The Digital Renaissance
The Renaissance was a period of unprecedented intellectual, social, philosophical and artistic growth in Europe between the Fourteenth Century and the Seventeenth Century. It is widely accredited as a time that bought Europe out of the Dark Ages or Middle Ages, when scholarship was held in check by religious dogma, and bought Europe into the Modern Age.
Most notable luminaries of the Renaissance include polymaths such as Michelangelo Buonarottiand Leonardo da Vinci; thinkers such as Francis Bacon; writers such as Dante and Shakespeare; essayists such as Michel de Montaigne; and scientists such as Nicolaus Copernicus. The list of notable geniuses that represent the flowering of the Renaissance is too long to list here.
There are two notable reasons for the Renaissance. The first is the emergence of lost Greek manuscripts from such people as Aristotle and Plato. The church had suppressed knowledge of the Latin and Greek classics for hundreds of years. They had been kept by Muslim scholars since the fall of the Roman City of Constantinople. These missing texts had an enormous effect on all branches of knowledge.
Secondly, the new intellectual spirit of the age was carried to the furthest corners of Europe and beyond by the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenburg, a German inventor in 1450 AD. This took the dissemination of books out of the hands of monks who hand-copied scripts into the hands of the masses. Books became cheap and easy to get hold of. Books also that would have been previously overlooked deliberately now found their way to the public. This bought a great forment of ideas that was to change the mid-sets of each generation and that was eventually to lead to the French Revolution and the overthrow of the Ancient Regime.
The Digital Revolution
Computers started developing in the 1950s. Internet Protocol Suite was invented in 1982, and by the 1995 the internet was opened to all with access to the new technology. Since that time the speed of microprocessors has increased year upon year. Both software and hardware has progressed so rapidly that systems soon become outdated.
In terms of communication, in 1993 only 1% of communication was carried out using the internet. By 2007 more than 97% of the world’s communication was through the internet and the World Wide Web. Cables have been laid all around the world to facilitate faster and better communication. A number of platforms such as SMS messaging and Skype have made real time communication a mundane part of life.
The World Wide Web grows with every second that passes. Estimates now reckon it is at least 7.85 billion pages (http://www.worldwidewebsize.com/). Google is at present attempting to scan every book ever published and put it online. They have already photographed the world and put up the most comprehensive map ever known. They have even mapped the stars.
It is very tempting to compare the internet and the World Wide Web with the invention of the printing press - they are both technological backbones behind new artistic, intellectual and social movements. The Renaissance bought us naturalism, rational inquiry, the scientific method and political meta-understanding. The internet has bought us a digital renaissance whereby a library of information beyond our wildest dreams has now become available and accessible to anyone who can get online.
Since we are in the middle of the digital renaissance it is hard to tell the final legacy of such a sea-change. The notions of knowledge power and knowledge creation have come to the fore. Whereas the upper classes and the business classes have tried to maintain the status quo of an asymmetry of knowledge to benefit themselves, the internet has made this virtually impossible. Everything from learning to perform heart surgery to growing magic mushrooms to making your own solar panels is now available for free on the web.
Moreover, sites like Wiki Leaks as well as ‘on the ground blogs’ have removed the power of journalism from corporate identities and allowed people to report and access news anywhere. It is hard to cover up the truth and we are gradually getting a better idea of how the world is secretly run for the benefit of the few. Where the first Renaissance could arguably be said to have led to the French Revolution and the end of the monarch system, it is tempting to think that the digital renaissance will lead to a farther fundamental change in social structures and the body politic. We have already seen how Facebook has been a powerful tool for change in North Africa and the Middle East. This trend will no doubt continue.
In terms of the arts, the digital age has lead to ever increasing perfection in the copying of nature. Nature can be digitized and an almost exact replica can be produced. This is the dream of Michelangelo come true. We now have 3D digital renditions and holograms on the net are surely not far behind. The Arts are and will continue to undergo massive paradigm shifts as a result of the digital renaissance.
The old Chinese curse of ‘May you live in interesting times’ is very applicable to the age we live in. On the one hand we have unprecedented levels of consumerism, resource depletion and pollution; but on the other hand we are in the throes of a new epoch defined by an all embracing technology that is changing our world view, and threatens for better or for worse to bring whole scale social and intellectual change as well.
Digital Contributions From The Not So Obvious
Early modern english drama stands the test of time in an every changing world of prose. As our database of works grows, so too does our desire for the rare, rich pieces that seem to preclude the obvious. What comes as a surprise are the recent rash of amazing contributions that are coming from from experts in fields other than english drama itself. These generous folks are masters in their current crafts yet still find the time to utilize their writing talents and have donated their works to the digital library for all to enjoy. We would like to take the time to thank two individuals in particular whose work is outstanding in both lines of art.
Lori Atkins – Technical Debt
Lori is most known for her contributions to the new definitions of technical debt but has delivered us some very timely drama works of art that are sure to be consumed and relished by the old school fans of the craft. Lori has won awards on technical writing fronts before so she is no stranger to the pen and paper.
Brendon Thadeus – Blendtec vs Vitamix
Brendon maintains a healthy living webblog and spent years in a field far from English drama. He most recently made a series of english drama short stories that are very well written and though provoking. He was also kind enough to make a donation on behalf of his site – for which we are extremely grateful.
