John Lemza's Clio II Blog

Blog Postings for 28 February 2010

Postings left for colleagues:

Dan Gifford: I agree with Dan's criticisms of the digital non-standards based environment and the challenges it poses for our work.

Dan Ludington: I agree with Dan's criticism that Tufte used perhaps too many case studies and examples, although I did pick-up a few good parlor tricks with cards and magic.

Curtis Vaughn: I agree with some of Curtis's frustrations; based on mutual experiences!

Visual Veracity

Just as I discovered some element of relative comfort in Edward Tufte’s instructive constructions in Visual Explanations the suggestion came to mind that it was at least a first cousin of Franco Moretti’s Graphs, Maps, Trees. Both Tufte and Moretti use narrative text and diagrammatical contrivance to describe abstract concepts, and both do it fairly well. Last semester Moretti’s trees seemed to be a target worthy of a casual lampoon, but this semester he emerges apparition-like from Tufte’s penumbra to display some real sense (Tufte is the elder, having published first in 1997, Moretti shuffling behind in 2005). Both are about visual displays of information and the correct and incorrect interpretation of data (hats off to the brewery boys who stayed away from the Broad Street Cholera Pump). (30) But central to Tufte’s argument is the cohesiveness and integrity of visual evidence. As he unfolds his approach he engages in a useful, if not entertaining, set of devices to demonstrate design, scale, de-quantification, relationship, integrity, clarity, cause and effect, and parallelism, to cite a few. Peeking under his charming flaps (which must have caused the publisher fits and us a few pennies more) I realized that Tufte may have just as well been instructing us in writing. That epiphany came just as I arrived at his textual example of Gibbon’s narrative parallels (79). That cerebral bridge having been established it appeared easy to understand that both the visual and narrative bodies carry the burden of proof on their shoulders. For the analog historian the crafting of the word is the thing, for the visual artist the image is central. But for the new media journeyman the word and the image are twined imperatives. The digital page must engage both employing available devices in an effective Tuftesque manner to underwrite the veracity of its argument. That’s the charter for our digital design, keeping in mind also Occam’s prescription.’

Text Assignment Upgrade or Clean-Up on Aisle Five

I received some great comments and suggestions from Beka regarding both my portfolio page and my text assignment. I appreciate the creative artistic lens she applied when studying my work, especially the observations regarding the use of color. Color has always been a weak spot for me and although I can tell the red light from the green at an intersection I struggle to select black socks from among the navy blue (that's my daughter's job as most women don't seem to have this challenge). It doesn't help either that my bionically reconstructed right eye (thanks Uncle Sam) interprets light, color, and size differently than my left eye. So Beka's comments are indeed welcome. I will add as a caveat however, that the pages I construct in Dreamweaver appear slightly different when they are presented on the GMU host, especially in subtle shades of color. I appreciate all suggestions as I continue to rework the pages and continue with my 'clean-up on Aisle Five.' Thanks! 

Blog Postings for 19 February 2010

I just critiqued the text assignment pages of the two colleagues who follow me alphabetically in class. THe comments were posted to their blogs.

I reviewed the work of Dan Ludington and Alexander Lesanu. Dan has done a particularly good job with his background and use of text. A nice site that works well with his portfolio page!

Blog Postings for 14 February 2010

Posting's left for colleagues:

Gretchen Beasley: I appreciated her comments on learning a new [digital] language.

Lynn Price: I agree with her feelings about the constancy and tangibility of books.

Laszlo Taba: I concur with his thoughts on the social changes derived from new media.

Curtis Vaughn: I agree with his thoughts on copyrights of intellectual materials and the gates that can be created.

