My most recent post which highlights the impact of technology on the transcription of historical documents can be seen over at the Active History site.
The Internet and Our Minds
Spark recently featured a great interview with Nicolas Carr, which discuses his new book The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. Carr is well known for his 2008 article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?", which examined the impact of Google, hyperlinks, and the internet in general, on how we process information.Carr's new … Continue reading The Internet and Our Minds
Historical Societies and Community Heritage
Regardless of the size of the city, town, or rural community you live in there is a good chance your community has a historical society. These societies are often comprised of passionate volunteers who care greatly about the preservation of community history. What role does your local historical society play in the preservation and interpretation … Continue reading Historical Societies and Community Heritage
Virtual Mourning Reexamined
Ages ago I wrote a post on Virtual Dark Tourism which examined the idea of virtual graveyards and the rise of on-line memorials. A Spark podcast recently brought the issue of 'virtual mourning' back to my mind. I recommend listening to the brief portion of the podcast which discusses virtual mourning and the impact which … Continue reading Virtual Mourning Reexamined
Entirely Virtual: The Museum of Afghan Civilization
The Museum of Afghan Civilization is scheduled to make it's debut in 2010. This museum is going to be completely virtual. Online exhibits are nothing new, but the idea of creating an online building to house these online exhibits is fairly novel.The Museum of Afghan Civilization employed an architect, museum professionals, and artists, to design … Continue reading Entirely Virtual: The Museum of Afghan Civilization
Remembrance Day in a Digital World
Each year it seems that the amount of material available to commemorate remembrance day and Canadian soldiers, grows tenfold. The mass amount of information available makes it easy to get lost while looking for relevant information. Below is a list which compiles some of the more educational and historically relevant sites I have come across.The … Continue reading Remembrance Day in a Digital World
Upper Canada Villiage: Historical Tourism or Commericalism?
Should heritage facilities and organizations be restricted to featuring historically correct events? Any reputable museum or similar institution should have a mandate which outlines which historical period the institution focuses on. However, during times of economic hardship can historical institutions be blamed for attempting to attract visitors by reaching outside of their mandate?This past Saturday … Continue reading Upper Canada Villiage: Historical Tourism or Commericalism?
General Reflections on the CHA Conference
Overall the conference was an interesting and valuable experience. I listened to a number of interesting papers and talked with various people who are conducting research I am greatly intrigued by. The CHA provided a good environment for grad students as well, there were many students who presented papers and many more who attended sessions … Continue reading General Reflections on the CHA Conference
Looking Back: Public History and Expanding Viewpoints
For more than a week I have been trying to collect my thoughts on the past eight months of the public history program. I initially wanted to summarize what I've learned, discuss the evolution of my views on public history, and the narrowing of my interests. However, when I sat down to actually do this, … Continue reading Looking Back: Public History and Expanding Viewpoints
Trends and Google
Lists of what is most popular, and the most popular searches conducted aren't anything new. However, Google has expanded on people's interests in trends and created Google Trends. This search feature allows users to search anything their heart desires, and receive a chart which highlights current and past trends on the topic. This feature is … Continue reading Trends and Google