Introductions

[Dave Lester]

Hello, my name is Dave Lester and I've selfishly started the humanist
makers reading group to find some like-minded folks who want to share
ideas based upon some of the readings suggested by William Turkel.
This is an experiment of sorts, but I'm hopeful that we can start a
lively conversation here.

If you plan to participate, or even if you just want to lurk, please
introduce yourself on this thread and let us know what your goals are,
who you are, and why you joined the group. I'll start:

I work at the Center for History and New Media at George Mason
University, where I'm a maker of sorts -- I help develop a web
publishing system called Omeka, designed for cultural heritage
institutions. My background is in American Studies, and I'm not only
looking for a larger framework to understand my own activities, but to
make strong connections between my research interests and learn
something new. If others are interested in joining, I may want to
experiment with a little building as well.

[Jeff]

I'm Jeff McClurken. I teach at UMW in Fredericksburg, Virginia in the
Department of History and American Studies. I'm particularly
interested in the opportunities for teaching and learning for digital
humanists at the intersection of history and practice. I've been
involved in the online world of digital publishing (blogs, wikis,
Simile/Exhibit, Omeka, etc.), especially as it relates to
undergraduate education, but I'm looking to expand my knowledge base
in some of the more physical/technical (even theoretical) aspects of
making/building what Bill Turkel calls "history appliances".

[Kate Chapman]

Hi, I'm Kate Chapman. I don't consider myself a digital humanist
typically, usually I just say "I map stuff." I always like to tinker
be it with code or sometimes hardware. I looked through the suggested
reading list and thought it would be interesting to join. I'm hoping
with a group of people to discuss things with it can help me be a
little bit more focused than I would be on my own.

-Kate

[Rose White]

Hello, I'm Rose White. I'm finishing up my 2nd year in the PhD program
in sociology at the Graduate Center at the City University of New
York, and I'm a member of the hacker space NYC Resistor
(www.nycresistor.com). I'm also a student in the wonderful Interactive
Technology and Pedagogy program at the GC, where we spend a lot of
time digging into new technologies and thinking about how to apply
them to our pedagogy (and whether they will help us more than the old
tech we were already using).

My sociological research is on geek culture and communities; I've been
following (and participating in) the rise of the current hacker space
movement with great interest.

I can offer NYCR's space in Brooklyn, and HacDC's space in DC, for a
group meetup at some point in the summer, if folks are interested in
doing some building and tinkering as a group.

William Turkel's reading list is fantastic, and I'm delighted that
Dave Lester has taken the initiative to get this reading/building
group started. Yay!

-- Rose

[Steve]

Hi, I'm Steve Lubar. I teach public humanities at Brown; I'm also
interested in the history of technology. I think this group might be
an interesting combination of these two fields, bringing to the
contemporary interest in how the public learns about and contributes
to discussions of the humanities with the theoretical and practical
tools historians of technology have developed for thinking about
technological change.

But mostly, I'm just looking forward to some interesting readings and
discussions.

[Leslie M-B]

I'm Leslie Madsen-Brooks, and I coordinate programs for the Teaching
Resources Center at the University of California, Davis and teach
graduate museum studies at John F. Kennedy University. I've been
following with interest the various ways museums are using social
media to share their collections and research, and I'd like to learn
how undergraduate or graduate students could work on similar projects
(with a more modest scope, perhaps) in a way that benefits both
students and the public. Many of my efforts at incorporating tech
into my courses have been foiled by the quarter system, so if anyone
else out there suffers from the same affliction, I'd love to exchange
notes.

I'm really interested in learning more about the nitty-gritty of
building history appliances, as I'm kind of stuck in a WordPress/wiki/
HTML rut.

My own research has been in museum history and the history of women in
U.S. science, although I also have strong leanings toward material
culture, public history, and historic preservation.

