Follow the link for the shared G-doc for this morning’s Zotero Workshop.

This afternoon’s conversation of GIS with Dr. Walker brought out a lot of great ways that GIS can be used to visualize and interpret data. I just wanted to share a few links to help folks get their feet wet.

If you are using GIS to collect/visualize data, you might want to play with Google Fusion Tables. These are basically database tools that can be used to export a KML file that can be viewed in Earth or Maps. If you have existing data, just import it to get started. They even have occasional grants to help pay for those pricey software developers!

If you want to make a tours or maps for end users, check out the Google Spreadsheet Mapper tool. Google provides spreadsheet templates that you fill in, which in turn updates a Earth layer or Map. Here’s a simple example I’ve done recently for a client that maps local chapters.

Here are some cool examples to get you started! Happy mapping!

It’s an age old tradition among humans as well as instinctive behavior…nurturing, protecting, and providing for newborn babies.  Science now has dazzling information to tell us what happens when we cuddle, what happens when we soothe, and what happens when we don’t.  New parents are instinctive artists when it comes to loving their babies.  They are scientists too, wanting the best and researching answers for the endless stream of questions that seem to start at conception. 

With great support and great inner resources, you can handle the art and science of welcoming the new family member.  In reality, there’s a lot of stress that goes with the new parenting 24/7 job.  My CEIM colleagues and I are respectful guides to a world of communication, connection, and competence. 

My aim is to have all new moms and dads ( in the US ) registering for infant massage class when their babies are 6 to 8 weeks of age.  Infant Massage educators are multi talented health professionals.  We have yet to strike the chord and stir the masses.  That’s why I’m here to network with humanists who know how to reach through technology.  I want to learn what will make us educators visible and what will enthuse parents to take advantage of our finely tuned and respectful guidance.   Helen Moses, CEIM and Trainer with Infant Massage USA and the International Association of Infant Massage  \in Alsvbyn Sweden.

Founders Quest

Mobile is a hot topic and I’m particularly interested in ways in which mobile tech can be used to engage audiences in community and cultural sites. It looks like we’ll have both content experts, informal educators, and mobile tech solutions represented (e.g. GPTrex, NextExitHistory, etc.), so this could be a great discussion.

It’s easy to connect digital content or “next steps” via QR codes, Google Earth, and such. How do we take the next step to use this great mobile tech to get folks to actually interact with the resource(s) in front of them? How do we extend this experience beyond the itty bitty smartphone screen? How do we attract and engage folks in learning? How do we give them more to explore?

I have seen a lot of success with using games to engage learners (e.g. UNC Chapel Hill’s Games4Learning program). I would love to hear how others approach this challenge.

I am very interested to know the best tool for on-line threaded discussions. This is for both research and teaching so that multiple people involved can guide the themes of the conversations. Thus, the responses are not chronologically organized, but thematically, and can create topically guided dialogues.

I am in the process of designing marketing materials for both fundraising and  publicity.  Both of these items will be used for a wide audience.

I have the task of designing  a module for Harry T. Moore in the Civil Rights timeline for the new National African American Museum of History and Culture that will be opening in 2015 in DC.  I have never done anything like this and am looking for any assistance that I can get in developing something that will be both suitable for this very prestigious environment and easily maintained from Florida.

With my participation in THATCamp, my hope is that we can find ways to link the digital aspect to public history initiatives. Within my time in the Public History program at UCF, I’ve discovered new and interesting ways to link the two, such as social media and Omeka. I’m hoping that we can explore ways of promotion/marketing and figure out ways to create a positive and useful relationship between the digital and the historical. Recently, this was utilized in a project regarding the Sanford Student Museum, in which myself and another graduate student used Omeka, Twitter, and Facebook in an effort to create more visibility and community building. A workshop focusing on the creative use of these digital tools to market and establish more emotional connections to historical buildings, museums, etc. could be quite helpful.

My path to participating in THATCamp Florida 2012 started in writing a business plan for investors that acquired a concept I developed of counting heartbeats while doing positive activities.

