The First Information Explosion. The Role of Punch Card Technology in the Office Rationalization in Germany, 1910-1939

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Submitted by RVahrenkamp on Wed, 12/13/2017 - 13:58
TitleThe First Information Explosion. The Role of Punch Card Technology in the Office Rationalization in Germany, 1910-1939
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsVahrenkamp, R
JournalZeitschrift für Technikgeschichte
Volume84
Issue3
Start Page209
Date PublishedSeptember 2017
Type of ArticleOriginal
Keywordsaddress machine, Bayer corporation, Dehomag, feminization, Heidinger, Hollerith, IBM, office mechanization, Powers, punch card, rationalization strategies, sorting machine, tabulating machine, type writer
Abstract

I showed in my paper on punch card technology in Germany in the recent issue of the German journal Technikgeschichte how the introduction of punched cards induced the first information explosion in history. The concept of information explosion allows to explore further steps in the development of information technology. Today an autonomously driving car generates 1 terabyte of data each day. Does digital information technology reach a dead end? An English translation of my paper is available as my working paper of the History of Computing 1/2017. www.vahrenkamp.org/files/Punch_Cards_Vahrenkamp_WP1_2017.pdf