Korean History
I spent last week at a 6-day training retreat for foreign teachers in Korea. As a result of this experience, I’ve been thinking about the role history plays in what I’ve seen of contemporary Korean culture. Look for a post about these thoughts in the next few days. Until then, have a look at this … Read more
History Matters
Since completing my MA in history, I been trying to decide what history (both as a concept and as a discipline) means to me and what role it plays in contemporary society. While I’ve not yet comes to terms with my relationship with history (and I probably never will), a story I read in my local newspaper … Read more
Link dump (or the Social Sharing of Curated Links)
I keep a Google Doc open whenever I’m online. If something catches my eye and I don’t have the time or mental energy to read it, I’ll copy the link into the open document. Since this document is now ten pages long and continues to grow by the day, I thought I’d share (in no … Read more
Podcrafting
Students and academics live itinerant lives. We move from school to school, city to city, and country to country in our search for knowledge and employment. This is both a blessing and a curse. One one hand, we get to meet people from all over the world, share new experiences, and make life-long friends. On the … Read more
Kinecting with the public
Despite remarkable sales, Microsoft’s Kinect for the Xbox 360 has yet to set the gaming world on fire. The majority of games that support the Kinect seem to be attempting to cash in on the popularity of the hardware, with a few notable exceptions. Even though I don’t own an Xbox and have virtually no … Read more
Think better
I think it would be safe to call Apple one of the most successful and influential companies in the world. In an interview with This is London, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Industrial Design Sir Jonathan Ive revealed the secret of Apple’s success — they do things better than anyone else. When asked what’s Apple’s goals are when designing … Read more
Museums, authority, and the democratizing internet
Yesterday I posted some of my reactions to Franklin’s TED talk about why museums matter in contemporary society. Today I wish to finish my thoughts regarding his lecture, focusing on how the internet has the potential to democratize the museum experience. To recap, Franklin outlines four key reasons why museums matter — they are: “1. … Read more
Intangibility matters
In his TED talk David Franklin says, “Art engages in art.” His talk is a defense of the museum in contemporary society, arguing that digital representations of art cannot replace the physical viewing of art. Tangibility makes museums matter. I believe, however, that intangibility can also make museums matter. There is something in human nature that … Read more
David Franklin on “Why Museums Still Matter.”
Interesting TED talk by David Franklin, the Director of the Cleveland Museum. I’ll post some thoughts I’ve had in response to this video in the coming days.
You say you want a resolution?
With the recent build-up to Apple unveiling its new iPad today, I’ve been reflecting on the two years that I’ve spent with my first-generation iPad. While I considered my iPad one of the best pieces of technology I’ve ever purchased, I’m conflicted about the potential applications for the device, both for myself and for society … Read more
