Same old, yet new thing

A couple of weeks ago, our class went through 57 boxes of archives from the former London Asylum for the Insane to gather more research material for our project. Going through numerous boxes full of letters and communications, it made me think how little human behaviour has changed, even as we muddle through the digital age. There were lots of really interesting documents, but there were also many that reflected the ordinary, and even mundane activities of everyday life. Going through some of these physical boxes was pretty much the paper equivalent of going through someone's email inbox. Sure, there's the occasional juicy and interesting bit, but there's also a whole lot of stuff, that while relevant at the time, is not at all worth saving, and is of no interest or use to anyone in the future (ie. "Hey, Did you get my email about the meeting today?" or "Do you want to meet for lunch tomorrow?"). I was struck by how little the communication itself has changed, and that the only real difference is that technology has provided us with more accessible, fast, and convenient methods with which to communicate.

An apple a day.....

Does not keep the doctor away in the case of Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers. After announcing last week that he was suffering from a hormone deficiency, for which he had begun a simple treatment, Steve Jobs elaborated today to say that his health issues were more complex than he originally thought, and as a result, he would be taking a leave of absence. As a result, Apple's stock took a nose-dive and all kinds of panicked questions are being raised about Apple products. Steve Jobs has been an integral part of everything Apple; from the creative process, to marketing initiatives, Jobs has allowed brilliant and innovative ideas to shape Apple into one of the most recognizable and successful companies around. To steal a term from the always clever Apple, Steve Jobs' concept has been "genius" at creating really cool stuff, and then presenting it in the coolest way. I truly believe that Bill Gates lies awake at night - using million dollar bills to wipe his tears away - so frustrated that no matter what he does, Microsoft is never as cool as Apple. They may offer comparable products, but Apple always seems to do it better. Where Microsoft is all about business, function, and aggressive and pervasive marketing campaigns in pursuit of world domination, Apple just chills out, looking cool, working really well, drawing people in because everyone wants to hang out with cool kid.

Based on the reaction of the media and stock market to Steve Jobs' illness, it seems they're not so sure they want to go to the party anymore if Apple's not there. Steve Jobs is so synonymous with his company, that apparently, his illness automatically spreasd to all Apple products and decreases their value. I find it interesting that despite the quality, success, and popularity of Apple technology, faith in the company seems to rest so heavily on a single human being. I wonder if there'd be the same reaction to Microsoft if Bill Gates fell ill? The market response to Steve Jobs' illness implies that without him at the helm, Apple isn't worth as much, and that there's a legitimate fear that the product and brand will decrease in quality in his absence. Does this mean macbook's will be cheaper? Will iPods now only come in black and gray? I think it's interesting because it just goes to show that for all the buzz about technology and our faith in the various technologies we use each day, people still place the bulk of their trust in people. At least, that's what iThink.

Hypertext - "Follow your nose!"

Rarely is the human thought process completely linear. Let's take class discussion as an example; when a question or topic is proposed, someone will respond to the question and in their response, will raise something that evokes a response from someone else, and so on. Oftentimes, the "links" to further discussion have nothing to do with the initial question or the specific answer to it, and we end up talking about something that has nothing to do with the question or topic that got it all started. It's the nature of discussion and the result of putting a bunch of individuals together, who by nature, will have different thought processes. In many ways, it is this type of real world human interaction that hypertext mimics in the virtual world. For this reason, I think it's an incredible feature to include in the design and creation of websites, because it allows any visitor to follow their own train of thought through the world wide web. We may all share a common interest, and thus begin in the same place. However, as interests and thoughts diverge from person to person, hypertext allows us to take up the wisdom of Toucan Sam and "follow your nose" to whatever it is your individual interest is looking for.

Hypertext imitates the way people learn, and is therefore very effective, as well as convenient. Traditionally, people would go grab a book from the library, read it, and what interested them most would lead to further reading and learning. Two people might read the same book, but the thing from that book that inspires further reading may be entirely different. If the book was about Africa, one person might want to learn more about lions, while another may wish to study the Apartheide. Hypertext in a website about Africa would permit each of these people to learn more about their respective areas of interest, through a simple click. The other advantage to hypertext is that it might get people to read and learn about things they otherwise would have ignored or been unaware of. Who knows, the lion enthusiast could end up clicking their way into human rights advocacy.

