Analog
a vocab word about something I’ve been mildly obsessed about lately.
My many analog practices I’ve been harping on through the past few ‘mess’ays are so important in this day of overstreaming, AI, and digital flattening, that I’m afraid I’m going to continue my waxing rhapsodic on the whole thing. I can’t get enough of it. Sorry not sorry.
But the word analog is also interesting itself. Let’s go on a little journey, shall we?
Definition
I’ve noticed that when folks talk about digital technology versus old school devices, the word ‘analog’ tends to get used. I go back and forth using the term ‘analog’ with ‘practical’ when it comes to stunts and visual effects as well. But when I looked the word up to make sure I actually knew what it actually meant, I found some interesting details. Most fascinating was finding out about the difference between analog and digital circuits—check the illustration to see what I mean. It’s like: can’t you just see the difference between a track on vinyl and an mp3? Doesn’t that just …well, illustrate it? And in all my messy Musings about wresting several of my brain-food practices from the digital clutches where they’re often trapped, I never clearly understood this very basic difference in circuits. And I feel like there’s some kind of poetry about the messiness of the analog (but also the richness) compared to the clearer but flatter binary of the digital. I found more information about this from this brief yet informative website (which is also where I yoinked the above image from), so check that out for a clearer rundown. But what I’m focusing on is: what’s the parallel between this practical description of circuits and my paper books, longhand journals, and paper periodicals?
Etymology
But where does the word come from?
Hey, look at what I found when I looked up the etymology of analog? I found the etymology of both analog and digital, and learned how the words describe what each thing is! (Below quotes from this website):
‘The word analog comes from the Greek word analogia, meaning “proportionality.” ‘
‘Conversely, the word digital comes from the Latin word dīgitus, which means “finger” and relates to the idea of counting with fingers. In modern usage, digital refers to discrete values or data that are represented in binary format (0s and 1s).’
So it’s proportionality vs. binary. (Binareality?) Analog is continuous, which means not only does it include more detail, it’s also messier than digital. Which totally makes sense, even to my non-engineer brain. I’m thinking specifically about my current habit of listening to vinyl records. The sound just *is* richer. I didn’t understand why, and sometimes I almost doubted my senses, blaming my joyful refound love of records as mere nostalgia. But nope. Science says! It is a richer sound, because more details, but it’s also less precise than a digital recording.
Want to see a list of my new(ish) regular analog practices? Sure ya do:
I’ve bee keeping a longhand journal/miscellany notebook again. I take notes on things, add stickers and scrapbook stuff, and even write out my workouts with little checkboxes. I used to be a diligent journaler, but my practice fell off during my first marriage and didn’t really come back through the pandemic, where my reading habits fell off too. I’ve brought it back into my life and I have to say, it’s helping my mental health quite a bit.
I’ve told you before about my Periodical Practice: each month, I collect at least 2 print periodicals and read them through. I keep them through each month, and after a while I’ll cull and recycle the ones I don’t return to or want anymore. I began this in April and stopped in June as I was moving house and didn’t feel like moving a bunch of magazines was a good idea. I’m a start it again soon, now I’m settled in.
I’ve been reading from paper books again! Like, every day! I don’t know what happened to my reading habits but I’m pleased that they seem to have returned! I’ve also been reading aloud to my husband several nights a week, and that has been a lot of fun.
Of course, I’m regularly quite active in live theatre, specifically vaudeville-style variety shows. This is as analog an art as it comes.
I’ve continued growing my vinyl record collection, and listening to them daily: when a record goes on, that’s the signal that the work part of the day is over. I’ve also been enjoying vinyl-spinning DJ channels on YouTube, when I’m not playing records myself. Which is sort of a best of both worlds kind of thing.
Anyway: how fun it has been to reindulge in paper stuff, the richness of vinyl, and the human intimacy of reading aloud to the tribe. Each of these practices have been so healing for me, and I think that’s why I’ve been such an obnoxious analog evangelist.
Not that I’ve quit doing anything digital: my job is all online, my book was composed …well actually it was composed first by longhand way back in the day (including the cover image done recently by my husband), but I use Google Docs for my typing and sharing with publishers, etc. My memoir (Next Time), is coming out in print in a couple years from Wind Wagon Press. But it was composed on Google Docs and coached/edited via email exchange, before it appeared on my Substack.
