Welcome to my new blog, The Quern. I chose this name because the decentralization of media represented by blogs and other Internet content distribution mechanisms reminds me of the transition from querns to mills, only in reverse.
Ever since humankind has practiced agriculture, there has been a need to prepare the tough kernels of grain for human consumption. Soaking or boiling will work, but grinding the grain into meal is much faster and provides a more easily-digested and consistent product. Early farmers used querns — stone grinders of various designs — to grind their grain.
With the advent of the higher technology and more centralized governmental structures of the Middle Ages, mills were established. These were dedicated buildings with heavy, high-capacity grinding equipment that charged for services and could grind large amounts of grain finely and easily.
These mills were controlled and taxed by the local lord, who was eager to maximize his revenue. Querns, allowing poor farmers to grind their own grain independently and tax-free, were a threat to this revenue source. Therefore, use of querns was outlawed in many areas during the Middle Ages and many were broken to prevent their illicit use.
Until recently, large media corporations and the government have enjoyed exclusive use and control of mass communication. Whether they have used these media channels for profit, propaganda, or legitimate journalism and education, the public had little say in the content and operation of these channels.
Today, the Internet, through the flowering of e-publishing, peer-to-peer file sharing networks and the blogosphere, is actively reversing the centralization of media control. Now anyone can broadcast any ideas they wish to whomever wishes to read or listen to them.
Anyone can set up their own quern.
