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Jacquard loom: Difference between revisions
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{{anat|tech| | {{anat|tech| | ||
[[File:Jacquard loom.jpg|450px|thumb|center|An iPhone 8, 200 years ago.]] | [[File:Jacquard loom.jpg|450px|thumb|center|An iPhone 8, 200 years ago.]] | ||
}}The [[Jacquard loom]] was a power loom that simplified the process of manufacturing textiles with such complex patterns as ''brocade'', ''damask'' and ''matelassé'' with the use of punched cards. It was invented by | }}The [[Jacquard loom]] was a power loom that simplified the process of manufacturing textiles with such complex patterns as ''brocade'', ''damask'' and ''matelassé'' with the use of punched cards. It was invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1804, and technology guru {{author|James Burke}} — a super cool seventies guy and former of great impressions on the young [[JC]] — hailed it as an early example of a computer in his magnificent, formative-impression inducing TV series, ''[[Connections]]''. | ||
Now, in 1805, was there a [[thought leader]] like former Deutsche Bank chief [[Rumours of our demise are greatly exaggerated - technology article|John “Hot Take” Cryan]] on hand to declare, “Right. That’s it. Human usefulness as we know it is over. We are all going to become machines”? | Now, in 1805, was there a [[thought leader]] like former Deutsche Bank chief [[Rumours of our demise are greatly exaggerated - technology article|John “Hot Take” Cryan]] on hand to declare, “Right. That’s it. Human usefulness as we know it is over. We are all going to become machines”? | ||
Not as far as we know. | Not as far as we know. There probably was, but his hot take was buried in the irresistible torrent of progress and no record remains of him or his sagacity. | ||
In the meantime, what | In the meantime, what happened to intricately-woven fabric, now it could be quickly produced with minimal labour? Did this mean [[rentier]] capitalists, finally freed of the burden of wasteful servants, could reap colossal margins while their monstrous machines pumped out acres and acres of expensive fabric for an insatiable market of wealthy, but now underemployed, former hand-weavers? | ||
Well, it didn’t, did it, readers? ''Woven fabric plummeted in price''. Of ''course'' it did. Because ''anyone'' could produce it now. All you needed was a [[Jacquard loom]]. And all of a sudden ''every bugger was buying [[Jacquard loom]]s.'' | Well, it didn’t, did it, readers? ''Woven fabric plummeted in price''. Of ''course'' it did. Because ''anyone'' could produce it now. All you needed was a [[Jacquard loom]]. And all of a sudden ''every bugger was buying [[Jacquard loom]]s.'' | ||
Did it permanently put a sector of society out of work? It did not do that either. To be sure; there was far less call for hand-weaving, but artisan hand-weavers figured it out. | |||
Who could have predicted ''that''?<ref>Well; Adam Smith, for one.</ref> Loom owners no longer needed hand-weavers. But the poor hand-weavers had no time to enjoy their new-found leisure, much less to pen think-pieces about [[technological unemployment]] or [[universal basic income]], for they were urgently needed to programme, maintain and enhance these fancy new automatic [[Jacquard loom]]s. | Who could have predicted ''that''?<ref>Well; Adam Smith, for one.</ref> Loom owners no longer needed hand-weavers. But the poor hand-weavers had no time to enjoy their new-found leisure, much less to pen think-pieces about [[technological unemployment]] or [[universal basic income]], for they were urgently needed to programme, maintain and enhance these fancy new automatic [[Jacquard loom]]s. | ||