We would like to mention that there are two more well known individuals who we would like to recognize once the works pass through detection and we are exremely excited to have these two individuals on our team, so to speak. We want to remind current members that the digital inclusions are protected under the 11.7 statute and will always be preserved with the highest regards. Feel free to contact us if you have additional pieces that you wish to create and/or donate and we will send you another inclusion packet.
About the Project
The Digital Renaissance Editions will publish fully annotated, critical editions of early modern English drama. Adopting the already successful publishing platform developed by the Internet Shakespeare Editions, the Digital Renaissance Editions will offer open-access electronic editions of non-Shakespearean drama, from Tudor interludes through to the works of Margaret Cavendish. Each edition will be prepared by a scholar or team of scholars, beginning with a diplomatic transcription of a selected copytext, which is carefully encoded in XML/SGML and then proofread meticulously against the original. From this ’base’ text a modern text is generated, complete with annotations (of three levels of depth) and collation.
Additional materials will highlight the context and history of each particular play’s reception. All published content will be subjected to a rigorous peer-review process by leading international scholars to ensure accuracy and quality. The peer groups are created through a painstaking voting process and a three part trail run. The works must recieve unanimous votes in all four phases in order to be included in the digital registry. All other works are sent back for reconsideration and can become eligible for re-entry after a minimum of six months has passed.
Meet Digital renaissance – Latest Camera In This Modern World
Being advance all the time is great news. You will never left behind on the newly introduced and trendy stuffs in the world. We all know that we become trendy all the time. Yearly, we know that there are newly introduced technologies like gadgets and anything in the economy that affects our lifestyle. Being aware of the trendy stuffs in the economy helps a lot to a certain individual in order for them to be never left behind. Photography is one of the most appreciated today. People love to smile and take a capture in it, using cameras on their mobile phones or even camera. Digital renaissance have been introduced in the market and people are very interested on it. It is already out in the market and its innovations are rapid and swift. With this, keeping always a camera in your car or bag will surely record all happy moments that happens even if it is an ordinary moments. Taking pictures can be fun and exciting. If you are a nature lover, then it can be fun if you owned this digital camera with you. So, whenever you are on a travel or trip, you don’t miss any places that are very eye catching and spots that cannot be seen on your locality. Some of the new things in modern cameras are the use of DSS which stands for decision support systems and is a technic where it takes several pictures almost at the same time and let you decide which one to use. You can read a lot more about DSS and see which types of camera that supports DSS here at the DSS information page - DSS
You can be proud if you are not a photographer but the pictures you have captured from your Digital renaissance can be on the level of as professional photographer. Digital renaissance has already occurred just how folks and firms are connecting with the other. You may discover how good the performance and the high resolution of the digital which will make clients and or customers find it perfect for taking pictures. Digital renaissance has already introduced just how people and manufacturer are opting to have a perfect modern digital camera. For instance, business is not the comparable to it absolutely was ten years previously. These days, you are able to get your current gadgets and provide brand new ideals for you to clients as quick as possible. It is really changing just how individuals take into consideration with regards on their products in dealing their business. Old models of digital cameras are now left behind in the new technologies and gadgets these fast changing economies. Day by day, people are always looking for a latest model of products that are more modern from the previous innovations.
Digital renaissance is one of the most booming products today which many people are looking-up to. They are always looking for this kind of digital camera model as they find it perfect. Taking pictures on our special days like birthdays, wedding days, baptismal and whatever kind of special occasions, we all know that taking picture is very important. As they say that the event will never be special and memorable if there is no camera. In reminiscing the past event will be possible through watching pictures taken and you will probably have a complete recall of what happened on that same day. Using Digital renaissance will surely let you take pictures like a professional photographer. See how this newly innovation of digital camera gives satisfaction to the customers and owners.
The Digital Age Brings Gunsmithing and Other Trades Online
Ten years ago, the idea of attending an online gunsmithing school would seem a bit far-fetched. Twenty years ago, it would have seemed preposterous.
The digital age has made it possible for formerly hands-on education — from gunsmithing to welding to cooking — to be delivered in an online, electronic format. There are, of course, downsides: how can a gunsmith learn how to appropriately solder a scope ring to a riffle if they cannot see how the scope ring must be properly aligned? Skills like these are hard to learn over an online course, even if the course is filmed with high-quality videography.
Because of this, it may be that online training for some skills, such as gunsmithing, are best supplemented with some real-life, hands-on training. Who knows what the digital revolution will bring in the future, however; technology has advanced so much in the last few years and it’s possible that hands-on training may eventually become obsolete. Despite the increasing problems of a digital age, no one can deny that it is certainly an exciting time to live in!
Interesting Times for Wine
Look, I think we all know these are interesting and challenging economic times. With unemployment up to around 10% (which is a 50% increase over 2 years ago!) consumer spending is also down.
One of the hardest hit areas of the economy has been luxury goods and especially fine wine sales which are down 75% from their high during the tech boom of 2001.
For wine clubs across the world, selling expensive wine is how they pay the bills. Challenging times to be sure!
If you’re wondering how some of these clubs are surviving and thriving there are two relatively simple answers. First, they are effectively using technology. Being found online helps companies stay in business when their local markets begin to dry up. There is still growth to be found online.
Secondly, social media is an easy way to drive traffic. Unlike almost any other advertising, social media is a free way to communicate directly with customers and begin to build your brand.