MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Ode to WebCt

I just wanted to take the time this week to reflect on my feelings towards WebCT here at UWO. I'll start off by simply saying that I love it!! If used regularly and properly, WebCT is the handiest program available to students. For those of you who may not be familiar with this program it is essentially a virtual learning environment used to to assist students by providing them with many important resources regarding the particular course they are enrolled in. WebCT includes a somewhat comprehensive discussion board. It allows you to make various posts, chat with your peers about assignments and exams, review your course syllabus, read any updates or course announcements, it is a great place to find weekly readings etc. The only draw back to WebCT is that not every professor uses it and some only very sparingly. I can not think of a better way to communicate more efficiently with students than this medium. I recall specifically for one of my courses in undergrad where the Professor made regular use of it and it was so helpful. All the assignment outlines were there, the links for the weekly readings were available, we had various discussions throughout the year. Everyone was so involved!!

It is important to mention that although the program is handy for those using it as a resource it has often be criticized as very difficult to manage by the administrator. According to an extremely credible online source (sarcasm) Wikipedia points out that

"This criticism partly reflected the flexibility and power of the system - where other systems present a single way of organizing or adding course material, WebCT offered several options with more of the structure left to the individual instructor. The "Vista" version of the product represented an attempt to derive a more even balance between flexibility and ease of use, and while it has been successful in some ways, it still suffers from being more flexible but less easy to use than some of its competitors. Some WebCT criticisms which were apparent include problems using it in multiple tabs or browser windows, heavy reliance on Java for its user experience usage of too many browser frame sets,and problems using standard browser navigation tools (i.e. the Back and Forward commands).

Despite these drawbacks, WebCT has proven to be an innovative way to integrate a students learning experience with the expedience, thriftiness and resourcefulness of the internet. Further work on the program surely needs to be done, but until then Ode to WebCT.

The Million Dollar Home Page

I just wanted to take the time this week to comment on one of the most fascinating and simple ways anyone has ever got rich through the internet. It is no surprise that companies like Google, Yahoo or YouTube have revolutionized the way we use the internet. But this particular example is just plain mind example. I am of course speaking about Alex Tew's "Million Dollar Homepage" - www.milliondollarhomepage.com. Alex Tew is a 21 year old student in England and was apparently looking for a way to fund his school education, so he started thinking!!
Alex created a simple website which was an index page consisting of a 1000* by 1000* grid where he would sell individual pixels for the purpose of adverstising. Within 2 weeks he was able to pay his college for the year and within the next little while sold his last share on Ebay making him a millionaire, each pixel at $1. This is absolutly insane! A low budget website like his with simply a brilliant idea.
What I also found amazing and speaks to the amazingness of the internet is how he sold his shares! The INTERNET!! He used Ebay to sell many of his shares and used the internet to its full resources. I just thought I would mention this idea because I thought it was absolutly incredible. The resourcefullness of the internet really has few limits. I think what we should be doing in class is developing a potential way to exploit what is available to us. We need to come up with something that will make us crazy rich while providing a new and innovative way to use the internet. The field of history I am sure has plenty of possibilities for creative invention using the internet, any ideas???

In Flanders Fields....

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae

In honor of remembrance day I wanted to take the time to write a little something about this important occasion. What better a way to pay tribute to so many who lost their lives than to post it on the internet where so many can see it. Last year I had the pleasure of accompanying one of my professors, along with the rest of the class, to Victoria park and participating in the remembrance day ceremony. I had not done this in the past and quickly realized how few actually showed up. It really makes you think, doesn't it? As historians I think this occasion is of great importance. Through our study we, perhaps more than the general public, recognize the hardships endured during war. Although we did not serve and simply can not even fathom enduring what many of these soldiers went through, I think we have almost a responsibility to help people recognize the importance of honoring those who died and served. From the perspective of this course I was curious to see what would come up if I typed in "Remembrance day" in Google. I was surprised to find that there are approx. 1,500,000 hits which include news articles, various books, as well as videos. I think the internet often proves very useful when it comes to times likes these. We can really involve ourselves and educate others on the importance of remembrance day. I think it would be interesting to see how creative we could be using the internet and various forms of digital media to commemorate these individuals.