Over the last 3 years we have collected over 63 million heartbeats from people doing positive activities in over 42 Countries and 262 Cities including some of the following activities:

• Conducted several successful live town hall webcasts for important causes such as Childhood Obesity and Autism.
• Selected as 1 of 5 of the most innovative concepts to better our communities at the Gov 2.0 Expo 2010 Nonprofit Pavilion in Washington DC.
• Participated on World Heart Federation’s World Heart Day 2009 and 2010.
• Developed a Biofeedback Heartbeats counting application with coherence tracking heart sensor information to objectively measure human activities.
• Just wrote and self-published a Children’s Book Called Journey To Lushland about the subject.

Now, we are embarking on a most ambitious project to facilitate a widespread social movement counting heartbeats while chronicling one billion plus stories of happier and healthier lives.

My research led me to the Digital Humanities organization to explore ways of recording accurately these heartbeat stories that we hope will weave the positive mosaic of humanity to be studied and appreciated one hundred plus years from today.

I look forward to gaining more knowledge about the field of Digital Humanities at THATCamp Florida 2012 and apply that toward:

• Collecting heartbeats stories as a form of measuring Gross National Happiness that is a multi-billion dollar industry touching virtually all aspects of consumer, business, health, fitness, governments and local/national/global economics.
• Developing new market sponsorship opportunities for organizations for brands research and loyalty, ultimately attracting and retaining new customers and producing happier, healthier and productive professionals.
• Developing digital applications to assist in the pursuit of happiness for all humans to have total control over every aspect of their lives.
• Creating one of the best social enterprise models that will provide funding for proven directed Donor Advisor Funds to maximize long term community-based philanthropy.
• Including worldwide participation from anyone with a heartbeat including over 7 billion people and growing in over 225,000 communities and millions of organizations.
• Using next generation technology to display real-time heartbeat counters on digital signage marquee areas such as airports, malls, prime public foot traffic areas, hospitals and houses of worship.

I look forward to meeting with all of you and participating in your areas of interests.

I am concerned with bringing our small 501c3 board up to speed with a website and or other internet sites .  I feel learning more about the “Omeka” link, and how it works could not only benefit us but could be vital.  We need to grow and mature as a board. Until recently this had been a hard working board but we have lost many of those people.  There are a few people carrying the load now and others who simply sit and  volunter for events.   To succeed we must broaden our horizons and bring in better qualified members.  I am hoping this session at the “Unconference” will allow me to garner ideas and talk with others in the same situations.

My primary interest in attending THAT camp is learning more about Omeka and digital archiving in general, so I add my voice to the prior posts.

I am also interested in research methodologies surrounding digital archives. At a conference last weekend, I heard several presentations featuring research in which transcribed histories, blogs, and other digital repositories served as source material for rhetorical analysis. As my research this semester involves collecting oral histories, I wondered about the parameters and ethics surrounding these practices, and how often this kind of research is used. If anyone attending the conference this weekend has experience with this kind of research, I would be most interested in hearing their perspectives on the subject.

Campers, we would love for all of you to help participate in capturing the wonder that will be THATCamp Florida by recoding the weekend in whatever ways you feel comfortable. The great folks at THATCamp “National” at the Center for History and New Media @ George Mason University have encouraged the regional Camps to record, tape, blog about and tweet the event so help keep these fleeting moments for posterity. So, remember to tweet using the hashtag #thatcampfl and bring video or audio equipment, a camera, a smart phone or whatever you feel comfortable with this weekend so that we can preserve the weekend in the fine traditions of the digital archives.

Also, we encourage the creation and sharing of google docs for event to share notes on sessions, reflections on the event, maps, etc. Google docs are a great way to open collaborative work efforts this weekend that, we hope, will carry on after the Camp has ended. You can always tweet a link to your docs using our handy hashtag, of course.

