[globaloutlookDH-l] Low tech terminology

I've been wondering about this as well... and something I've discovered in this project already is just how important correct terminology is.

In various discussions I've heard, I've seen Low-tech DH, low capacity computing, low bandwidth. What I don't like about all those terms is that they don't seem to be to be neutral, but instead suggest a deviation from an implied norm.

I wonder therefor if something like "minimal requirement computing" or "Minimalism" or something might be a more accurate description of the field.

Anyway, a terminology debate is not central to the technological work. But I have been impressed by how important language does become in the end.

On 13-01-11 09:05 AM, Neil Fraistat wrote:

I've had very similar thoughts to John's since the Cuba conference and have been thinking of labeling such efforts "Low-Tech DH," which would include John's DH on a Stick idea and other creative ideas being used in Cuba and other such places around the world.

It was interesting to hear the Cubans critique obsolescence as a capitalist ideology: the repurposing of equipment and DIY ethos would also be a part of Low Tech DH, and I think that many DHers would be interested in working in this vein if we launched an initiative.

What do you all think? Neil

On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 10:23 AM, John Simpson <jes6@ualberta.ca mailto:jes6@ualberta.ca> wrote:

Hello Global DHers,

I'd like to pursue an idea that came up in Havana that can be
roughly summarized as "DH on a Stick".  Roughly it would focus on
the minimal tools and materials necessary to get started doing DH in
environments that are less ideal.  The core idea is to understand
what software and materials could be loaded on a USB drive for
distribution, taking into consideration space limitations, language
constraints, processing power, end user needs/goals, etc.  Building
out from this are ideas having to do with new simple techs like
Raspberry Pi.

Beyond the practical value of linking the community together and
enabling new members it would also have deep research value in
creating discussions around what is essential.  Various snapshots of
stick flavours or versions taken over time would be valuable to
analyze in the future.

Here's a link to the summary that I wrote up after the INKE Havana
Conference that is in my Dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7tosulwfwwk5rgq/DH%20on%20a%20Stick%202012-12-14.pdf

If the link doesn't work and you are interested then let me know and
I'll send the file directly.

-John



On 2013-01-11, at 5:00 AM, globaloutlookdh-l-request@uleth.ca
<mailto:globaloutlookdh-l-request@uleth.ca> wrote:

...

Send globaloutlookdh-l mailing list submissions to
globaloutlookdh-l@uleth.ca <mailto:globaloutlookdh-l@uleth.ca>

To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://listserv.uleth.ca/mailman/listinfo/globaloutlookdh-l
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
globaloutlookdh-l-request@uleth.ca
<mailto:globaloutlookdh-l-request@uleth.ca>

You can reach the person managing the list at
globaloutlookdh-l-owner@uleth.ca
<mailto:globaloutlookdh-l-owner@uleth.ca>

When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of globaloutlookdh-l digest..."


Today's Topics:

  1. Executive and Chair Nominations/Volunteers (Daniel O'Donnell)
  2. Infrastructure discussion (Daniel O'Donnell)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2013 10:44:11 -0700
From: Daniel O'Donnell <daniel.odonnell@uleth.ca
<mailto:daniel.odonnell@uleth.ca>>
Subject: [globaloutlookDH-l] Executive and Chair
Nominations/Volunteers
To: A list for participants in the ADHO DH Global Outlook Community
<globaloutlookdh-l@uleth.ca <mailto:globaloutlookdh-l@uleth.ca>>
Message-ID: <50EEFDEB.6080009@uleth.ca
<mailto:50EEFDEB.6080009@uleth.ca>>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"; format=flowed

Hi all,

As many of you will know, we received approval from the ADHO steering
Committee last week to be recognised as a formal Special Interest
Group
(SIG).

This brings with it some organisational and reporting
responsibilities.
We must elect a chair and establish an executive that includes (in
addition to other volunteers or elected members) ex officio
representation from the various constituent organisations that
make up ADHO.

In order to set up our initial administrative structure, we ask you to

a) Nominate or volunteer to be a candidate for chair.

b) Nominate somebody or volunteer to be a member of our first year's
executive committee. This will be a group of 6-10 people that will
help
with general administrative tasks, which include coordinating
different
activities and regional efforts, administering and raising funds,
managing our web presence and outreach. The chair and executive will
also work this year on drafting bylaws for approval by the SIG and on
helping establish regional and project-oriented workgroups. We'd
especially like to ensure that we have a diversity of views,
experiences, languages, etc. on this, so if you have any interest
at all
in the committee, please consider volunteering.

