The Grateful Dead and Digital Audio/Video This week's readings about the debates and technologies of digitizing audio and video are well exemplified by the music and fans of the rock band, The Grateful Dead ("The Dead" from this point forward). From its lifetime of 1965-1995, and in the various incarnations still touring (Dead and Company is in DC in November, and Phil Lesh is playing in DC in October), the band built a loyal and deadicated fan base, many of whom toured with the band for multiple shows or tours. Fans started recording (aka "bootlegging") shows and shared/traded (and some evil fans sold) them with other fans. In the 1980's, the band openly embraced the recording and trading, and even set up tapers' sections for fans with recording equipment. The Dead eventually hired an Archivist to start organizing their collection of recordings in "The Vault," and he restored and preserved these concert recordings. The Grateful...
Crowd Sourced Projects Technology now allows easy collaboration, reviews, inputs, and cooperation on crowd sourced projects and research. Historians once had to identify and convince collaborators or partners to work on a project. Appeals to the public or peers had to use phone, mail, conferences, etc.. Now, with a few clicks or a video camera, a historian can post a problem and ask peers, historians, or the public at large to help. I am not aware of any Northern Virginia related crowd sourcing projects, but the Netflix series Making a Murderer and the Podcast Serial energized the public about unsolved crimes, or questionable investigations, trials, and convictions. These have spawned many Podcasts that examine cases and ask local communities and listeners to contribute and help. Some popular Podcasts are Up and Vanished , Truth and Justice , Breakdown , Undisclosed , and Actual I...
Project Status Update I signed up for an ArcGIS trial account which allowed me to upload files and media. I looked at a few examples and started playing with the tools/features. I am still learning, but I have gotten more comfortable with the program. Editing/controlling the uploaded media is difficult (ie: rotating or re-sizing a JPEG). For research, I visited the Bull Run Battlefield National Park twice and took notes and pictures of the key terrain and locations. Using several books and online references, I have sketched out a timeline of the battle which will direct my ArcGIS Cascade. I am starting with a short overview of the Civil War's start, followed by the skirmishes that led to the battle. I will then cover the fights on Matthews Hill, Henry Hill, Chinn Ridge, and then the Union withdrawal/retreat. I have the data I need, now I just need to build the briefi...
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