Leslie

[Anna]

Hi there, I'm Anna Kruse. In two weeks I'll have completed my M.A. in
English at Georgetown (thesis on "Resonance and Stewardship in Hardy
and Wharton," viz. phenomenology and historic preservation), and I'm
thrilled to finally have the opportunity to do some guilt-free
extracurricular reading. I'm currently working at Georgetown's Center
for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, which among other things
aims to foster reflective methodologies/pedagogies for digital
scholarship at Georgetown. My interest in joining this group springs
partially from a love of the humanities (traditional and digital) from
a critical perspective, partially from simple curiosity, and partially
from the conviction that anything Dave organizes will be rewarding!

[William J Turkel]

How great is this? People making things and reading and talking about
making... Awesome! I'm Bill Turkel. If you're interested, you can
find more about me on my faculty page (1) and some of my preliminary
ideas on humanistic fabrication on my old blog (2). I have stopped
blogging for the time being, and am putting my notes and links about
making and other stuff up on a wiki (3). This summer I am planning to
build both a RepStrap device, the MakerBot Cupcake (4), and a RepRap
(5). I also have a number of other small projects in mind. I'm
really looking forward to the discussions and to seeing what people
make.

(1) http://history.uwo.ca/faculty/turkel
(2) http://digitalhistoryhacks.blogspot.com
(3) http://digitalhistory.wikispot.org/Fabrication_Wiki
(4) http://www.makerbot.com
(5) http://www.bitsfrombytes.com

[Bethany Nowviskie]

Hi, folks! My name is Bethany Nowviskie and I'm the Director of
Digital Research & Scholarship at UVA Library, where I run a
department that includes the Scholars' Lab and an R&D team for digital
projects in the humanities and social sciences. I'm also Associate
Director of the Scholarly Communication Institute, a Mellon-funded
initiative that brings scholars and leaders in higher ed, libraries,
museums, and publishing together on collaborative efforts.

My own background is in textual editing and digital humanities. In
grad school and as a post-doc, I designed and managed projects like
the Rossetti Archive, Temporal Modelling, and NINES. Currently, both
the Scholars' Lab and SCI are investing heavily in geospatial tools
and methods, so I'm especially interested right now in locative
technologies and mapping.

I'm also reviving an old project of mine, which is a scholarly edition
of A. C. Swinburne's 1866 Poems and Ballads, the subject of a major
Victorian literary scandal. I could imagine this as a straightforward
editing project, but I'm also interested in returning to some of the
crazier ideas in my dissertation (which was subtitled "Instruments for
Interpretive Scholarship") to see if any of the concepts I had for
combinatoric and ludic devices are worth thinking about again, or even
embodying.

I have four conferences in June! so I might get a slow start, but
definitely want to play along. Thanks for setting this up, Dave! and
thanks to Bill for the provocation.

[andrew miller]

Hello, my name is Andrew Miller and I'm not sure what a Humanist Maker
is, but I might be one.

I'm a PhD student in Georgia Tech's Human-Centered Computing program,
where I've been looking at social media, particularly for kids, and
how online communities can impact our everyday lives. I've dabbled in
physical computing and web development, and in past lives I acquired a
MS in Human-Computer Interaction (also from Georgia Tech) and a BA in
Cognitive Science. I also spent two years as a User Experience
designer, so I do have some experience on the building end as well!

In the HCC program we do quite a bit of reading about the nature of
artifacts and how they relate to society, but this summer I'm looking
to broaden my syllabus and read interesting books from other
disciplines as well. I've read a few of the books on the syllabus, and
if the others are anywhere near as good, it's sure to be an engaging
summer.

I'm also looking for a legitimate excuse to skip the new Dan Brown
book entirely.

[Scott Weingart]

Hey everyone, my name is Scott Weingart, and I'm glad so many of us
out there fall through the normal categorization cracks. Next year, I
begin pursuing my PhD in Information Sciences at Indiana University,
where I'll be working closely with History & Philosophy of Science and
Cognitive Science faculty. I research the effects of a medium on
scientific collaboration, with the intent to build web-tools which
emulate the most fertile interdisciplinary collaborative
environments. In the short term I'll be focusing on scientometrics,
data visualization, and ontologies.

