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The historiography of data refers to the study of the history of data, including its origins, development, and use over time. This field of study encompasses the history of data collection, storage, analysis, and dissemination, as well as the cultural, social, and political context in which data has been used. It also includes the study of the different ways data has been represented, stored and managed over time, as well as how data has been used to inform decision-making, knowledge production and to shape the way we see the world.

The historiography of data can be traced back to the early days of computing, when data was primarily used for scientific and military purposes. “Data” prior to this was predominately book keeping. Works like Inventing Accuracy shows how data and metadata evolved. Data on missile accuracy rates, ranges, or circular error probabilities (CEPs) across different periods of time was the “data stuff” that made up the Cold War. Weapons technology and their delivery was the focus of both the politics and the economy of these decades leading to spin off technologies like the cell phone, personal computer and the internet itself.

As technology progressed in the 1960s and data storage and processing capabilities improved, data became more widely used in various fields, including business, government, and society at large. With the advent of the internet and the proliferation of digital devices, data has become an integral part of daily life, and its collection, storage, and analysis have become big businesses.

The study of the historiography of data also includes the examination of data’s impact on society, such as how it has been used to shape public policy, influence elections, and impact individuals’ privacy. There has been a growing interest in the field of late, with scholars and researchers across various disciplines, such as history, sociology, computer science, and information studies, exploring different aspects of the history of data.

Visual representation and the historiography of data are two fields of study that are deeply interconnected. Both are concerned with understanding how information is presented, stored, and interpreted, and both have a profound impact on our understanding of the world around us. In this post, we will explore the academic connection between these two fields and how they interact with each other and how this interaction implicates art history.

In the field of visual representation, the focus is on how images, charts, maps, and other forms of visual media are used to convey information. This includes studying the design principles behind effective visual communication, as well as the social and cultural factors that shape the way we interpret visual data. By understanding the ways in which visual representation can influence our perceptions, we can develop a better understanding of the role of images in shaping our understanding of the world.

The historiography of data, on the other hand, is concerned with the history of data, including its origins, development, and use over time. This field of study encompasses the history of data collection, storage, analysis, and dissemination, as well as the cultural, social, and political context in which data has been used. It also includes the study of the different ways data has been represented, stored and managed over time, as well as how data has been used to inform decision-making, knowledge production and to shape the way we see the world.

When we bring these two fields of study together, we can start to see how visual representation and the historiography of data are intertwined. For example, we can see how early forms of data visualization, such as maps and charts, were used to convey information to rulers and leaders, and how this use of visual representation has evolved over time to include everything from data visualization in scientific research to infographics in news articles.

We can also see how visual representation and the historiography of data have been used to shape public policy, influence elections, and impact individuals’ privacy. By understanding the ways in which visual representation and data have been used in the past, we can develop a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which these tools are being used today, and how they may be used in the future.

Visual representation and the historiography of data are closely connected. By understanding the ways in which visual representation has been used to convey information throughout history, and how data has been collected, stored, and analyzed, we can gain a deeper understanding of the world around us and how it has been shaped by the information we use to make sense of it. As we continue to live in an increasingly data-driven world, it is crucial that we understand the ways in which visual representation and the historiography of data interact with each other, to better navigate and make sense of the information that surrounds us.

So doesn’t that mean that art history is important here as well?

Maybe the title of this blog post should be: Art history, the historiography of visual culture, and data science.

Art history is the study of art and visual culture throughout history, including the study of art movements, artists, and the social and cultural context in which art was created. The historiography of visual culture is similar, but it also encompasses the study of non-artistic visual media, such as photography, film, and advertising. Both art history and the historiography of visual culture focus on understanding how visual media has been used to convey meaning and how it has been shaped by the cultural, social, and historical context in which it was created.

Data science, on the other hand, is the study of the collection, storage, analysis, and interpretation of data. This includes the use of statistical and computational methods to extract insights and make predictions from data. In recent years, data science has increasingly been applied to the study of art and visual culture. For example, researchers have used data science techniques to study art movements, identify patterns in artworks, and to analyze the styles of individual artists.

One of the ways in which art history, the historiography of visual culture and data science are related is through the use of computational techniques to analyze and interpret visual data. For example, data scientists might use machine learning algorithms to classify artworks by style or to identify patterns in the way that artists use color. This can help art historians and other scholars to better understand the visual culture of the past and to identify patterns that would have been difficult to detect through more traditional research methods.

The use of data visualization techniques can also be used to present and analyze the information collected through art historical research. This can help to make the data more accessible and understandable to a wider audience.

Art history, the historiography of visual culture, and data science are related in the sense that they all deal with the understanding and interpretation of visual data, but they approach it from different angles and perspectives. Data science techniques and tools can be used to enhance the study and understanding of art and visual culture, and art historical research can provide context and meaning to the data generated by data science methods.