Dear Campers, As you know, THATCamp Florida is a free event to attend, and includes a t-shirt and two days of catered breakfasts and lunches, as well as two days of intense conversation about the humanities and technology, of course. We do ask, in THATCamp tradition, for a contribution of $20 to help defray some of the costs involved. We are happy to collect that onsite this weekend, but thought that some of you might prefer to donate that money online via the UCF Foundation website. We ask that you make sure to choose the History Department in the drop-down menu on the site, so that the donation goes to the proper source. Thanks in advance for your generosity and we look forward to seeing everyone in a few days!

I propose a session where we discuss the social/organizational aspects of digital humanities collaborations. The goals would be to share our own experiences of collaborating and to consolidate some advice for scholars seeking to build new research partnerships in the digital humanities. We could explore, for example:

1. When do you work collaboratively?
2. How do collaborations arise? How do you seek out and engage collaborators?
3. How do you articulate points of intersection between a humanities research question and the research interests/expertise of scholars in other disciplines (including computer scientists)?
4. What is needed to sustain a successful collaboration?
5. How can collaborative work be disseminated effectively?

My session proposal is this. . . . and could be combined with what was just posted–

That in addiion to learning about Omeka next weekend. . .  interested others will  also want to discuss those “other” platforms or delivery systems that Omeka is at the “crossroads” of:

(1) Web Content Management Systems such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla

(2) Library and Archival Repository and Digital Collections Systems such as Fedora, Dspace, Greenstone, CONTENTdm

(3) Museum Collections Management and Online Exhibition Systems, such as PastPerfect

How do these alternative content management systems compare to Omeka? In what situations might they be more effective or an alternative? How does one know when an alternative system might be appropriate for academic or other use?

My original intent for participating in THATCamp Florida was to gain experience and make connections within the digital humanities community. In regards to the topics I hope will be discussed, Omeka is my primary interest. In what ways can we creatively use Omeka to digitally archive and present information to the public? What future do we see for Omeka and other similar software?

My interest is not solely within the Omeka software; rather, it is in digital tools that can help academics reach a broader public audience, by presenting information in a more interactive way. I would love to have a session where we can discuss different tools available to digital humanists that can help inform and engage the public.

An emerging and related interest of mine is connected to a new initiative by Apple Inc. called iBooks 2, and more importantly, iBooks Author. Apple has taken the lead in pushing digital textbooks. Alongside the announcement of digital textbooks Apple released a free publishing software called iBooks Author, which allows anyone to create and publish digital books onto Apple’s iBooks store. If enough attendees are interested I would like to discuss the impact of emerging digital textbook market and what that means for the public and academia.

The symposia project creates ensoniment (a term adapted from Jonathan Sterne’s Audible Past) of Plato’s Symposium using eleven distributed text to speech processes arranged in the positions of the speakers in the putative drinking party in which a number of participants conversed and gave extended monologues. Typical interpretations of the Symposium focus on concepts of love developed in the individual speeches, such as found in Wikipediaand countless introductions to English and surely German, French, and perhaps Latin translations. They mostly miss its careful study of character position within virtual realities implied by the text, and give little thought to its complex framing of narratives. (For example, the tension in the outer frame between a generic reader, Apollodorus and Glaucon, and the special reader who responds in the voice of the companion.) Perhaps we can better conceive the text from the position of media specific analysis of virtual realities by hearing it instead of just reading it. Consider what it would sound like in different configurations of the participants. In the long row Aristodemus would be the farthest from Phaedrus, whose speech is less faithfully recorded in the narrative Aristodemus recounts. Other configurations would produce different ‘actual’ audible fields had the event been recorded with two microphones representing the position of his head in the virtual physical environment, like in immersive first person games. There is the added complexity of remembering this retelling thematically occurs while two walk for hours for an early critique of intellectual tools (Greek alphabetic writing).

Possible positions of speakers and listeners for ensoniment of Symposium. This project uses the eSpeak text to speech API.

