The Transatlantic Telegraph Cable

So this morning while I was taking a shower an odd question came to me.  I found myself thinking about how easily we today communicate all over the world, and wondered when we were first able to communicate continent to continent, specifically across the Atlantic Ocean, without news having to be relayed person to person.  In other words, since the telegraph was the first step towards our modern communication era, when was the first Transatlantic telegraph cable laid, and must that not have been a serious undertaking?  So after watching the Packers lose against the dreaded Vikings, I came home and decided to do some light research, just enough to quell my curiosity.

As this is not a paper for school, I hope that you will accept Wikipedia as my main source.  My apologies, my college history professors would be appalled.

Now if you had to take a guess, what year would you guess the continents of North America and Europe were connected by telegraph?  I would've put my guess at around 1900.  I was positive that there was connection by World War I at the latest, as the famed Zimmerman Telegram from Germany to Mexico is often cited as a major reason that the U.S. entered that war.  So I knew that the cable had been laid before World War I, but had no idea how early before.

The correct year?  1866.  Well, that is the year that it was finally achieved for lasting use.  Attempts began in 1857 and the first telegraph (a message between Queen Victoria and President James Buchanan) was sent between the continents in 1858, though that wire broke less than a month later.  I find it fascinating that at that early of a date, when the world had yet to move past the steam engine, humans were able to lay a cable down the entire width of the Atlantic Ocean, connecting Newfoundland and Ireland.  Apparently ships started on either end with their part of the cable, and then met in the middle of the Atlantic, fusing the cable together before letting it drop to the ocean floor.  It seems that they had a few mistrials, as the cable broke multiple times.  The whole process is described on wikipedia quite well. 

The first transatlantic telegraph communication was followed in 1901 by the first transatlantic radio transmission, done by Mr. Guglielmo Marconi.  The first transatlantic telephone cable was laid in 1955, the first transatlantic communications satellite was launched in 1962, and the first fiber-optic cable in 1988.

Just take a moment to think about that, as you use the Internet to access websites from Asia, Skype to talk to friends overseas, or switch out SIM cards effortlessly on cell phones while traveling in other countries to maintain contact with friends and family around the world.  Communication has come a long way, and we take our connected world for granted.  The next time you pick up a phone, think about the first transatlantic cable, laid in the middle of the 19th-century.

Spies, Slacking, and Rec Reading

My songwriting notebook was stolen from me.  Or I just left it somewhere.  Maybe.  But I'm pretty sure Nashville sent a thief up to Wisconsin to sneak into my apartment and steal it, those were grammy-winning lyrics for sure.  Its a serious tragedy, though, as I had about 20 unfinished songs in there, all in various levels of completion.  Yea, three fourths of them were probably no good, but apparently they were good enough for the music row spies.  Yea, I'm pretty sure thats the guy right there in the picture, he just looks like a slick espionage-r.    

I am a total slacker.  This blog does not get updated nearly enough.  

But here is a blog you should definitely read.  Its a travel journal based on adventures in Kenya, written by my new friend Alex.  A great example of a well-kept travel blog, something I would definitely like to work towards.  Here it is: So Close and Yet Safari

Random Travel Picture - Black Moshannon

I took this picture in Black Moshannon State Park, near State College, Pennsylvania. The first gig on the first tour I ever did was in State College back in the fall of 2006. The next day as I was headed back to Ohio I stopped at this state park to hike and kill some time. I really like this photo because of the contrast of the dead trees (this was mid-November) with the greenery poking through the dead leaves on the ground. Its a very beautiful park, and if you are in the area some time I highly suggest a stop.

Euro Tour 2010

So I am currently working on my second European Tour, which I will be embarking on in January of 2010. Just like last time (Jan./Feb. '09), it will be just me, my guitar, and my backpack, riding the rails and buses of Europe. Unlike last time, this will be more business than pleasure, and I will probably spend a shorter amount of time in each city. Cities that I know I will hit for sure are Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Ljubljana, and Parma, all cities that I played the last time through. I also plan to hit Germany this time, as well as hopefully Belgium, the Netherlands, and France, and I already know that I will be starting in Rome, so I will be trying to get a gig there and in other Italian cities along the way.

