The Rise and Fall of the Visual Telegraph (2017)

[geox]

https://parisianfields.com/2017/11/05/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-visual-telegraph/

[Rygian]

For the discworld alternative, check the clacks [1].

[1] https://wiki.lspace.org/Clacks

[trhway]

If i remember correctly the laser optical transmission tech started as a "laser visual telegraph" between 2 PARC buildings rooftops in the Stanford Research Park here.

[ttoinou]

It’s also fascinating this didn’t existed 300 years sooner (with more towers because of poorer telescopes). Communication of information across a kingdom is so important

[anthk]

Ah, so that's the origin of semáforo in Spanish, which the current meaning is "traffic light". And a semaphore on programming, too.

[Rygian → anthk]

The word "semáforo" literally means "carrier of meaning" from the Greek σῆμα (sêma) meaning 'signal' and ‒́foro meaning 'carrier'.

The visual telegraph is just one such instance of a "carrier of meaning".

[anthk → Rygian]

Ah, well, like semantics... right. I didn't know about 'foro/phoro'.

>meaning

Could it mean 'symbol' too?

[ahazred8ta]

There are many places called Telegraph Hill that used to be semaphore towers.

[dredmorbius → ahazred8ta]

That would include the one in San Francisco, with which some readers may be familiar.