In this session I seek participants willing to compile and run the the latest revision of the symposia project (symposia.sourceforge.net) on their personal computers. Another possibility is to run prepared VirtualBox virtual machines that I supply on USB thumb drives that boot into the latest Ubuntu with the appropriate software libraries and tools installed so they are ready to check out the code directly from Sourceforge, compile the symposia executable, and launch the start script to run it.

The software allows creation of never before heard phenomena by processing an ancient Greek text via text to speech synthesis, a text that at the same time played a substantial role in forming the basis of our intellectual culture. This distributed processing can also include concurrent text to speech synthesis of the original Greek translated into English and other languages so that you  can hear many voices at the same time.

I hope this session can open into a discussion of ways programming can be considered a form of humanities research, how classical studies and philosophy can be tightly integrated with working code, and ways source code can be critically studied.

Technical Requirements to run the symposia Virtual Machine image
-VirtualBox OSE (4.0.4) installed
-4 GB free disk space
-1 GB system RAM
-Bridged network
-Sound enabled

I would like to initiate a session in which we tackle writing code for some new Zotero translators.  I am interested in creating a few web translators for sites that I use in my research and teaching that are currently not supported by existing Zotero translators, and would love to engage with others who might be interested in creating one/some for their own favorite sites that are not covered.

I spoke with the kind folks at the Sheraton Downtown Orlando Hotel and they have agreed to extend the window of booking the group rate until next Friday. Please ask for the “THATCamp” group rate when you book your room.

If you are a Facebook user please take a moment to hook up with THATCamp Florida, Facebook style!

We are pleased to announce that Sheila Brennan will be joining us in Orlando for THATCamp in February. She will be leading a Workshop on using Omeka on Saturday the 18th. Dr. Brennan will draw on her wide range of interests and experience in the digital humanities. Below is a brief description of the Workshop she will lead. We are excited to have her join us.

Introduction to Omeka

This session will introduce participants to Omeka, a web publishing system used by libraries, archives, museums, and universities for building and sharing digital collections and creating web exhibits. We will begin by viewing a variety of sites built in Omeka to illustrate its flexibility. We will then tour the administrative backend, choose and configure a design theme, and build a small digital archive using Dublin Core metatdata to describe items. We will build a simple exhibit with those items and explore Omeka’s enhanced functionality through its plugins.

Finally, we will discuss the differences between the hosted version of Omeka and the server-side version of Omeka and reasons for using both.

Details: This is a tutorial. Please bring a laptop or tablet, but we will not be installing Omeka during this session. If you do not already have an installation up and running, I recommend that you sign up for a free basic Omeka.net account , or use one of our demonstration sites during the session.

The application process has opened at THATCamp Florida and you can submit your application here. We will be accepting applications on a rolling basis until the time of the event or we reach our maximum size of seventy-five, which ever comes first. If you are interested in attending this year we encourage you to apply as soon as you are comfortable so that we can prepare for an event that best suites the needs of our campers. We are currently working on a number of different Workshops (aka “Bootcamp” sessions) and would love your input on what you would like to see covered in a Workshop format, so please be sure to include that information in your application.

For campers that are coming from out of town we have reserved a block of rooms at the Sheraton Orlando Downtown for Friday and Saturday night, the 17th and 18th of February. In order to receive the group rate you need to make your reservation by calling 800.574.3160 and asking for the THATCamp discount. You need to make those reservations by 20 January in order to receive the group rate.

We are pleased to announce THATCamp Florida 2012.  The History Department and the RICHES program at the University of Central Florida will be hosting a regional THATCamp on the weekend of February 18-19, 2012 in sunny Orlando.  The gathering will involve about 75 people drawn broadly from the Humanities and will include Professors, Librarians, Graduate Students and interested parties (writers, musicians, etc.) who are engaged in sorting through the many and varied ways that our broadly shared disciplines intersect with emerging technologies.  It is our hope that the two-day affair at The University of Central Florida’s Center for Emerging Media will offer a stimulating and energizing atmosphere which will foster a fruitful exchange of ideas as well as foster collaborative work among attendees.