"Connecting" to the Past

I'm currently working on transcribing and editing the diary of a First World War soldier. The entire process has been fascinating and a poignant experience of how the past can be so easily brought to life in the present. This is my first experience approaching a research project using digital resources to assist in the completion of my work, and it has yielded some pretty exciting results. I am working from the scanned images of a primary document, which allows me greater freedom with the document - I'm not confined to an archive and can use a pen if I want to! - without losing the critical feeling and experience of working with a genuine artifact. In addition to ensuring this wonderful document is preserved in the event something happens to the original, having the diary digitized also means I have been able to make my own copy.

Now that I've moved on to the editing (which includes adding footnotes and creating a glossary to establish context/location and explain some of the slang/terminology used by soldiers in the War), the internet has proven to be an invaluable resource. There are innumerable articles, books, and collections online that have made the answers and information I'm looking for available with ease and without cost. I've been able to cross-reference the information I've found in books with what I've found online to gain a more accurate perspective of this man's experience, and what of his story I need to help tell to make it relevant and understandable to a present-day reader.

I've also been able to find more out about who this man was because of the incredible volume of open source primary documents available online. At Library and Archives Canada, I was able to view and print his Attestation papers, which document the details of his enlistment and offer amazing insight into his personal situation as well as the tenure of the times. The most exciting thing however, happened a couple of weeks ago when I was reading an entry in his diary where he talks about being awarded a medal for what he did at Passchendaele. Ever the modest soldier, he doesn't provide any details about what he did in battle to receive this decoration, but this only incensed my curiousity. I googled his name and the type of medal he won and found myself at the Library and Archives UK site, where I was given the option of viewing the original record of his medal win for £2. After being tempted by this jackpot information find, it took little convincing to enter in my visa number. Within 30 seconds, I received an email thanking me for my support and containing the link to access my document for 52 days with the ability to print it out.

Being able to see these original documents without having to leave the house or the country for that matter, is such an amazing thing. The technology available today can so effectively be used to complement or dare I say supplement, traditional methods of research. It gives historians access to things that would otherwise be unreachable and thus lost as sources for our work. To experience all these different research methods come together has been, for lack of a better word, really cool. Digitization has made possible a final product that would otherwise have been impossible for me to create. Through the internet, the present has actually become one of history's greatest allies.

Seeking the Truth and finding it in the most unexpected places

Today a colleague and I made the trip to Chatham to visit the Black Heritage Room, a small museum that explores black heritage and history in Chatham. Waking up before the sun and making the drive along the 401 to the small Southwestern Ontario town, we weren't sure (other than Tim Horton's and McDonald's) what the visit would entail. What we found was an impressive small museum built of love, dedication, and hard work. As part of our visit, we were lucky enough to meet and interview self-made historian Gwen Robinson, a woman whose contribution to history is both incredible and noteworthy. Sparked by an interest in her family history and her son's request for assistance on a research paper, Gwen started researching and has never looked back. She is a living example of public history in practice, and the power and accomplishment that can be achieved through a passion for the past. Speaking with her and hearing the stories she has to tell makes it clear that she is a treasure to her community and to the field of history.

Frustrated that black history in Chatham was without a voice, a victim of selective history and the colour barrier, Gwen has dedicated the last 40 years to changing the face of history in Chatham. Her book, Seeking the Truth: A Story of Chatham's Black Community is a commendable achievement and the first book to tell this story. She has brought to life a history that might otherwise have been forgotten, and created the opportunity for people to understand and learn about a fascinating part of Canadian black history. I hesitate to call Gwen an amateur historian after hearing her speak and seeing shelf after shelf full of her research, but for the sake of this post, I will stick to the term, because I want to highlight the possibilities in history that are available to everyone.

Public history and particularly digital history, place a lot of emphasis on accessibility, and Gwen's achievements prove just how close to history the public can become. History of all kinds is out there waiting to be found. With interest, passion, and a dedication to "seeking the truth," anyone is capable of finding it.

If it's inspiration you're looking for, go meet Gwen Robinson and explore the Black Heritage Room. It's worth the drive to Chatham.

