Sematext incorporates text messaging with semaphore flags. A text message gets sent to a persons Sematext machine, which will repeat the message with its flags. A separate machine analyses the movement of the flags and interprets the message and prints out a translation for the receiver:
Here is a video of Sematext in practice:
As you can see there are many disadvantages with this method of communicating, which is why we stick to the simple way of texting. Sematext is a much more long-winded way and you won't be able to understand the message unless you learn how to understand semaphore, or buy an interpreter, which would cost more. Even then, you won't know if you've got a message unless you carry the machine around with you, which isn't very portable, especially if you need the interpreter aswel.
I think this project has went well. I have research old methods of communicating and tried to modernise one of them. Even though the outcome isn't very practical, it is still a working solution.
I have decided to create a video demonstrating the use of semaphore flags mixed with more modern technology such as mobile phones. The video will show that there is a good reason why semaphore flags aren't being used as a very popular choice of communication these days because no-one really knows how to use it/understand it, you have to be able to see the flags to get the message and it's not as quick as a simple text. I will be calling this hybrid of text and semaphore: 'Sematext'.
From looking at those old methods of communication, I can see that technology-wise, we have come a long way. These days, we have swapped pigeon messaging for text messaging and instead of smoke signals, we leave status updates on Facebook and Twitter. My task is to modernise an out-dated form of communication, similar to those examples. Instead of using a real pigeon, how about a robotic one? I don't necessarily have to modernise something that old either. I could take things such as the mobile phone to another level (even though it can pretty much do anything these days). Now it's time to get my thinking cap on and perhaps brainstorm some ideas.
"Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction and speculative fiction, frequently featuring elements of fantasy, that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used — usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England — but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or digital mechanical computers. These frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality. Steampunk is often associated with cyberpunk and shares a similar fanbase and theme of rebellion, but developed as a separate movement (though both have considerable influence on each other). Apart from time period and level of technological development, the main difference between cyberpunk and steampunk is that steampunk settings usually tend to be less obviously dystopian than cyberpunk, or lack dystopian elements entirely. Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as steampunk."
"Semaphore Flags are a system for conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags, rods, disks, paddles, or occasionally bare or gloved hands. Information is encoded by the position of the flags; it is read when the flag is in a fixed position. Semaphores were adopted and widely used (with hand-held flags replacing the mechanical arms of shutter semaphores) in the maritime world in the early 1800s. Semaphore signals were used, for example, at the Battle of Trafalgar. This was the period in which the modern naval semaphore system was invented. This system uses hand-held flags. It is still used during underway replenishment at sea and is acceptable for emergency communication in daylight or, using lighted wands instead of flags, at night. Wig-wag signaling (or wigwagging) uses two flags for signaling, in a method similar to semaphore, but by opening and closing the sign, the Morse code equivalent of dots and dashes are used to convey the message. It was used in US Civil War times. A signal corpsman commonly stood on a platform about 6–10 feet off the ground, signaling to other units. The bright orange red and white flag made a primary target for the enemy. The newer flag semaphore system uses two short poles with square flags, which a signalman holds in different positions to signal letters of the alphabet and numbers. The signalman holds one pole in each hand, and extends each arm in one of eight possible directions. Except for in the rest position, the flags cannot overlap. The flags are coloured differently based on whether the signals are sent by sea or by land. At sea, the flags are coloured red and yellow (the Oscar flag), while on land, they are white and blue (the Papa flag). Flags are not required, they just make the characters more obvious. The Heliograph was a simple but highly effective instrument for instantaneous optical communication over 50 miles or more in the 19th century. Its major uses were for military and survey work. It was still in serious use at least up to 1935, for example by Glubb Pasha's Arab Legion in Palestine. The heliograph sent its signals by reflecting sunlight towards the intended recipient with a mirror or mirrors, the beam being keyed on and off with a shutter or a tilting mirror, allowing Morse code to be sent. Heliographs were used by the armies of several countries during the late 1800's; they were highly popular with British forces in India because of the dependable sunlight. The distance that heliograph signals could be seen depended on the clearness of the sky and the size of the mirrors used. Obviously a clear line of sight was required, and the earth's surface is curved, so the highest convenient points were used. Under ordinary conditions, a flash could be seen 30 miles (48 km) with the naked eye and much farther with a telescope. You might think that reflecting a beam to hit a target 30 miles away would require some precision optical alignment- fortunately this is not so because of the finite size of the sun's disc. The maximum range was considered to be 10 miles for each inch of mirror diameter; mirrors varied from 1.5 inches to 12 inches or more. Heliographs could be used with moonlight, but at much reduced range. Speed was 5 to 12 words per minute, depending on the Morse skills of the operators."