I love Star Wars and all that. I haven’t read any Star Wars but I have watched all of the movies and the prequels. The various cartoon series have been hit or miss for me but I am really enjoying the Bad Batch for the visuals most of all. I like the storyline but am not quite sure where it is heading.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is the latest animated TV series to be added to the Star Wars franchise. Set after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, this series follows the journey of a group of elite and experimental Clone Troopers known as the Bad Batch as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy. With its high-quality animation style, the Bad Batch is set to be a treat for both Star Wars fans and animation enthusiasts alike.

The animation style of the Bad Batch is one of the show’s standout features. The series is animated in a 3D computer-generated style, which provides a fresh and modern take on the Star Wars universe. The animation style is detailed and highly polished, with a clear focus on creating a visually stunning world for the viewers. The character designs are inspired by the designs from the original Clone Wars animated series, but with an updated look that reflects the more recent style of the Star Wars franchise.

One of the most impressive aspects of the animation style is the attention to detail given to the characters’ movements and expressions. The animation team has done an excellent job of bringing the characters to life, making them look and feel like real beings. Whether it’s the way they move or the expressions they make, each character feels unique and distinct. This level of detail helps to make the series more immersive and engaging, as the characters’ actions and reactions are believable and grounded in the world they inhabit.

The environments in the Bad Batch are equally impressive, with each planet and location having its own distinct look and feel. From the bustling cityscapes to the desolate deserts, each location is expertly crafted and brings the Star Wars universe to life in a way that is both believable and awe-inspiring. The attention to detail extends to the use of lighting and shadows, which helps to give the environments a sense of depth and realism.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is a visually stunning animated series that is sure to impress fans of both Star Wars and animation. The high-quality animation style helps to bring the series to life and creates a believable and immersive world for the viewers. With its attention to detail and impressive character designs, the Bad Batch is a must-watch for anyone who loves animation and the Star Wars universe.

I’m using ChatGPT to write posts but find that the prompt engineering, like in midJourney, takes time to understand. It’s almost as much work to write it myself but here we are.

Where ChatGPT excels is listing stuff. I asked for some foreign examples in the post-apocalyptic genre from Europe 1900-1970.

“La Nuit des Temps” (Ice People) by René Barjavel (1968) – This French novel is set in a future world that has been devastated by a new ice age, and follows the story of a group of survivors who discover a way to travel back in time.

“Niekas nenorejo mirti” (Nobody Wanted to Die) by Viiljamas A. Padvejas (1962) – A Lithuanian science fiction novel about a post-apocalyptic world in which the majority of the human population has been wiped out by a mysterious disease, and a small group of survivors must find a way to rebuild.

“Alraune” by Hanns Heinz Ewers (1911) – A German science fiction novel set in a future world in which a war has wiped out most of humanity, and the remaining survivors must find a way to rebuild and restore order.

The world of post-apocalyptic storytelling has been a source of fascination for many for decades. From the pages of books to the screens of films and TV shows, tales of survival and hope in a world ravaged by disaster have captivated audiences. One recent addition to this genre that has left a lasting impression is the television series “The Last of Us.”

Set in a world devastated by a fungal pandemic, the series follows the journey of Joel and Ellie, two unlikely allies on a mission to cross the country and find a resistance group known as the Fireflies. Their journey is a heart-wrenching tale of survival and human connection in a world where life as we know it has been forever altered.

What sets “The Last of Us” apart from other post-apocalyptic stories is its unique setting and the mastery of its storytelling. The origin of the pandemic sets the series apart, allowing for a focus on the science behind the collapse of civilization. The world of “The Last of Us” is brought to life through expertly crafted environments, from the overgrown ruins of cities to the lush forests, creating a sense of place that is both desolate and alive. The game’s sound design, which effectively uses environmental sounds to create a feeling of danger or serenity, further reinforces this sense of place.

The relationship between Joel and Ellie is the beating heart of the series, and their journey together is both touching and intense. The writing is top-notch, with well-developed characters and a well-paced narrative that keeps the viewer engaged from start to finish. The series’ use of cinematics is also noteworthy, as they effectively convey emotional moments and provide insight into the characters’ motivations and relationships. The voice acting, particularly the performances of Troy Baker as Joel and Ashley Johnson as Ellie, adds depth to the characters and brings the story to life.

In terms of visual imagery, “The Last of Us” is a feast for the eyes. The series’ use of light and color effectively sets the tone for each scene and underscores the emotional weight of the story. From the golden hues of a peaceful sunset to the sickly greens of a quarantine zone, the visual imagery of “The Last of Us” immerses the viewer in a world unlike any other.

