb some of the warmth of its recent kneading off their hands. Multiple senses are engaged which makes for a particularly engaging reading experience. The caveat to this engagement is that more effort must be put in to the reading. The lighting has to be just right to read the inscription. The actual act of reading is slower as the size of the tablet limits the amount of information that can be inscribed. The reader has to locate the next tablet rather than just hit the scroll bar.

Reading off a computer screen like you are now is definitely less engaging, but makes bulk reading easier. If you need to look up a word, you can just highlight it, then right-click to bring up the menu, then choose the option to search google/yahoo for the definition. Readers interact with text still, but it’s a much more cerebral interaction. The keyboards texture is bland, the backlight hurts people’s eyes and carpal tunnel can develop from too much typing. The flipside to this is that readers can copy and paste from a text, scroll smoothly to the next page and consume mixed media like photos and videos that are embedded in web pages. Any technology that contains text is going to have a unique effect on the way that text is read, therefore it becomes crucial that an author picks a technology that enhances rather than hinders their message.

1.

Writing in clay forced me to have to deal with several issues. Before the writing even took place I had to knead the clay, which took time and energy. Once the clay was flat enough I had to figure out what writing utensil would be most suitable for the clay. After trying a few different options I decided my best bet would be to use a pen cap. The problem with the pen cap was that it was too thick to use space efficiently. Due to this issue, I could not complete the transcription. I also had an issue getting rid of writing errors. Since the clay does not erase as paper does, I had to get rid of mistakes by smudging my finger into the mistake until the clay surface was flat again.

Typing on computers has its challenges as well. Certain programs make corrections that are not desired. Sometimes programs do not make corrections that are needed. In this way, the process of typing is not made any easier by a computer because there is a constant need for one to proofread for the computer’s faults. Another thing about typing on computers is that one must always be mindful to save their work. We all have had instances when we had to redo work (that usually did not come out as good), simply because the computer crashed before we could save anything.

2.

The technology heavily determines what sort of content will be yielded. The computer makes jotting ideas a quick process and allows one to erase (or backspace) more easily than on paper. Therefore–at least in my use of computers–I get more work done in a shorter period of time and it looks neat and well organized. Certain mediums are better for some content than others. For example, in my case, I would rather write a poem that utilizes a funky form than type it. Having to space, space, shift, and shift to get a poem how I want it to look on a computer would be too tedious. It would be way easier to simply do this by hand, in my opinion.

3.

Technology never stops evolving, so the idea of being able to make such a poem on a computer is not that far fetched. Writing on a computer screen with a stylus is one way right off the bat that could make computers just as easy to use as pen and paper. A common example today of how technology has met communication needs is the creation of e-mail. In order to communicate urgent things in a timely fashion, e-mail was created. Now we do not have to worry about a message taking a few days to reach a recipient, it reaches in a matter of seconds.

4.

The technology one uses to read can effect how the content is read. For example, with a book, one would need to read in a well-lit environment or have a light of some sort with them. Such a challenge with lighting would not be as much of an issue if one is reading on a computer since the screen emits light already. Therefore, using a computer, one could read at night in a dark room. For someone who is vision-impaired or blind, reading from a traditional book would be difficult or impossible, however certain electronics have the reading capability to read the text to the visually-impaired person.