One of the themes in H.G. Wells’ writings from the 1930’s published collectively under the title World Brain is the inadequacy of the education system. What are some of his chief complaints about the system, and how many of those complaints remain, in your view, relevant today? (Feel free to use personal experience to illustrate your points, but…[Read more]

Note: Allison, Holly, and Michael do not have to write a response to this question, since they’ll be presenting in class Monday.

There’s much food for thought in Vannevar Bush’s classic 1945 essay “As We May Think.” Later this week, in conjunction with our look at race/gender/class/nation in the digital humanities, we’ll want to talk about the…[Read more]

Now that you’ve read Chapter 7 of Gleick’s The Information, write something in response to each of the following questions:

• How did the chapter change your understanding of what a “computer” is? How had you thought about this word before? How would you define it now? Why the change?
• How did the chapter change your understanding of what…

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Having read Chapter 3 of James Gleick’s The Information, “Two Wordbooks,” share the following:

• the fact in the chapter that surprised you most
• at least one connection that comes to mind between Gleick’s chapter and Metadata
• at least one question that the chapter makes you want to know the answer to

Before posting, be sure to read what…[Read more]