The Tech That Changed Democracy Forever

One of the most consequential leaps in science and technology etched itself in the annals of military history before changing politics and elections forever. The ‘Walkie-Talkie-Lookie’ combined the power of radio waves with film. The result? Real-time audio-visuals beamed to home televisions, and doing it all with portability – in a way that helped people choose or avoid potential leaders.

Before the infamous close-ups of the first televised Nixon-Kennedy presidential debate, wireless transmitters made their mark at the 1952 Republican and Democratic political conventions. It was a technological marvel: 50-pound Walkie-Lookie backpacks running around a giant convention hall broadcasting through cables and radio waves on a network of 104 stations nationwide.

We’re in the era of every great soundbite and embarrassing gaffe making its way to the internet within seconds. Now we take that for granted. But generations ago, the Walkie-Talkie-Lookie revolutionized our access to politics – for the first time we weren’t just reading secondhand, cultivated news reports. We were seeing and hearing ourselves.

For better and for worse.

#Radio #Science #RetroTech #Inventions

[JohnJones-oymd]

1:36 - "Grandpa, what did you do in the war? I was a phone booth, son."

[clericlumi]

That was an enjoyable look into history

[comasmusica]

In about 15 years we'll have a walkie-talkie-lookie-smellie. Mark my words.

[cannibalbananas]

I'm curious what year(s) having tvs in the bedroom peaked. I'm assuming numbers are declining as we all have cellphones now.
I haven't had a tv in my bedroom in more than a decade. Same with my daughter.

[brandonford]

The predecessor to the SINCGARS! Had the pleasure of carrying those, and even the updated version’s weight was due to batteries, but the size was literally cut in half between the RT-1523C and RT-1523E models

[IndexInvestingWithCole]

I thought from the thumbnail this was a movie review of Peeping Tom lol

[memeslich]

your not always going to have a walkie talkie lookie in your pocket

[SlyPearTree]

The flying bits of dusts effect was a bit distracting.

[Conrad]

So, are cellphones walkie talkies then? Walkie texties?

[__-pljg]

I just realized the play on words for the term "Motorola". Get it?....Motor Hello. And now I know why it was called a "Walkie Talkie"....Because the original version was the Handie Talkie. 🙉🙉🙉

[Simon-Jester]

I will forever call a video camera a creepie peepie now

[klausstock]

Quoting Popular Science...who are still providing updates on the newest flying car improvements... although they apparently fell out of fashion if the 1970s...

...is almost as crazy as saying the the US has replaced electors with modern Norse code spark gap transmitters.

[ddturnerphd]

Why didn't this video pop up on my subscribed-channel notifications?

[brothermine]

To fix the *real* problem with democracy, we need to switch to a voting method that counts all of the head-to-head majorities, instead of counting only one majority (or one plurality) as traditional voting methods do.
The most widely used, most frequently used voting method in the world is the Robert's Rules procedure for voting on motions. What makes Robert's Rules so effective at defeating minority-preferred policies is that it counts multiple head-to-head majorities. (To eliminate N-1 of the N alternatives, it counts N-1 head-to-head majorities. It works like a single-elimination sports tournament, such as the NFL playoffs or the NCAA March Madness tournament, in which N-1 matches are played to eliminate N-1 of the N contestants.)
Voting methods that count only one majority (or plurality) are highly prone to spoiling. Also, the one majority (or plurality) that's counted can often be a coalition of minorities on different issues. That undermines politicians' incentive to support majority-preferred policies, prevents government policies from being stable, allows a small change of votes to cause huge changes of policies, and empowers extremists because their supporters' votes are needed by the rest of their coalition.
All of the head-to-head majorities can be counted using a single round of voting -- no primary elections or runoffs would be needed -- in which each voter is allowed to express his/her order of preference. The order of finish should be constructed by processing the head-to-head majorities one at a time, from largest to smallest, placing each majority's more-preferred candidate ahead of their less-preferred candidate in the order of finish. The candidate who leads the completed order of finish would be elected.

[haxsys]

They don't call it Television Programming for nothin.
You have to make sure what you're watching is honest, first. ;)

[TinovanderZwan-tf]

And now we have had President Trump on the Joe Rogan podcast another historical step.

[johnruckman]

So ehat tech is needed to get back our Republic?
After all, democracy is Anathema to our Republic's law forum, an our Founding Fathers stated " We gave you a Republic if you can keep it".