Fixing the Present Requires an Understanding of History
John Oliver presents a fairly devastating look at how history is taught in America and how that has contributed to our current problems.
Revisiting: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Our Story: Hamiltunes and the Burden of Founding Histories
Looking back at a 2015 post on the musical “Hamilton”, which raises questions about history and historical practice that reflects what scholars are and aren’t doing.
The Spread of Folklore, the Impact of Mass Media, and What Happens After Batman Smells
Regional variance in childhood jokes offers a fun look at the impact of mass media on culture.
The Font of the Future
Beloved by Stanley Kubrick, hated by Nazis — a look at Futura, the font of the future.
Getting Medieval On Popular Music
It’s Friday and we could all use a break. How about a “bardcore” cover of a Dolly Parton song?
Three Pulitzer Prize Winners Discuss Racism, Slavery, and Resistance in American History
A fascinating conversation among important authors about racism, history, and our current moment.
Happy Juneteenth!
Happy Juneteenth! Today we celebrate the oldest national commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Let us all continue to learn what we must learn, do what we must do, so that our nation can be what we want it to be.
Educating Ourselves: Ten Quotes from Researchers Exploring Issues Around Race
Shocking, sobering and thought-provoking quotes from, and links to, plain language summaries of research relating to systemic or institutionalized racism, white privilege, and related topics.
A Font for these Uncertain Times
Uncertain times call for distressed typography.
If I Knew Then What I Know Now
A time traveler goes back four months to explain to herself what’s been happening in 2020.
Ritual, Process, and Social Interaction: The World’s Oldest Surviving Video Rental Store
A visit to the world’s longest running video rental store and a lesson about the value of inconvenience.
What’s Old is New Again: The Lost Art of Typewriting
The novelty of using a typewriter and the value in slowing down.
AI Upscales 1896 Movie to High Definition
Artificial intelligence tools are used on a historical piece of footage to great effect.
Guest Post — Everything* You Ever Wanted to Know about Conference Proceedings But Were Afraid to Ask
Alex Birukou from Springer Nature offers an overview of Conference Proceedings publication, and how they straddle the line between journals and books.
Biology’s Impact on Counting Words
A short video about the words we use for counting and how biology influences both language and math.