If you are currently living in any of these parts of Europe, have lived there in the past, or have close friends or family there, I would appeal to you for any help you can give in the way of finding gigs. Booking shows in foreign countries is a daunting task for this folksinger, as language barriers and a lack of experience over there often get in the way. By help, I mean that if you have any information on venues that I should play, please send them my way, and if you have any interest in hosting a house concert in your home let me know. I played a wonderful house concert in Prague last time, and would love to do more. Just send me an email to johnstatz@johnstatz.com and I can give you more information on house concerts.

Also in the works for 2010: A tour to the west/southwest in March, for sure including stops in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and everywhere in between, as well as a tour to Alaska in July.

Now back to work for me!

Visiting Family and the Berkshires

This is my cousin Alex, he lives in Walpole, NH with his wife and son. Jeremiah and I stopped in to visit him for lunch on our way south to Massachusetts. Here he is pictured in front of his lovely white house.

Alex, his wife Heather, and son Mario, and myself (on the right, of course).

The Dream Away Lodge in Becket, MA. We played there on a Sunday night to a great listening crowd. Its a really cool place, apparently an old speakeasy turned into a lodge and restaurant. Becket is located in the misty Berkshires of western Massachusetts, and is a hidden prize of an establishment out in the woods.

The pond out in front of the Dream Away.

Explaining metaphysics to the audience.

Slacking on Tour Posts

Alright, wow, I haven't updated this thing since Vermont, and I am now in... Indiana. I suck, sorry about that guys. I forgot the cable that connects my camera to my computer, so I haven't been able to upload any new photos. I thought that I would give you a quick update as to some of the highlights of the tour since Vermont, as we've been a lot of places since.

Highlight Reel:

Becket, MA - The Dreamaway Lodge is a sweet old speakeasy lodge in backwoods Berkshires, great listening crowd, until some kids started banging on drums and tambourines, but still fun. Nice bunkhouse out back, a very relaxing stop on the tour.

Cambridge, MA - turned out to be a competitive open mic at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge. Jeremiah won! He is now the King of Boston.

New York, NY - Spent 4 lovely days and nights in the big apple, one night in a Wal-Mart parking lot in New Jersey (NOT ideal), best show was at An Beal Bocht Cafe in the Bronx, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, drank too much whiskey.

Asbury Park, NJ - spent 2 days playing in Bruce Springsteen's hometown, nice boardwalk, tasty clams, spent one night with my friend Sarah Donner and her awesome husband, wonderful hosts! played a gig with Shania Twain's guitarist. camped the second night in the middle of nowhere New Jersey (didn't know such places existed) in the Pine Barrens, simply beautiful.

Wilmington, DE - played at Mojo 13, crazy clown joint, my mom's awesome cousin Jeff drove all the way from North Carolina and picked up his daughter Heather to see the show! amazing! crashed with my awesome songwriter buddy Kyle Swartzwelder, a hit machine.

Pittsburgh, PA - played at "Pittsburgh's No. 1 Polish Party House" and ate pierogies, Bruce "The Man", couchsurfer extraordinaire put us up last minute and was a most gracious host. Jeremiah ran into a guy who's guitar he tried to drunkenly play years ago in Winona.

Thomas, WV - beautiful West Virginia, so nice, so many waterfalls. played to a full room at the Purple Fiddle, amazing listening crowd, easily one of the best shows of the tour. drank some mountain moonshine, yum!

Cleveland, OH - played one of my favorite venues, chatted with one of my favorite venue owners, Martin the Man! Martin's daughter Jenna is a super sweet heart, and decorated our tip jar all swell. drove to Columbus, OH afterwards for some "nightlife"

and now we are in Terre Haute, IN! Only two more shows left and then home! I'll get some pics posted soon after I get home, until then, stay rad bloggo-world,

John

Vermont and the Drive Through New Hampshire

The White Mountains of New Hampshire as seen from a scenic rest area along the route. Beautiful beautiful scenery.

Driving north on the Interstate in New Hampshire.

We had a show booked at a coffee shop in Montpelier, VT, but found out just a week or so before the tour that they had triple booked and we were canceled. Along came our saviors, couchsurfers Jim and Kim were kind enough to pick up our gig and move it to the River Arts Center in Morrisville, VT. The above picture is the set up in the beautiful, 150+ year old building. Unfortunately, due to the last minute switch of town and venue (and the fact that Jeremiah and I are nobodies in Vermont), absolutely no one showed up.

The night was not lost, though, as Kim made us an amazing Indian dinner, look at that spread! We played our gigs for Jim and Kim while dinner was being made, and had a great evening chatting with them. They put us up in their horse barn that night, and it was the best night of sleep I've had yet on tour.