Communications

The methods and technologies used by humans to communicate and share information over long distances.

Resources in this category:

The Benton Foundation
http://www.benton.org/

The Benton Foundation seeks to utilize the public interest use of communications to bring about social benefits. Through its seven projects, the foundation attempts to shape the public interest in emerging communications environment in the public interest. The Foundation merges philanthropy, public policy and community action to use digital media to engage, equip and connect people to solve social problems. The emphasis at this site is on library, education, public media and communications issues.

How Does a Long Distance Receiver Work?
http://www.4p8.com/eric.brasseur/receiv.html

A basic description and explanation with examples on the physics of transmitting information over long distances using a transmitter and receiver.

International Telecommunication Union
http://www.itu.int/home/index.html

The ITU is an international organization dedicated to helping coordinate the government and private sectors in developing and operating telecommunications technology. The website provides free electronic copies of its reports and free statistics such as telephone lines by country, number of PCs per country, and telecommunications indicators.

Inland Marine Radio History Archive
http://www.imradioha.org/

This history of the radio in Great Lakes and Mississippi River shipping industry provides technical descriptions as well as personal recollections of retired radio operators. This site invites its audience to contribute knowledge and facts and is constantly growing as a result.

International Marine Signal Flags
http://www.anbg.gov.au/flags/signal-flags.html

"The following flags are international signals used by ships at sea. They can be used to spellout short messages, or more commonly, used individually or in combination they have special meanings."

MarconiCalling
http://www.marconicalling.com/

This site examines the life, science, and achievements of Guglielmo Marconi, often referred to as the pioneer of wireless communication. A timeline covers important events in Marconi's life. There are also self-contained exhibitions that cover the significant milestones of the development of wireless. The Communications section features layers and layers of fascinating information on the advent of wireless technology, and the multimedia Archive contains documents related to Marconi and the history of wireless communication.

A Memorial to the Bell System
http://www.navyrelics.com/tribute/bellsys/index.htm

"This web site was created to help keep the memories of the Bell System alive and to pay tribute to those that made it the greatest telecommunications system on earth. The Bell System, a.k.a. ³Ma Bell² or simply ³THE telephone company², was not a "company" but rather the sum of several corporations headed by AT&T prior to the divestiture of January 1, 1984. The American Telephone and Telegraph company (known today as simply AT&T), Western Electric (which became Lucent), Bell Labs, and the 22 local Bell operating companies (which became the so-called "Baby Bells²) made up a huge and complex corporate system providing telecommunications equipment and service to the majority of the people living in the US prior to divestiture."

National Security Agency
http://www.nsa.gov/

The National Security Agency home site provides information about codes and cryptology, as well as declassified national security documents.

Reaching Out: The Evolution of Communication
http://library.thinkquest.org/26451/newmenu.html

This is an "educational web site that takes visitors on a journey of discovery through the fascinating world of communication. It is about the development of verbal and non-verbal communication through human history." The site, which includes a timeline, covers the spoken and written word, mass media, and various communication technologies throughout history.

Semaphore Flag Signalling System
http://www.anbg.gov.au/flags/semaphore.html

"The Semaphore flag signalling system is an alphabet signalling system based on the waving of a pair of hand-held flags in a particular pattern."

UCLA's Disabilities and Computing Program
http://www.dcp.ucla.edu/

Provides information on web accessibility, adaptive computing, information access and a variety of services to the UCLA community.