"Whistled languages use whistling to emulate speech and facilitate communication. A whistled language is a system of whistled communication which allows fluent whistlers to transmit and comprehend a potentially unlimited number of messages over long distances. Whistled languages are different in this respect from the restricted codes sometimes used by herders or animal trainers to transmit simple messages or instructions. Generally, whistled languages emulate the tones or vowel formants of a natural spoken language, as well as aspects of its intonation and prosody, so that trained listeners who speak that language can understand the encoded message. Whistled language is rare compared to spoken language, but it is found in cultures around the world. It is especially common in tone languages where the whistled tones transmit the tones of the syllables (tone melodies of the words). This might be because in tone languages the tone melody carries more of the "functional load" of communication while non-tonal phonology carries proportionally less. The genesis of a whistled language has never been recorded in either case and has not yet received much productive study."
"Developed and used by cultures living in forested areas, drums served as an early form of long distance communication, and were used during ceremonial and religious functions. While this type of instrument can be modulated quite closely, its range is limited to a gathering or market-place, and it is primarily used in ceremonial settings. Ceremonial functions could include dance, rituals, story-telling and communication of points of order. In the 20th century the talking drums have become a part of popular music in West Africa, especially in the music genres of Jùjú (Nigeria) and Mbalax (Senegal). In Africa, New Guinea and the tropical America, people have used drum telegraphy to communicate with each other from far away for centuries. When European expeditions came into the jungles to explore the primeval forest, they were surprised to find that the message of their coming and their intention was carried through the woods a step in advance of their arrival. Among the famous communication drums are the drums of West Africa. From regions known today as Nigeria and Ghana they spread across West Africa and to America and the Caribbean during the slave trade. There they were banned because they were being used by the slaves to communicate over long distances in a code unknown to their enslavers."
"The smoke signal is one of the oldest forms of communication in recorded history. It is a form of visual communication used over long distance. In Ancient China, soldiers stationed along the Great Wall would alert each other of impending enemy attack by signaling from tower to tower. In this way, they were able to transmit a message as far away as 480 km (300 miles) in just a few hours. Polybius, a Greek historian, came up with a more complex system of alphabetical smoke signals around 150 BC. He invented a system of converting Greek alphabetic characters into numeric characters. It was devised to enable messages to be easily signaled by holding sets of torches in pairs. This idea, known as the "Polybius square", also lends itself to cryptography and steganography. This cryptographic concept has been used with Japanese Hiragana and the Germans in the later years of the First World War. The North American Indians also communicated via smoke signal. Each tribe had their own signaling system and understanding. A signaler started a fire on an elevation typically using damp grass, which would cause a column of smoke to rise. The grass would be taken off as it dried and another bundle would be placed on the fire. Reputedly the location of the smoke along the incline conveyed a meaning. If it came from half way up the hill, this would signify all was well, but from the top of the hill it would signify danger. Smoke signals are still in use today. In Rome, the College of Cardinals uses smoke signals to indicate the selection of a new Pope. Eligible cardinals conduct a secret ballot until someone receives a vote of two-thirds plus one. The ballots are burned after each vote. Black smoke indicates a failed ballot; white smoke means a new Pope has been elected. In general smoke signals are used to transmit news, signal danger, or gather people to a common area."
"Pigeons were used extensively in World War One. Man-made communication systems were still crude and unreliable, so dogs and pigeons were used. Pigeons would have been found just about anywhere on the Western Front. At the First Battle of the Marne in 1914, French troops stopped the German advance on Paris. As the French troops advanced and pushed back the Germans, so their pigeons advanced with them. In the heat and disorientation of battle, pigeons proved to be the best way of sending messages to the French headquarters. At the Marne, the French had 72 pigeon lofts. As the French advanced, the lofts advanced with them - but many of the pigeons were 'on duty' carrying messages and could never have known where their loft had moved to. Incredibly, all the pigeons at the Marne returned to their lofts - despite the fact that they would have flown 'blind' not knowing where their loft was. This ability to get home was vital for those who used them as messengers. A pigeon's great strength was not only its extraordinary homing instinct but also the speed at which it flew. Shooting one down would have been all but impossible. In many senses, a pigeon would always get through. The only natural way to counter them was to bring birds of prey to the front line and let one of nature's great battles occur. A falcon could bring down a pigeon - a marksman almost certainly could not."
To come up with a solution to the brief, it would be a good idea to research into outmoded communication methods and try draw some inspiration from them. The next few posts will be showing research I have done looking into those methods.
"You are required to research and examine outmoded means of communication and re-purpose the most appropriate for the new digital media age. Your challenge is firstly, to understand how the chosen method affected change in the context of its time and secondly, to propose and construct a contemporary response."
