one of the cool things about developing better measurement tools is we can finally pick up on all the ways physical objects "talk" to us. eg. ceramic insulators on transmission wires emitting RF when they are damaged
Metrology & Instrumentation
I have heard good things about this: Inventing Temperature: Measurement and Scientific Progress (Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Science)
Metrology Overview and Concepts
Metrology History Timeline
Exalting data, missing meaning