24 posts tagged with history and media.
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Looking for videos on US political history
Like many people here in the United States, my spouse and I are not happy about the recent election here. But we did not get here without precedent; for example, the Nixon administration and Spiro Agnew specifically were very aggressive in demonizing the press as political enemies for reporting on the corruption rampant within that administration. What are some good videos we can watch with other (sympathetic) family members to help them understand the historical underpinnings of our current situation? Some examples of the sort of thing I am talking about below the fold: [more inside]
Examples of extracting information without tipping one's hand
In T. Kingfisher's The Wonder Engine, there's a scene where the characters enter an underground "Shadow Market" and have to glean information from people without giving away their identity and goals. I keep thinking about what a stressful predicament this is, and I'm interested in finding more examples of people having to enter an unfriendly environment to try to extract information without tipping one's hand. [more inside]
Examples of English as She is Spoke
What are your favorite instances in media of people pretending to speak a language they don't actually speak, either by memorizing phonemes or making stuff up? (Please skip the overtly racist stuff and focus on people who are punching up or at least punching laterally. No Chung Ling Soo, please.) [more inside]
Book request: human history of voting
Looking for a good deep dive on the human, global history of voting methods. Not looking for something necessarily American centric. Ancient methods of the written, oral and other types of tabulation of votes until current civilization (or parts thereof) are my preference. [more inside]
What else hath God wrought?
I think many of us know the first line transmitted by telegraph and the first thing said on a phone. But what were the first words transmitted by or recorded to other methods of communication and storage? [more inside]
Is this story about Star Trek real?
There's a scene in the classic Star Trek episode "The Naked Time", which is mostly known for shirtless Sulu, where he stands in front of Uhura and says "I'll protect you fair maiden!" And she says, "Sorry, neither." I noticed this tumblr post pop up on Facebook and Twitter in the last few days suggesting that Nichelle Nichols adlibbed that line. Is that true? [more inside]
Thanks (for the newspapers), Obama
On November 5th 2008 and November 7th 2012 here in London England, I tried to collect as many British newspapers as I could that featured Barack Hussein Obama II's historic election to the presidency of the United States. The whole world was united in pride for the US on both of those days.
Now that he's moving out of the White House, I feel like it's time to give them away; the question is, who gets them? [Preferably to someone in New York City. Sorry Duluth.] [more inside]
Earliest instance of Atlantis-as-spaceship depiction in media?
I've been watching the 1978-1979 Hanna-Barbera Godzilla series with my son. There's one episode where the characters encounter the lost city of Atlantis, which turns out to be an alien spaceship. The depiction is similar to the Atlantis city/ship from the Stargate TV series. I'm wondering when the earliest depiction of Atlantis as spaceship occurred. [more inside]
Help me learn more about the history and craft of television
I've always been more of a TV person than a movie person. Now I think I'd like to get more serious with my interest, and really delve into the history and theory of television, both in terms of the shows themselves and the industry behind them. Help me get started with this! [more inside]
NY Times Weekender Nostalgia Post
The Internet appears to have swallowed an almost ten-year old commercial from the NYTimes about its (then new) Weekender subscription service, which included the famous "Saturdays, the word alone makes me happy" comment. It was parodied here by the 92Y Tribeca (RIP) and was then revised by the NY Times. I am, however, looking for the original ad that ran in 2006 (according to this Time article). Was even able to locate the abridged version of the commercial, but can't find the original. MeFi's can you help me save this from the internet rabbit hole?
Teach Me About Art Storage.
My favorite part of museums these days are the visible storage units. My favorite part of natural history museums are old-fashioned drawers filled with air-tight cases. I want to know more about the history and practice of storing/preserving art objects, paintings, sculpture, textiles, etc. What books/websites should I be reading to find out more? The more weirdly medium specific and detailed the better. Strange anecdotes very much welcome.
The rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air
What are some subtle or lesser-known examples of current-day real-world USA being a dystopia? [more inside]
I want to know the history of the city without a history
Please recommend some books about the history of Southern California. I'm specifically interested in the evolution of car culture and the L.A. area as a cultural incubator. [more inside]
Would an alien radio pick up a cacophony or a damp fizzle?
If an alien located on a planet 100 light years from here was to switch on a big, multi-frequency radio receiver, and record all the noises coming from outer space for the next hundred years, on all frequencies, how many soap operas, advertisements and new broadcasts would they pick up from Earth? Would a mass-market radio, similar to our Earthly equivalents, pick up anything? Over time, as the number of Earth transmissions increases exponentially, would the alien pick up a cacophony or a damp fizzle? [more inside]
Around the electronic shag-carpet campfire.
Please recommend articles/books/etc. which talk about broadcast media and American suburbia in the 1970s and 1980s. [more inside]
Will my Facebook photos still be around in 600 years?
Can you point me to any good writing (research-based, speculative, or heck, even fictional) about the potential historical permanence or impermanence of digital media? I'm interested in both professional (theatrical movies, book publishing, maps...) and personal (digital snapshots, Livejournal, email...) forms of digital information storage. [more inside]
New theories of Mimesis (in digital/hypertextual/hypermedial cultures)
I am looking for writings on mimesis in regards new, digital, hypertext and hypermedial technologies and cultures. [more inside]
Great historical media collections
Where can I find lots of historical media? I'm looking for any kind of photos or film, newsreels, anything. [more inside]
You have a Shaker Knowldege Gift
Good books on Shaker history? [more inside]
Art and artifacts experienced through technology
How is the meaning of art and artefacts being altered by the methods we use to: Experience, Define and Preserve them... In other words, in what ways have technologies been used to experience, re-define and/or preserve art and artifacts? [more inside]
What are Web 2.0's effects on American politics?
I always hear that blogging and YouTube are (and/or will be) revolutionary in American politics. Is this true? How so? Can you recommend recent books, academic articles, extended blog posts and other media that demonstrate (or argue against) the effects of blogging, citizen journalism, social networking web sites and YouTube on American politics? Differing viewpoints would be appreciated!
What are the best recent articles on immigration?
Help me find illuminating, educating, eye-opening articles on immigration for a class I'm teaching at the Kennedy School of Government. [more inside]
What are key events in the history of international mass media?
What are important dates and events in the development of international mass media? I have this list so far, but any MeFites that have an interest in this area, please contribute! I have a specific interest in the development of media in the developing world.
Films / scenes that depict the pre-wired world?
A colleague of mine wants to show a film (or clips from various films) to her class of media undergrads to help them better understand the pre-wired world -- before the Internet, ubiquitous PCs, mobile phones, 300 cable channels, etc. -- and specifically the 1960s milieu of IBM mainframes, punch cards, and centralized computing. Are there any films or even scenes from films that come to mind?
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