I've been an amateur maker since before I can remember, and I look
forward to learning more from those who have an academic/humanist
perspective. The readings look dreadfully interesting, but somewhat
intimidating to read by oneself. Thank you Dave, for organizing what
will be an enlightening experience for all of us (and Bill, for
providing us with the list)!

[Seth]

My name is Seth Bruggeman and I run the public history program at
Temple U. Temple has a lot of fun gadgetry, but it doesn't get a lot
of use (not by humanities types at least). I'm hoping to change that
by getting our public history grad students plugged in and thinking
about the past with things, digital and otherwise. This seems like a
good place to look for inspiration.

Although I masquerade as a historian these days, I'm really a chronic
tinkerer. I've spent a lot of time building flying machines (just
finished an r/c ornithopter), ripping apart Volkswagons, and restoring
old houses. I'm fascinated by vernacular building traditions
(especially re: boats and houses) and am very interested in the
history and meaning of precision. Bill got me thinking about desktop
fabrication and etc. and was good enough to point me in this
direction. Looking forward to the discussion.

[BGarr]

Hi, I'm Bill Garr. I also work at the Center for New Designs in
Learning and Scholarship at Georgetown University (see Anna's
introduction). I've been making educational software for about 20
years, mostly some CD-ROMs back in those days, but also some museum
kiosks. I've dabbled in a little device control, but that was long
ago. I've read some about the Make controller, and a little about
Arduino. Looking forward to taking the plunge. It's great to have a
reading list, too!

[Sue]

Hi, I'm Sue Fernsebner and I teach Chinese History at UMW. I'm
interested in material culture and in new methodologies for research
and pedagogy devoted to objects, technologies, and material practice.
My research is closely tied to this realm and includes work on toys
and commodity exhibitions (19th-early 20th c.) I spent several years,
many years ago, as part of a working group of historians,
sociologists, and cognitive science folks at UC San Diego. The reading
list for humanist makers seems a wonderful way to continue and broaden
some of these explorations.

My work in the digital realm has mostly been with Wordpress and wikis.
My own experience with more material forms of building has largely
been limited to soldering my fingers together in high school
electronics classes, though my father and grandfather were both
artisans. I'd love to watch some of the projects underway this summer
and perhaps experiment a bit... Many thanks for setting this group in
motion!

[Richard Urban]

Hi everyone,

My name is Richard Urban and I am currently a Doctoral Student at the
Graduate School of Library & Information Science at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Bu t I also hold an MA in History and
Museum Studies certificate from the University of Delaware. In
addition to trying to get my dissertation off the ground, I am a
research assistant for the IMLS DCC Opening History project (http://
imlsdcc.grainger.uiuc.edu/history). On of my recent side projects has
been working on visualizing large aggregations such as Opening History
(http://is.gd/xSEH). I'll be attending my first THATCamp in June!

Given all that I have on my plate I'll probably be mostly lurking, but
I've been trying to get back in touch with my history roots - hoping
to encounter some "fun" humanities reading here this summer. Also,
I'm moving into a house in August and have designs on a corner of the
basement for a little maker workshop. (cue evil laugh).

Richard

[Devon Elliott]

Hi everyone,

My name is Devon Elliott, and I'm a PhD student in History at the
University of Western Ontario. My research focuses on magicians and
stage illusions of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I'm
interested in experimenting with ways in which making might inform and
communicate my work. Looking forward to the discussions here!

Devon

[Andrea Odiorne]

Hi everyone,

Sorry I'm late. I am Andrea and I am a graduate student in History at
GMU. I am an aspiring digital historian and would like to know about
all aspects of whatever that entails. My background is in television,
the analog world. But I am going digital. If my limited experience
with social, cultural and gender history as well as making cables and
adjusting lighting comes in handy in my pursuit that would be a plus.
I am really just testing the waters and would like to be as involved
as possible. I am interested in doing the readings and would like to
do some building, but I'm not so sure I will be able to to keep up. I
am interested in combining the affective methods of documentary video
with the critical work of history in a way that challenges
presumptions and subject positions. Basically, I want to move past
the mediation that is inherent in televised communication to provide
tools and information for a more user-centered, user-driven pursuit of
knowledge.