“The Last of Us” is a standout in the post-apocalyptic genre, offering a unique take on a familiar theme. Its mastery of storytelling, expert world-building, and stunning visual imagery make it a must-watch for fans of the genre and anyone looking for an emotionally gripping tale of survival and hope.

I was out for dinner with friends and discussed AI including AI and art and whether or not it is “art.” It was interesting since most arguments boil down to the fact that there isn’t enough human intervention!

I made this comic this morning by asking for a single frame comic in the style of The New Yorker then added text in Affinity Photo since MidJouney is really bad at text.

Where did the day go? Oh, right. ChatGPT can create some really good prompts for MidJourney when set up the right way. Here are a few of my favourites from today. I want to learn how to do better landscapes. But I am loving the schematics and blueprints.

Diving into AI with ChatGPT is bad enough but midjourney really impressed me and kept me up into the small hours last night. Here are a few renderings. I will add the prompt below the images. I have been using ChatGPT to build prompts but simple declarative statements deliver some great results.

Speaking of ChatGPT, here is a good article in The Atlantic on the potential that ChatGPT will put white collar workers out of work. I will find a research paper that I worked on years ago looking at an Oxford study on the impact of AI on labour markets and link it here with my other older documents. I converted their probability tables (based on SOC occupations used in the UK) into NOC to see the potential impact on recent immigrants to Canada – spoiler alert – bad for telemarketers, not bad for drug rehabilitation counsellors.

I was looking for a good series to binge after White Lotus and someone at my gym suggested Severance. I got a real “Lost” vibe from the show right from the start, some behind-the-scenes mysterious group controlling both the characters and us, the viewers – a common trope in contemporary drama. What are these employees doing? What is really happening? The Jim Carry movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was top of mind as well: how removing individual memories unravels the consistency that is the hallmark of the Self.

First off, as someone who appreciates cinematography, some of the location shots were pretty spectacular, the parking lot and the building interior were quite beautiful, allowing the architecture of the public spaces freedom as opposed to the claustrophobic spaces of the offices and the hallways that the workers inhabit. Like that hallway to the break room that John Turturo paints, the tightness of the working space is palpable.

I didn’t know that Ben Stiller directed but I noted he directed most of the first season. The characters unfold through the story until each revelation adjusts your understanding of what is “really” going on: whether cleaning the ocean, a more mundane experiment by a ego fueled billionaire, anonymizing state sanctioned killing, or some other mysterious earth saving initiatives (that was one of the connections that I had with the cultish Dharma Initiative on Lost), I am sure that we won’t ever know.

And malicious because of the hidden aspect of the work. Much like how the Milgram shock experiments showed the corporate banality of evil expressed by Hannah Arendt, hiding what each individual does, even to themselves, allows evil. Abstracting humans into data is bad enough.

I also didn’t know that Christopher Walken was in this so a big surprise when he entered the frame. His work at Lumen is as bizarre as the others and his presence adds even more weight to each scene that he inhabits.

What is up with that brother in law? Why do I get the impression that he is more behind this cult then we are led to believe? He reminds me of Patrick Swayze’s character in Donnie Darko. And why do I keep thinking about his explanation for the three beds in the kids room and its connection with the process of severance itself?

Not a lot of traffic about this show on Reddit but I did learn that they started filming season 2 a few months back so I eagerly anticipate its launch. The Guardian has a good season 1 wrap up from February 2022 here.

How we do this is by the art of comparison and proportioning. Analogies and metaphors are inferences and arguments about objects, necessarily phenomenological. It is nonsense to say that this object is different from that object but is the same. Aristotelian categorization and mathematical Platonism, let alone a Newtonian imperative and Schrondinger’s cat, demand that difference be expressed.

As a thought experiment: if there were only 2 things in the universe, their difference can only be explained in terms of the other.

You create other objects with these parts of speech : bracketing two objects, one (or both) of which can be the self. But you cannot use these parts of speech to define an object itself; rather, you use these things to magically cast objects into being the same way that you use other types of figurative language such as antithesis, hyperbole, metonymy, or simile. Your use case may be deductive, inductive, exploratory, didactic, revelatory, obscurant or humorous. You may express this in rhetoric or painting or song and your success may or may not be as robust as desired by both you or your audiences.

In the fractal of the present, the time of creation, then, is the splendid feeling of Goethe. And while Goethe argued that “modernity” was destroying this sense of the “now” or the “present”, it can be argued that it is only an arrogance of persistence that does so and once freed from this constraint, harmony is restored.

This arrogance of persistence is the way that I see Tristan Gracia’s substantive challenge: seeing objects before we figure out the variables that we (as humans) are using to grasp it. This seems to be simply affects and aesthetics, concerned with how things are understood. But without vectors since objects have vectors, not Tools. Hence the issue with deploying Garcia’s thinking in a world of literal objects.