Thoughts

The Library

Untangling the Tale of Ada Lovelace

Record Card Untangling the Tale of Ada Lovelace, by Stephen Wolfram. Detailing Lovelace’s life, her work with Charles Babbage, and an analysis of her work relating to the Analytical Engine. Notes A thorough and readable introduction to Lovelace, Babbage, the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine, with a particular focus on Lovelace’s contributions to universal …

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The Library

Typatone

Record Card Typatone, a website where each keyboard stroke is assigned a separate note, which play as you type. Notes A simple and fun idea, excellently executed. This post is part of The Library. All library records can be accessed here

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The Library

Haunted Resonance: An Interview With Alan Moore

Record Card Haunted Resonance: An Interview With Alan Moore by Miles Ellingham in The Quietus, to accompany the author’s new book of short stories, Illuminations. Notes As would be expected, this is a really interesting back and forth with Alan Moore, covering a number of topics ranging from magic and mysticism to anarchy and capitalism. …

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The Library

Mapping Points of Interest Underneath the Harlem Moon

Record Card Mapping “Points of Interest Underneath the Harlem Moon” by Carissa Pastuch: detailing a pictorial night-club map of Harlem by Elmer Simms Campbell, printed in Manhattan: A Weekly for Wakeful New Yorkers in 1933. Notes I absolutely love this map – the content, the design, everything. I’ve always appreciated this style of map in …

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The Library

Why Did We All Have the Same Childhood?

Record Card Why Did We All Have the Same Childhood? by Julie Beck: an article in The Atlantic focussing on the folklore of childhood, and the development of “rituals, traditions, games, and legends.” Notes Some interesting observations, reminiscent of the writing of Alan Dundes. One of the things I most appreciated was that the author …

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The Library

Stromness Hometown

Record Card Stromness Hometown: an audio journey through the streets of Stromness, recorded as a Stromness Museum community project in 2012 for walking tours of the town, and made available more widely digitally ten years later. The brief core episodes are: Introduction, South Pier, Pierhead, Pier Arts Centre, Commercial Hotel, Graham Place, Hellihole Road, Stromness …

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