The Late Great Kate

While taking a quick second read of Gert Himmelfarb’s “Where Have All the Footnotes Gone?” this weekend I was struck by her comments regarding the late Kate Turabian (Kate Larimore Turabian, Feb 26 1893-Oct 25 1987). The former University of Chicago doyen of manuscript minutiae is still renowned for her permanent imprint on the rules governing the publication of theses and dissertations. A copy of her Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations sits on my bookshelf nearly alone, its only companion is The Little, Brown Handbook. The other books seem to shun them both. But in thinking of the strict rules of compliance that Turabian produced and which possess “the quality and authority of a covenant” I began to consider digital composition. In a structural sense I think that we as new media historians are still bound by rigid strictures of form that Turabians of the past have laid down. CSS style sheets provide the structure for digital creators much as the Chicago Style Manual does for the pen and parchment crowd, and just as Turabian could be a cruel mistress with a red correction pencil stuck in her graying bun the CSS can be even less forgiving - one mistake can net you 22 cascading errors. So, not very much seems to have changed. But there the similarity ends. Creative freedom enters along with html and the ability to modify, color, re-color, resize, insert, crop, and generally derive gestalt from our web creations without fear of punitive punishment. Veracity of content can remain but it is in the presentation that it departs from the surly bonds of analog styling and gives flight to the creativity of the imagination and inspires new scholarship without fear of trespassing on limiting “arcane and inviolable rules.” Perhaps a new Turabian will one day appear to place the governors on web creativity. Yet lest we mourn her passing there’s already a link to the eTurabian Citation Generator! Link to eTurabian 

Blog Postings for 8 February 2010

Two more comments on colleague's postings as we all catch up with our work:

Rwany's post on a Shoestring was, as always, insightful and right on the mark.

Toni Bowman's post on John Henry Twachtman's Round Hill Road was both lyrical and as refreshing as the pacific snow it described.

Blog Postings for 7 February 2010

I've responded to only two colleagues this week. I'll generate a few more prior to the Stupor Bowl later today. So far I've touched:

Dan Gifford and his fear of inserting footnotes, 'footnotitis.'  As we said as kids, "You go ahead, I'll watch."

Laszlo Taba and his comments regarding typography and rules and code. Can't wait to see his final project documentary. New media in action!

The Digital Polyglot

Sepoy’s two part Polyglot Manifesto reminded me of the many readings we had in Clio I which challenged traditional scholarly humanities thinking and pointed the way out from the confines of a brick and mortar mentality. The call to become a “connector” for history springs from that realization that our corner of the humanities may be left behind by younger generations of digital-savvy students and scholars who value the immediacy of on-line knowledge over that of the 5 mile-an-hour world of the dusty, yellowed analog. Although challenged by at least one blog responder who smugly commented “who cares?” boring history in a book will still be boring digitized history, it’s important that we look beyond that myopic view. Digitization expands the circle of communication and casting the net wider means drawing in more researchers, more students, and more scholars. At the very least it creates greater exposure and surely this means that in the game of percentages there’s bound to be someone interested in the content. At the very most it means that greater exposure through digitization invites collaboration which can act as a catalyst to refine that which already exists or serve to create new bodies of scholarship. This is a chance that must be taken, but taken responsibility so that the opportunity is not squandered. Historians must learn the new language not necessarily so that they become absolute masters of the digital realm but rather that they can ensure the veracity of their information through a vehicle that invites interest. Constructing that vehicle -- website or database, requires a certain grasp of the grammar. In a philological sense we must understand the constructs of the digital language to become effective in our task.

 

The variety of readings, books and articles, offered thus far in Clio II serve to provide some of the necessary tools we’ll need to become the competent “connectors” that Sepoy calls us to become. The challenge will be in the effective and deliberate application of the keys, tips, and devices that we accrue. While at the moment I see my project trapped in a Boschian-like world of confusion and misshapen forms I hope to eventually apply my learned skills to bring coalescence to things that will permit my content to speak loudly and clearly in a way that ‘connects’ history to a wider audience.

Blog Postings for 1 February 2010

My recent responses to colleagues' postings this week include:

Dan Ludington: 'Typing About Typing." I appreciated his comments on how our perceptions have changed from Clio I.

Tracy Fisher: "Making Reading Easier." I was struck by the truth of her comments regarding books with bad fonts, and bad spacing.

Dan Gifford: "I Hate My Portfolio." I can't agree, but then I'm a novice and each artist knows what he wants.

Alan Brody: "What the Menu Told Us." Menus will never appear the same after reading Alan's post. Bon Apetit!