[Phil]

Hi. I'm Phil Stewart. Lately I've been an RF technician and technical
writer, working on the DARPA XG (neXt Generation) cognitive radio
project for the Shared Spectrum Company in Vienna, Virginia. I've done
electronics since I was a kid, and at SSC I got a chance to do
microscope work, soldering parts so small they will stick to air (or
so it seems when you try to align them). Now XG is done, and I'm on
the job market again.

What I really like is D-I-Y engineering, and I'm thrilled to see so
many people taking up soldering irons for themselves (yay _Make!_
magazine). Since 1997 I've had a Web site for reverse engineering the
Cybermaxx LCD system (<http://www.gwi.net/~pstewart/lcdproj.html>).

Where I live (metaphorically) is a project inspired by Samuel Taylor
Coleridge, something that led me straight into cognitive neuroscience
(a lot of neuroanatomy), close study of the psycholinguistics of
metaphor interpretation (close in lineage to the work of Ortony and LJ
Cohen, traceable back to Coleridge via Black and Richards); some study
of artificial neural networks, and more than a passing interest in
"chaos" theory. Some things I am interested in are surprise, the
orienting reflex, novelty recognition, exploration, and creativity,
all of which deserve a nod back to Coleridge's speculations on the
physiology of reading. Since nothing sharpens a theory like an
application (compelling it to be stated in clear and testable terms),
I have a lot of interest in things that give me direct feedback about
the world (like electronics).

Where I live (literally) I have no workbench, so tinkering is very
inconvenient.

What I hope to do this summer is to get into some corpus-based
linguistics work on poetics (which I guess falls under the "digital
humanities" umbrella), and some tinkering to sharpen my design skills.
I'm hoping I can get some projects for LED diorama illumination and
some optical communication experiments off the back burner. In the
back of my mind? Something curatorial. I have an FPGA development
board that I need to find time to build a simple enclosure for, so I
can mess with it without fear of zapping it with static electricity
from our carpet. Anything I can pick up about automated data
collection, microcontrollers, text analysis, and programming will
keenly interest me.

I'm not sure I'm a humanist (not being a professional academic in the
humanities), but I do make things, and I pursue some independent
scholarship. Maybe it's a humanist pursuit to apply technology to
projects in the arts (building for aesthetic engagement with
artifacts, not simply to fulfill a contract). This summer I will be
happy if I can improve my own technical capability, as the readings
broaden the conceptual connections we are able to make.

Phil

[susan]

Hi all, I'm Susan Garfinkel. I've been lurking until I got some other
projects off my slate, but have been intrigued by the reading list and
group of people forming around it. Thanks to Dave Lester for sucking
me into Twitter and the rest of it, etc., and to William Turkel for
creating the reading list. I'm a subject specialist at the Library of
Congress working with digital materials, especially early American
stuff and the HABS/HAER collection. My background is in material
culture and vernacular architecture via American Studies (degrees from
Winterthur, and in Folklore and Folklife and American Civilization)
and I've been involved in humanities computing at some level since
undergraduate days in the mid-80s. I've always been interested in
craft processes, and in recent years have learned to make stained
glass and silver jewelry as well as returning to the knitting and
spinning I learned as a teenager. I've lured my partner Phil into
joining us, and I plan to draw heavily on his knowledge of electronics
to try and make some things that incorporate some interactivity--
possibly just for the art of it at first (and I have to learn more
about what Bethany Nowviskie has found along these lines), but am I
intrigued by the idea of "historical appliances" as well and want to
give that some serious thought as the summer progresses. The readings
are a combination of old friends from grad school days and a new
literature on making things that I'm looking forward to working
through with the rest of the group.
--Susan