If you would like to nominate or volunteer for either chair or
executive
you can do so by writing to Alex Gil (colibri.alex@gmail.com
<mailto:colibri.alex@gmail.com>) with the
subject line GO::DH Exec Council. Alex will coordinate the
election of
the chair if required. If he receives a larger or smaller number of
volunteers for the executive than is manageable, he will return to
the
list for advice.

We'd like to have the executive and chair in place by the end of next
week, so nominations/self-nominations should be submitted to Alex no
later than next Thursday (January 17, 2013).

In addition to the core council, we will be supporting working
groups.
I've been discussing with Neil Fraistat, the ADHO chair, Alex Gil,
and
Marcus Bingenheimer, who have been acting with me as (self-appointed)
co-chairs of the initial proposal, and we think that it might also be
useful to follow the following principles in structuring and staffing
these working groups:

1) That our core activities are Discovery, Community-building, and
Research.
2) That we seek always to ensure that perspectives from different
regions, types of economies, languages, ranks, and types of
employment
are represented in our leadership, activities, and working groups
3) That we support the use of multiple languages in our activities
and
leadership as much as possible.

We are also working hard on our web presence
(http://www.globaloutlookDH.org/) and we will have some news about
that
shortly, including a list of current activities that fall under
our purview.

All the best,

=dan
--
Daniel Paul O'Donnell
Professor of English
University of Lethbridge
Lethbridge AB T1K 3M4
Canada

+1 403 393-2539 <tel:%2B1%20403%20393-2539>



------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:05:10 -0700
From: Daniel O'Donnell <daniel.odonnell@uleth.ca
<mailto:daniel.odonnell@uleth.ca>>
Subject: [globaloutlookDH-l] Infrastructure discussion
To: A list for participants in the ADHO DH Global Outlook Community
<globaloutlookdh-l@uleth.ca <mailto:globaloutlookdh-l@uleth.ca>>
Message-ID: <50EF10E6.7090205@uleth.ca
<mailto:50EF10E6.7090205@uleth.ca>>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"; format=flowed

Hi all,

One of the many exciting things that have been going on in the
last week
is a discussion among a number of the Canadians who were at the INKE
meeting in Cuba last month picking up the question of computing
infrastructure, and working with minimal resources (this is a
discussion
that was started in the Cuban meeting).

Not everybody in the discussion was on the globaloutlook list at the
time, so it was happening off list. But since this is a topic on
which
different perspectives are absolutely constructive, it would make
a lot
of sense to move it here, at least initially, so that others who are
interested can get to know each other.

We don't really have a model for conducting such discussions. Should
people work things out on this list, for example, or instead invite
people to participate off list and report back so as not to flood
people's inboxes?

It seems to me that once the executive is established, we may find
that
we want to set up working groups on specific projects and regions who
could initiate projects and report back periodically. Maybe this
is one
of those.

Anyway: I'll had the floor over to John Simpson at Alberta and
Jentery
Sayers at UVic to explain more about the discussions they've all been
having on this topic.

-dan
--
Daniel Paul O'Donnell
Professor of English
University of Lethbridge
Lethbridge AB T1K 3M4
Canada

+1 403 393-2539 <tel:%2B1%20403%20393-2539>



------------------------------

_______________________________________________
globaloutlookdh-l mailing list
globaloutlookdh-l@uleth.ca <mailto:globaloutlookdh-l@uleth.ca>
http://listserv.uleth.ca/mailman/listinfo/globaloutlookdh-l


End of globaloutlookdh-l Digest, Vol 5, Issue 5
***********************************************

_______________________________________________
globaloutlookdh-l mailing list
globaloutlookdh-l@uleth.ca <mailto:globaloutlookdh-l@uleth.ca>
http://listserv.uleth.ca/mailman/listinfo/globaloutlookdh-l

-- Neil Fraistat Professor of English & Director Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) 0301 Hornbake Library North University of Maryland 301-405-5896 or 301-314-7111 (fax) http://www.mith.umd.edu/ https://twitter.com/fraistat

---

globaloutlookdh-l mailing list globaloutlookdh-l@uleth.ca http://listserv.uleth.ca/mailman/listinfo/globaloutlookdh-l