Web Dragons

“How can you tell if you arrived at the truth if you don’t know what the truth is?” – this is SO true for young historians.

I found that especially in the first two years of undergrad when one began their research for a paper there was almost too much information out there, and one was not sure what to use and what to trust. As more and more documents are being copied on to the internet, and the amount of journals keeps increasing and becoming more easily available there needs to be a larger focus in the earlier years of undergrad (but also in highschool) on determining the validity of a source. And the constant preaching that Wikipedia is bad, is not a sufficient enough response.

In this week’s readings I really enjoyed the authors account of the history of the library. One point I found interesting was the idea that the librarians’ role has changed over time, from trying to accumulate as many books as possible to now deciding what should be kept, disposed of, and what should be stored in the limited amount of archival space. Since last week I learned how all the internet data is stored by companies such as Google, I wonder from this what will survive. The authors’ of Web Dragons noted that humans have often kept information, but it often gets destroyed over time, such as the library in Alexandria. So this makes me think that even though we are currently storing mass amount of info, it probably won’t all survive, leading me to wonder what will future generations be using to analyze us.

But the way technology seems to be going I might have a time machine and be able to see.

Cyberspace Frontier

So I am half way through this weeks reading of Blown to Bits: Life, Liberty, and Happiness after the Digital Explosion and I am not sure how to feel. I have gone through quite a range of emotions while reading this from very panicked and paranoid to very passive that this will not actually affect me since I have no plans to commit a crime.

In grade ten I was an avid CSI (Las Vegas version) watcher, I was even in Las Vegas for a few days and purchased the shirt. And from my viewing thought I was knowledgeable about the need to remove one’s finger prints from any crime. However, now there is a new digital fingerprint that I am aware of, and really not sure what to do about it.

So I might not really care if the grocery store knows what I eat. But I hate the idea that my private information is said to be de-identified, but by using other public information one can re-identify my personal information.

However, I feel that we have only reached the shores of the Cyberspace frontier, and I am looking forward to see how society, especially the laws, adapts to this new ground.

Another year at Western!?!

So it is September again and I am back at Western for my fifth year.
 

I am excited to become a MASTER OF HISTORY (which should always be said in one of those deep powerful voices that shakes the room; example, when Aladdin enters the cave).

Now you may be wondering why I gave my blog its name.

Namely, because it’s the whole reason why I decided to study public history, I wanted to get out! (My ass is permanently engraved into one of the chairs in Taylor library. I liked studying there because those science students who all want to go to med school are freakishly intense and will verbally attack anyone who makes a noise, so it’s the quietest library.)

By get out I mean that I want to actually use my random historical knowledge in real life. Other then kick butt in Jeopardy when something in my field comes on.