Tag: Culture

Lots of collections of digital archives coming on line! Here is a link to documents relating to the Cold War at the Woodrow Wilson Centre including timelines, biographies, essays and the like. Great resource!

The emergence of an impersonal economic structure remains the core of the intellectual construct of “modernity”. I say “impersonal” since historians see this as the creation of forces that undermined the highly personal sociological framework of the family. But how did these forces operate in the real world? John Padgett and Paul McLean analyze the extensive archives and written records from 15th century Florence, a hub of international trade. It is in Florence that we see the necessity for the development of the requirements for extra-familiar interactions, in this case, letters of credit and exchange, in order to fuel long distance trade. Already innovative with the creation of techniques such as double-entry bookkeeping, Florentine financiers are the subject of this inquiry. What was the interaction between creditors and debtors from a financial perspective, and what does this tell us about the connection between sociology and economics in this early period: specifically, how does this issue fit within the larger framework of economic philosophy? According to the authors: Were impressive early capitalist business techniques really signs of a teleological breakthrough of the market from its traditional social shackles, as the master narrative of modernization would have it? Or instead were economic relations in the market embedded in, and hence reflective of, the surrounding social and political networks of the time, as anthropologically oriented historians have argued?

Excellent research on a fascinating topic that shows, among other things, the deep economic connections between the economy of Florence, the Tuscan countryside, and international exporters/importers. Using evidence that includes letters of credit and the actual accounting entries, the authors provide a surprisingly comprehensive analysis of a large percentage of quantitative data on commercial credit of both silk and wool manufacturers and their creditors in Florence in 1427 (using data from the tax census – catasto) and the connection between these credits and the various social relationships among these entities.

More here from JSTOR.

A great interview of Jurgen Habermas by Francis Fukuyama here. Habermas is discussing his new book The Crisis of the European Union: A Response. I am ordering it now. Habermas is always a must read!

I think that most historians would agree that the literature would suggest that while the Greeks ruled the sea, the Romans ruled the land. The recent discovery listed here showing the excavation of rams from the prows of Roman ships used in the Punic War puts new evidence on the table countering this traditional assumption. It does make sense, however, in light of the fact that the first Punic War (c.2250 BCE) lasted almost 24 years. You would expect that the Romans would work on perfecting their sea faring skills. This begs the question about the construction techniques used for these ships. Hopefully the sea floor scanning technology that uncovered these prows and remnants of ships will continue to contribute to our knowledge of this topic!

More information on this underwater archaeology project here.

A very interesting article here that argues for a mass, deliberate settlement of Australia rather than “accidental stranding.” The thesis of piece-meal settlement is difficult to support, especially if you think of the necessary genetic diversity needed to create a viable settlement. This article suggests 3000 people.

Check out this incredible video of a solar flare here. Oh right, a Coronal Mass Event, rather than solar flare….

This is an amazing example of the incredible work that these astrophysicists at Goddard do every day. Excellent multimedia at this site and available in multiple formats.

Tristan sent me this link today.

It is a trailer for an upcoming documentary about sign painting and sign painters. The trailer is compelling, establishing the dramatic element as sign making as craft versus the sign making machine that took over the market decades ago. Now the hand made sign is making a come back, or so I presume the documentary will show. One thing I found interesting is when one of the sign makers in the trailer says that old signs are art and he wants to make art. I agree and always notice these old signs in various urban cores. I’m going to look for some photos that I have taken of old and faded signs on the sides of buildings. I do know of one I see each day on my walk to work for an optometrist (?) on Bank Street that is quite old. I’ll take a picture of it tomorrow.

I’m hoping this documentary is as good as Garry Hustwit’s Helvetica from 2007 or Doug Wilson’s Linotype: The Film, both exploring typography and font design.

While currently still in Beta mode, the Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world. It strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science.

The developers have released an API that allows developers to utilize the massive amount of information in new an innovative ways. I will be sifting at this site for a while!