HIST 390-001 The Digital Past Fall 2013

Okay, here's a picture that roughly approximates how people used to interact with the Internet before there was a Web. All through text, all through a CLI (command-line interface). I started grad school in 1992 and this is pretty much what we had. This too is what that 1988 Washington Post article is thinking of when it talks about Internet.

Todays Google Doodle found on the google homepage is dedicated to Shakuntala Devi. She is also known as the "Human Computer" I have attached the wikipedia article that details who Shakuntala Devi is and why she is important enough to receive the doodle! :)

This article is really useful in deciding what are good ways to cite things online and which websites provide the best services to do this

This website, while not very informative, is very interesting. It displays the updates on Wikipedia articles through sounds.

Hey, that is neat.

I think it's done in HTML5, which may be why I don't get any sound for it in Chrome -- not all browsers can manage all features of the new, drastically revised version of HTML yet.

Just thought I would add this page about controversial Google doodles! Its interesting which ones were viewed as controversial.

Good one, Adam. I meant to ask Laura and forgot whether the doodles are always the same in every country, and this gallery shows that they aren't. Which makes a lot of sense. The Miró one is interesting, too -- the fact that the artist's heirs felt ripped off, even though it was original artwork in the *style* of Miró rather than anything actually copied from a digital version of Miró.

This 2009 "subway map" of the Internet is based on Tokyo's subway system. This design company (like a few others, I think) does one of these every year. It's a articular genre of a thing called an "infographic" that you see everywhere.

This internet map is structured by which websites are most popular. It's also categorized by each website's country of origin.

Mapping the Internet is actually a very popular thing to do. See also this "subway map" of the Internet mapped onto Tokyo's subway system: http://ia.net/blog/web-trend-map-4-final-beta/

I know that I'm not the best Powerpoint presenter in the world, and thought this might help in my presentation.

Here is a little bit of information on the National Archive's release of the Watergate scandal related Records. I found this to be super interesting! It also tells you where you can find it, what box, and how many pages each source has.

Yes, indeed -- this was big news last year.

During Open Access week, I stopped by the Fenwick Info desk. I was able to get some informational packets and forms on open access week. There were many packets and brochures describing the history of open access and how students and professors could become more involved in the open access movement. I found one packet to be very informative on how I could learn to use open access to my advantage when conducting research.

Thanks, Lauren -- I'll give you 5 extra points on your Exam 2 grade when I grade them.

AP Late this month, Google went "dark" in terms of providing publishers with free information on which words led people searching in Google to click on their sites. The move came as Google seeks to reassure users following the NSA/PRISM domestic surveillance scandal.

Wow, I hadn't even heard about that, Emily. Terrific story. That's a bummer, though -- I use Google Analytics on some of my sites, though I probably should make more use of it, and it was always interesting to see what keywords people were using to get to my site. Sometimes the keywords were weird.

"Interlibrary Loan helps you obtain research materials you need that are not available from George Mason University Libraries or Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) libraries." I believe this is a definitely helpful webpage for all of us.

Absolutely. Essential.

The fundamental principles by which Wikipedia operates can be summarized in five " pillars"

I attended one of the Open Access Week events in which a contributor from Wikipedia came and spoke about Wikipedia. I found the presentation to be really interesting. He spoke about the five pillars of Wikipedia (which we've already learned about) among other things.

Thanks, Paola. I'll add 5 points to your Exam 2 grade when I grade it.

A site with some useful tips for people like me who never really learned how to study or are awful at memorizing things and information.

Generally useful. Thanks, Stephanie.

Its a good article about technology investment in Africa, something that we touched upon in Natasha's presentation. It seems encouraging because investment and opportunities have increased with different companies taking interest.

Great post, and very relevant! Thanks, Mahrokh!

An article from Technology Review discusses an important question many people bring up about the quality of articles on wikipedia. It also discusses the relatively small number of dedicated editors who play a fundamental role in the community. Due to the small number of editors and authoritative contributors to many of the articles on Wikipedia, the article also discusses that an algorithm that assesses the quality of Wikipedia articles could reassure visitors and help focus editors on entries that need improving. The computer scientists (Xiangju Qin and Pádraig Cunningham) have developed automated editorial tool that may reduce the workload that remains for the volunteer workforce.

The Wikipedia guy who came to speak told me about this article -- it's a big deal in the Wikipedia community.

I attended one of the events during Open Access Week about the future of libraries and Wikipedia. Jake Orlowitz, recipient of a Wikimedia Foundation Individual Engagement Grant, spoke about "The Wikipedia Library." The Wikipedia Library was a new project he founded in 2012 for the goal of connecting Wikipedia editors with the reliable information sources they need. In the first part of his presentation, he discussed much of what wikipedia is and how it is run. He basically summed up much of what most people don't know about wikipedia and a lot of assumptions that people make about how unreliable information on wikipedia is. Then he went on to discuss more about the wikipedia library and how it would benefit wikipedia editors with vital current reliable sources that they need to do their work. I thought the presentation given by the presenter was very informative and interesting. I learned more about wikipedia and how its more useful than I thought. The most interesting point he raised during his presentation were the benefits of the Wikipedia Library. The thought of connecting university libraries with the wikipedia library will present students and many others information that is reliable and easy to access. Many scholarly articles and information from databases we usually have to pay for will be available for universities to provide students at a much lower cost.

Thanks, Rebecca. I'll add 5 points to your Exam 2 grade.

A great read for the next few weeks of presentations! A how-to on constructive criticism!

Thanks, Claire! It's all been pretty constructive so far, I think, but this is helpful.

Good tips on how to improve your presentation.