Slashdot Mirror
19th Century News Coming Online
mfh writes "The BBC is reporting that approximately a million news stories from the 19th century are going online. The project will cost roughly $3.6 mil USD (converted from UK pounds) and include 100 years of news and images from publications that are no longer copyright protected, and currently only available at the Newspaper Library in Colindale, North London. 52000 newspapers and magazines will be included and the project should take 18 months to complete. This is good news for Slashdotters, as this online archival project will provide a plethora of background material for articles and comments, and possibly pave the way for better online library projects with more current material."
... approximately a million news stories from the 19th century are going online ... This is good news for Slashdotters ...
t h=Junius&sid=-524841
This story is a dupe: http://yeoldeslashdott/article.asm?yere=1842&mone
Before everyone gets carried away with the dupe jokes (as I am the submitter), I think it's important to note the cultural and scientific differences since these articles were originally written. To have a central online repository of this much data will help students to learn. Many students today rely on Google, but google is lacking complete works. Now Google will be able to index another million articles, and that means our knowledge and understanding of that era will increase as time passes. All other benefits are still important, but the student factor is, I think, the greatest part of this.
Now that a complete online library is going online, perhaps other libraries will follow suit, and keep information free?
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
I hope these stories aren't like the small town papers I used to read growing up in the Appalacian Valley. "Mr. and Mrs. Smith had dinner at old widow Jackson's house Sunday after church meeting. Her leg is healing fine. They sat around and watched Andy Griffith reruns and ate collard greens n' such." ..some of these small towns seem to be stuck in the 19th century. So, I would expect the mentality of the writers and editors of the 19th century to be similar.
This is old news.
Inventor Eli Whitney Applys For "One-Click" Cotton Gin Patent
Pianists Seek Curbs on Player Piano Technology
"Roll Sharing" Circles Seen as Threat to Recital Revenues
Unsolicited Telegraph Messages on the Rise
So-called "Lard" Telegrams Now Comprise 60% of Traffic, Operators Say
Utah Granted Statehood
Gov. McBride Lays Claim to Concept of Statehood, Says Other States Owe $6.99 Each
(I think The Onion does this better than me.)
k.
"In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
This reminds me of a website that Nothwestern has opened that has most of the case files from Chicago homicides from 1870 to 1930.
Take a look.
It's incredible. How did anyone ever survive the city during that time period? If you feel like doing a little sleuthing and completing some unsolved cases, check it out. There's solved cases there as well.
It's a good complement to Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen.
The other amazing this is that almost nothing has changed in over 100 years...
"Power corrupts. PowerPoint corrupts absolutely."
Sorry to burst your bubble but they do. I have no idea how they do it, and tbh the sheer processing power or raw manpaper of scanning scares me.
They say that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, but I think those who learn from history are doomed to repeat it anyway.
"I think we can all agree, the past is over." --Dubya
Seriously, though, the past is interesting because it continues to have effects on the present and the future. Also, because we can learn from patterns that have occurred in the past and from past misakes, so stydy of the past helps us to understand what's going on right now. I think a lot of people who want us to forget the past have very specific things in mind from the past that they'd like us to forget.
My site: Free Nature Pictures
Yeah imagine the science and tech news though.
In todays news
A loose organisation of gentlemen alchemists are currently awaiting a funding decision for research into the recently discovered "philosphers stone".
A succesful working model of the stone has been built in london and commentators estimate the stone being able to convert 500lbs of lead into gold within the year.
international news from the colonies, an american team based in arizona are currently building a large cannon in preparation for the manned trip to the moon.
"Our steam powered cannon is almost complete and we are currently packing the hollowed-out-cannonball with food and weapons"
"we will also be equipping the lunasphere with cotton wool face masks to prevent any contamination from the noxious fume which is rumoured to surround the moon"
the masks are tied around the face of the lunanauts with silk ribbons provided by the womens institute.
no mention is reported how the explorers intend to return to earth.
------
beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his mind he dreams himself your master