Although I personally did not have anyone die in the war, or serve for that matter, I feel as though our lives are made possible, our freedom and liberty because of these individuals. To take the time and search remembrance day is a useful way to found out some interesting facts about this occasion as well as read some stories. As Historians it becomes our responsibility to be aware of these types of things and from a digital perspective it can become quite interesting.

``The University Library Collection of 3,500 Volumes was dramatically increased in 1918 through a donation from a Stratford resident. John David Barnett collected books and pamphlets all of his life and more than 40,000 volumes were presented to the university. This donation became the foundation of the library and among other things contained one of the most extensive Canadian Collections on Shakespeare``.
Although this is a particularly extreme example of someones generosity, it is not uncommon for individuals to donate their collections in the name of research and education. The university has accumulated over 7.7 million various works during the last century. Despite donations being a very useful and beneficial means of collecting material there are other ways, some I found very interesting.
I had the pleasure last week of meeting the newest faculty member in the ARCC here at Western. The man was hired on to the universities faculty in order to expand our growing collection. What I found most interesting is two fold, 1. The ways in which many of these materials are obtained and 2. some of the types of material we actually have. First of all, as I mentioned already donations make up a very useful part our collection. Buying and trading are often very common as well but can be quite expensive. There are also book auctions which sometimes have very important works. What I found to be particularily interesting is this notion of going through peoples treasure chests in old houses when they have passed on. This has proven to be beneficial aswell.
Second of all, I was surprised to find that we here at Weldon have the first ever original printed copies of Le Voyage as well as Darwin`s On the origins of species. That is pretty unreal, to hold books as influential as those in your collection, and especially in your hand, is truly significant. My question/comment then is with today's digital world, what impact will this have on works such as this? Do they lose their significance? Does anyone care anymore about these works of art. There is a lot that went into making these books that are sometimes 500 years old and to me they can very much be considered Art. Despite their being digitized I still feel as though the real artifact is what embodies its worth.

Googlrific

I can't help but to use this weeks blog post to reflect on what I think to be one of the most creative and brilliant ideas yet mentioned in class, Google kids. Ruthann last class asked whether or not there was such a thing as Google Kids. This got me thinking. What a brilliant idea. We have at our disposal the ability to foster immediate change for kids through perhaps the worlds most effective medium, the internet. We have spoken about the pro's and con's of internet search engines and how they filter and decide what results we receive. This of course being important to us Google fanatics but what about kids?
What an incredible way to educate children on various topics in the world in a manner that is not offensive but also accurate. Google kids would be an optimal way for children of various ages to look up things that they want, security protected of course, and find the results that best suit their intellectual capacities. If I were a child, which some would argue I am, I would think that Google would be much more convenient and easy to use if it had larger, colorful buttons. If it had easier to understand and read links. Along with big headings that discussed important global and local issues in a way that I could understand. This is not even mentioning the Google books section. This separate section could be titled Google Books Kids which would filter all relevant search results for particular children's books.
There may also be a grade or age tab which changes the age and reading ability of each child to accomodate their own particular comprehendability. A child may be able to learn anything ranging from the anatomy of the body to the scary Bush government in a non-offensive yet educationally beneficial manner. Just imagine the possibilities.
Ruthann I salute you! What a great suggestion. I want in!
There is something somewhat similar to it now but it is so limited and Ruthann's suggestion sounds so much more appealing.

On programming...

