Skip to Content
Citation: 

Turkel, William J., and Devon Elliott. “Making and Playing with Models: Using Rapid Prototyping to Explore the History and Technology of Stage Magic.” In Pastplay: Teaching and Learning History with Technology, edited by Kevin Kee, 175-97. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2014.

Abstract/Summary: 

The authors discuss how various groups are forming a community that is creating a new social movement focused on tweaking and bending technology as they choose. They continue with a discussion of O’Reilly Media, which publishes information on the campaign. The community extends outside of the purview of O’Reilly Media and overlaps with many other interest groups around the globe. Most relevant to the work the authors are completing and describing in the chapter are the people who are dedicated to producing software, hardware platforms and computer programs that make small scale 3D printing possible. They describe each of the technologies throughout the chapter offering examples and each of the designers of the technologies believe in open source, making the instructions and the details of their work available online. The authors suggest that humanists and historians can use this work for almost no cost to teach, learn and play and experiment with new technologies, including social media. They believe that this is the time for humanists to be experimenting and playing with technologies.

Source/Credit: 
Erika Smith