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When considering a term such as analog, we could think about it in terms
of an actual object. I take a traditional time piece, a clock, as an
example. With "face" and "hands," a clock is already entrenched in
analogy. We also speak of the way in which such devices "keep" time as
being "analog." This can be further underlined when placed in contrast
to the newer digital clocks. But rather than discuss distinctions
between digital and analog artifacts, let's continue with analog clocks.
It is true enough that they are made from moving parts, such as gears,
but to what extent can such components be considered purely analog?
Gears have a discrete number of teeth which allow them to function only
seemingly in analog fashion, albeit, continuously. The device relies on
digital representation, each tooth being discrete and symbolic. Insofar
as analog modes of representation (such as analogy) are deployed to
effect continuities, we see with the example of the clock that such
continuities are limited. They are limited not really from a perceptual
perspective, but by a social, rhetorical context. By metaphorically
"looking" differently at the clock, we hint at a different, and, in
fact, digital interpretation of the analog device.
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