I would like to take the time this week to share with you some interesting things about programming. I am currently registered for the group project as a programmer and as such I, along with several others, am responsible for creating the working program for our presentation. The program we have decided to use is processing and, once some rudimentary level of understanding is achieved, it should provide the class with a working and functional computer program for our display.
Programming, from what it appears to be at this point, is not difficult. Computer programming has come a long way in recent years and, with programs such as python and processing, now it is possible to learn commands through language as opposed to code. This transition, although perhaps difficult for seasoned programmers, has proven to be quite successful for one trying to learn from scratch. The new language allows users to program with little or no difficulty because the commands are often simple prompt words such as size, ellipse and line. These words, when they are followed by a numerical formula of some sort, appear on the screen as working graphs, charts and visual displays.
Our Harvey project will benefit greatly thanks to our, (mainly Bill at this point), abilities to program. If, for example, we are to show a blockage of some sort it may be possible to program the project to show, on screen, what is actually happening in the heart with respect to heart rate, pressure and so on. This will be able to give us a hands-on, visual representation which can be very appealing for our particular target audience. The difficulty for me at this point is learning all the particular prompts in the programming language. It is however something that takes time. I hope the rest of you guys are coming along nicely with your contributions and it should be quite interesting to see how everything will come together.

The Hearts Beat...

This year our class has undertaken quite an interesting group project. We have tackled the task of presenting William Harvey's translation of the circulation of the blood. In this task we shall attempt to create a working model of what it is that transpires when the heart beats. This may seem to be a straightforward task but by having done some surface level research it is beginning to appear increasingly difficult.
How is it possible for us to create a working model of the heart considering how complex the human heart is. Composed of Arteries, Capillaries, Ventricles, Veins and even the lungs the heart is one of natures most fascinating organs and as such, one of the most difficult to depict. If I may go out there and make a suggestion I would say the following:

The human heart, when functioning properly, serves to circulate blood through our system. It carries proteins and nutrients and provides the body with oxygen. It is a vital organ and is crucial in the proper functioning of our body. Would it then not be beneficial to depict what happens when the heart is NOT working properly? What if, as a part of our experiment, we showed things such as hypertension. This type of issue which affects a huge percentage of the population would lend itself in assisting us with our task. By a process of deduction we can see how essential the proper functioning of the heart is. We can display systolic and diastolic pressure and as each one fluctuates we can see the visual effects of them on the heart.

This project appears to be very promising. Though it is, and will continue to be, a group effort each individual must continue to contribute a share in order for us to properly achieve our goal. This project, when completed, will reflect on our ability to work together (while simultaneously independently) and come to understand one of natures greatest marvels.

On Public History

Public History is the practice of conveying history to an audience that is not specialized in the field of history being presented - generally this means a non-academic audience. Public history is history that both engages the public and invites the public to participate in the writing of history.

How appropriate that I use an internet definition, Wikipedia, to define what is commonly referred to as Public History. I will be honest by saying that prior to submitting my application for Graduate school I had not even heard of Public History. Although the term itself seems somewhat self explanatory I think there is much more to being a Public Historian than is recognized. Despite having chosen the coarse history stream I think it would have been both interesting and rewarding to have chosen the Public stream.

Public Historians have an important task ahead of them. As our readings show information is multiplying at a rate quicker than we can comprehend. With this influx of new information it will be essential to somehow relay this new information to the general public. A public that has also increased because of growing accessibility to resources and material thanks to the internet. It is however unfair to say that the responsibility to relay, sort and come to terms with this material is solely the responsibility of the public historian. It is all of our responsibility.

Through innovative methods and techniques it is our responsibility as proponents of the importance of studying history that the best and most accurate information be presented to our general public. This must be done in a way that is comprehensible, stimulating and yet resourceful. Whether a career is chosen in a government field, a library, a university or wherever your research may take us it becomes essential that we come to terms with the direction we as historians are headed. Perhaps most importantly though is the question of where the material we are studying is or will be headed in the future.

Digital mistake!

