Devices of curiosity

Oliver Gaycken

Why I looked at this book

I'm interested in how computers can bring science to a wider audience. I looked at this book because it promises to tell how an earlier new technology - cinema - was likewise used to bring science to a general audience, that is how an entertainment medium was used as an educational medium. Maybe computer games can be used in a similar way today. I'm hoping it's not too academic.

First impressions

The start of the book suggests that the history of scientific cinema hasn't got the attention it deserves, and that this book is redressing the balance. However, the author also takes care to appeal to the wider history of cinema community rather than being another victim of this want of attention. This does make the book seem a bit academic, but I'm hopeful that as it gets going it will give an overview of science & early cinema suitable for those outside academia.