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CORDLESS TOASTERS
AN OVERVIEW OF NON-ELECTRIC TOASTERS
by Eric Norcross © 2000
http://www.toaster.org/cordless.html
AN OVERVIEW OF NON-ELECTRIC TOASTERS
by Eric Norcross © 2000
http://www.toaster.org/cordless.html
"The toaster is part of a system and only has significance relative to the wrapped, pan-made, thin-crusted bread that can be used in it," wrote Arthur Berger in an essay entitled The Crux of Toast from the Summer 1990 issue of Et cetera, a quarterly publication of the International Society for General Semantics, and reprinted in the highly-regarded Harper's Magazine.
Mr. Berger goes on to write, "Ultimately, the toaster is an apology for the quality of our bread...the toaster represents a heroic attempt to redeem our packaged bread," and he concludes with, "Every piece of toast is a tragedy."
If only Mr. Berger knew what he was writing about.
He is referring to electric toasters, of course, but this point isn't made clear in the essay, and even if it were, his conclusions would still be wrong. The electric toaster was manufactured for at least a couple of decades before packaged, pre-sliced bread appeared on the grocery shelves; in fact, the first automatic, pop-up toaster - the Toastmaster 1-A-1 (1926-30), - was a successful consumer product before sliced, packaged bread.
Mr. Berger is involved with the study of General Semantics and wrote a book on Semiotics which deal with connotative meaning rather than fact.
If only Mr. Berger knew what he was writing about.
He is referring to electric toasters, of course, but this point isn't made clear in the essay, and even if it were, his conclusions would still be wrong. The electric toaster was manufactured for at least a couple of decades before packaged, pre-sliced bread appeared on the grocery shelves; in fact, the first automatic, pop-up toaster - the Toastmaster 1-A-1 (1926-30), - was a successful consumer product before sliced, packaged bread.
Mr. Berger is involved with the study of General Semantics and wrote a book on Semiotics which deal with connotative meaning rather than fact.
The last issue of hotwire contained a semiotics article on the Sunbeam T-35, which was entertaining even though its conclusions are questionable.
According to Daniel Chandler in Semiotics for Beginners, "In the worst forms of critical practice what passes for 'semiotic analysis' is little more than a pretentious form of literary criticism based merely on subjective interpretation and grand assertions."
So, go to the site above and learn more about semiotics if you wish, and I'll try to leave the pretentious, subjective interpretations behind.
What is known about the long history of toast - and the devices used to make it?
(la suite est très intéressante.)
According to Daniel Chandler in Semiotics for Beginners, "In the worst forms of critical practice what passes for 'semiotic analysis' is little more than a pretentious form of literary criticism based merely on subjective interpretation and grand assertions."
So, go to the site above and learn more about semiotics if you wish, and I'll try to leave the pretentious, subjective interpretations behind.
What is known about the long history of toast - and the devices used to make it?
(la suite est très intéressante.)
*
SON
Grenouilles vertes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVs-Uxrx4gQ