Well another week has passed and I am going to take this time to vent some of my frustration on my blog!! My blog this week is a way for me to release some of my bottled up anger towards Bell Home telephone.
So the story goes... I temporarily resided at an apartment in east London last year, 1 week to be exact, where I had agreed to activate a home telephone line through Bell. After 7 days I realized that this was clearly not the area of the city best suited for me, as many come to see, and moved out shortly thereafter. I phoned Bell where they conveniently made sure to "record our conversation for quality assurance and educational purposes". This honestly makes me laugh. I spoke with a representative who was kind enough to cancel my home telephone as well as my internet. I was advised to send in the modem and that a $30 cancellation fee would apply; which I paid shortly after. I moved out of the apartment into a different location and forgot about my brief, and clearly illusive, interaction with Bell and continued on my regular life.
So what's the big deal you ask?
Last week, as in the week of Sept. 8th/2008, I get a letter in the mail, magically to my new address, indicating that I have a delinquent past due balance remaining on my account in the amount of $180. Thinking to myself that it was probably a mere "Digital mistake" I phoned Bell only to be informed that I had 1 week to pay the balance otherwise my credit would become affected. Bell claims that my conversation with them had never occurred and they had no record of my phone conversation. All that they said was that I would need to provide them with my "telephone cancellation confirmation number" so that they may review the file. Well my question to them is WHO KEEPS THEIR CANCELLATION NUMBER FROM 1.5YRS AGO?????
Bell was extremely unhelpful with the matter and to make things worse they did not seem the slightest bit concerned to lose me as a potential future customer.
Where did the mistake occur? Where did everything go wrong? Should they not at least compromise with me considering not a single phone call, according to their current records, was made from then until now? This is ridiculous!
Well to make a long story short.... well actually a long story longer, I am no longer going to deal with Bell under any circumstance! I am disappointed with their service and most of all it baffles me how swiftly and punctually companies like Bell take your money but how slow they are to correct their mistakes.

- Thanks for hearing me out!!

My Alpha

My professional blogging career begins here. Having no previous experience or even interest in blogging I find myself almost at a loss for words. Being loud mouthed, vocal and border line unceremonious at times this is a quite an unusual place for me. I will however say this. Blogging is an innovative way for one to express his or her opinions through a medium that allows for the greatest amount of agency possible. One has to be aware however that this can be as dangerous as it can be beneficial.

The WWW. has ushered in an era of unprecedented change, to say the least. It can be compared in its effects to that of Gutenberg's work in the 15th century. The difference is however the Internets shock value upon its arrival. It would appear that we live in age of incessant change. Change that occurs so rapidly our minds fail to appreciate one innovation before another one is advertised. What can we expect to happen if technological advancements are made at such an incomprehensible pace? Will technology defile our ability to move forward? Perhaps I was too young when the internet came to the fore but I think many simply take it for granted. We all know what happens when people take things for granted.

What I am trying to say here is that the internet is an outward expression of technological advancement. When an ever changing medium as potent as the internet is either used in the wrong ways, for the wrong purposes, or disregarded for its powerful effects it can prove to be disastrous. One has to take into account how the internet can become beneficial for us and how we can organize this medium in a safe comprehensible way so that it will not self destruct.

It's all about me.

Hello everyone,



My name is Simon Rygal. I am a student enrolled in History 9808: Digital History and I find myself excited yet somewhat apprehensive. The nervousness stems from my realization that the study of the Digitalization of History is unlike anything I have ever encountered. That being said I am hopeful it will make for an interesting and rewarding experience.

I graduated with an Hon. B.A in History: Minor Rel. Studies at Kings. I was born in Poland and lived in Germany for a few years before moving here in 1991. I plan on completing my M.A. in History and moving on to either Ph.D or Teachers College. Well I am pretty excited about this upcoming year and I will see you in class.



- Simon

I've been Blogged!

Well? What is all this?

Blogging!!

BLOG BLOG BLOG, besides being fun to say and sounding like a 60's horror flick, Blogging is realizing itself as the wave of the future in communication.

I am glad to be aboard!

- Source85