Word Salad updates
Coming Soon to a Webpage Near You
It’s been a while since the last post, a statement I appear to write too often. Nevertheless, life is busy, and it is what it is. I want to provide a few updates on my happenings as a lot has…happened. First, the site has some aesthetic tinkering. A new logo (let me know if you like it or not) and a new page dedicated to all things Obsidian.md. More on this below. Next, the dissertation proposal is almost — finally — complete. Two small sections must be written, and then we can file that under “Done: About Time.”
Today, I have a lot of marking to complete, so I am blogging instead. I want to ramble off some word salad about various projects to get some thoughts into the digital ethos-sphere. Like many other students, my dissertation proposal has morphed into an entirely different beast than I had envisioned when I first started at Carleton Uni. I am still researching coins, digital applications for their study, and public reception, but my vision has changed. I decided to do an integrated thesis that will include three independent articles and a digital open-access notebook(OAN) of all my research notes hosted on this site using Obsidian Publish. The dissertation will have a standard introduction and conclusion that will also be hosted on the OAN.
I am excited about the format but even more excited about the dissertation research question: What does this “Byzantine” coin mean? Proceeded by: What does this East Roman coin mean? You get the picture of where I am going…right? In the coming weeks, I will post the full approved proposal on the OAN entitled RogueHistoryNotes. The condensed version is that I am attempting to create a process driven Digital Public History for the deconstruction of the application of the label “Byzantine” on East Roman coins through a singular narrative web that explores the coins of Manuel I Komnenos (1143-1180 CE) from minting to their deposition in a Cultural Heritage Institution for public reception. Make sense?
As for the Obsidian section on RogueHistory, I want to create informative snippets for you, dear reader, to use and potentially learn from. I’ve begun teaching Obsidian to a couple of friends, and I have realized that there is no right or wrong way to teach it, as it is based on user experience. What I mean is some people are fearful of breaking things on their computer, others understand the basics of Obsidian but want to extract more from the software, and others are complete noobs and want to try something different. Also, this allows me to pilot a few methods on you in order to test their viability for future pedagogical use in the classroom. Oh, that reminds me…
ASOR
The American School of Overseas Research conference in Boston is fast approaching. I will present my experience using Obsidian as a digital archaeological pedagogical tool in a Digital History course I taught in the Fall of 2023. Tech-wise a lot has changed since a year ago, but I think it will be informative for those interested in using Obsidian in the classroom. I’ll discuss my successes but more of my failures and how these produced practical learning experiences for my students. I present on Thursday, November 21st, at 3:15 pm in Studio 1 at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza. If you are around, please swing by. My presentation is entitled: Not Just Volcanic Glass: Obsidian.md as a Digital Archaeological Tool for the Classroom.
I need to wrap up this post, as I have grading to do, but this has helped me gain some behind-the-scenes clarity as I ramble. "Process" is a major theme in my dissertation and the various research projects I'm involved in. Figuring out how to integrate process as Digital Public History into both my professional and personal work is exciting. A lot of theory will be applied, and I'm sure there will be mistakes and failures—I'll be sharing all of it here.
Now more than ever, transparency in academia is crucial. We live in an age of extreme polarization where fake news, alternative facts, and anti-intellectualism are thriving, amplified by social media algorithms and streaming platforms. Historians, archaeologists, and academics in general must be open about our research practices to ensure the survival of the Social Sciences, Humanities, and universities themselves. This may sound hyperbolic, but I don’t think it is. Alternative histories are becoming more mainstream than ever—just look at the popularity of Graham Hancock’s work. Though I disagree with much of what Hancock promotes, it was his 1995 book Fingerprints of the Gods that rekindled my desire to return to university and pursue my PhD. His recent success with shows like Ancient Apocalypse highlights a deeply insidious problem: academic ineffectiveness in engaging the public with our research and their history.
My goal is to improve public engagement with medieval East Roman history by challenging the continued use of the term "Byzantine." By sticking to this misleading term, we’re not only distorting the truth about who the medieval Romans were—we’re misleading the public. It's no wonder anti-intellectualism is on the rise.