The Will to Remember

“To you from failing hands/ we throw the torch/ be yours to hold it high.”

90 years after the end of the First World War, only one Canadian veteran remains alive, and with him, the war will pass from living memory. Monuments, plaques and literature have already been created to ensure the veterans of the Great War are not forgotten in the physical world. But as the event fades further into the past, it becomes our responsibility to preserve their memory in our present and future consciousness by engaging with history and in active remembrance. Now, it is our turn.

War is a horrible thing, but remembrance cannot be clouded by contemporary interpretations of contemporary wars. Concepts of honour, courage, liberty, truth and justice are tainted by post-modern cynicism, but to past generations, these values were real and they were everything worth fighting for, worth dying for. Part of remembrance is accepting the truth of the past, even if it does not exist the same way in the present. Knowledge of the war that defended and preserved the civilization we know today and of the beliefs that forged nations and led people to fight, deeply enrich our modern existence and provide a constructive reminder of the capabilities of human good and evil.

In the now, it is essential that people understand that supporting our troops and veterans does not mean supporting war, and that the meaning of remembrance should not be distorted through a modern looking glass. Future generations need to be told about our history and the events that shaped our nation. They should know about the sacrifice made by so many Canadians and about the unimaginable impact of total war. They should know to be thankful for their freedoms, for their youth, and for the opportunities of their future. They should know it is a luxury to be able to take these things for granted, to expect them. They should know that history has not been as kind to past generations, and they should know that through remembrance, we have the chance to say thank you.

They had the courage to sacrifice their lives, so we must have the will to Remember.

Google as personal assistant

When the subject of information tracking comes up, it often invokes a reaction full of words like "frightening," "creepy" and "scary." I however, tend to react with "awesome," "convenient" and "useful."

We've all dreamed of being rich and famous enough to have a personal assistant to go fetch us a coffee or a good book when we don't have the time or desire to do it ourselves. The city of New York relies upon the existence of 24 hour convenience stores that deliver (insert "awesome" here) to answer the desires of people who need that bag of chips at 3am. Information tracking on the internet is really no different, yet because it involves technology (and thus some insidious plot for world domination) people are suspicious and tend to freak out and cry privacy violation and everyone's favourite thing to fear (GASP!) identity theft. People already rent dvds, buy books, clothes, music and more online - most of us have already succumbed to the romance of convenience and in doing so, have volunteered personal information as part of the exchange. Why this is such a big deal, I just can't understand. The internet having the information required to recommend books or music that I'd like doesn't mean any personal and/or private lines have been crossed. If the internet knows what I like to read and listen to, it doesn't mean it knows me. It doesn't mean it somehow knows my deepest, darkest secrets (except perhaps that I think Buffy is the greatest show of all time) and what's really going on in my life. Also, the internet's not alive, so why people care if it knows things that will make your life so much easier is beyond me. I mean, I get it, but I don't get it. Because of the abundance of information on the internet, information tracking is a godsend. If I had to sit down and go through all the books and music on amazon and itunes without having any tools to assist me, I'd get frustrated and give up. The tools available on these sites that are made possible by information tracking are essential to their function and popularity. What would be the point of them if they couldn't offer you an experience that differed from that which you'd get in a traditional store?

The last point I want to address is the idea that the internet is making us lazy. I disagree. There is a big difference between being lazy and just not wanting to. We all spend a lot of time doing things we don't want because we have to, so when you have the option not to do something you don't want to do, why would you do it anyway? It also makes absolutely no sense to do something the hard way, when an easier, more efficient way is available. It's kind of like choosing to take the train from London to Toronto that takes over 3 hours instead of the one that takes 2 hours or doing all your banking at the branch instead of online - why, why, WHY would anyone choose to do this?!

So when I find a book in the google library that would otherwise have required I go to Huron to get it, I will happily use the google library. When I buy an album on itunes and it recommends other things to me, I will listen. When my ipod shuffles songs based upon how much it knows I love them, it makes me happy. Information tracking is awesome and does so many fantastic things that I could, but would prefer not to live without. I often smile at the genius of my computer and I look forward to the day that I get a text on my phone reminding me to get milk and letting me know I can get said milk right around the corner.