5 Maps for the Visually Inclined
I spend an inordinate amount of time looking at, reading about, and – lately – making maps. No, this obsession with maps is not a new thing for me: I was totally the kid who pored over the AAA map on family vacations, the college student who lugged that same dog-eared AAA map on numerous cross-country treks, and the trucking dispatcher who tacked xeroxed, highlighted maps of Iowa and Michigan and Wisconsin over my desk. When Google Maps finally unveiled their Bike Routes feature – well hey, there was at least one GPS-less bike hipster in Austin who took a victory lap around the neighborhood to celebrate.One of the many things I love about maps is their ability to tell a story in a way that is somehow both totally objective and entirely personal. Certain elements of a landscape – the length of a road, maybe, or the location of a county line – are relatively fixed, but other elements – whether a road is safe to bike on, where the best barbecue is located, where the boundaries of a neighborhood are, how best to get from North Austin to the East side – are products of individual perspectives and ways of filtering and evaluating data. A really good map is one that visualizes the relationship between the objective and the personal in interesting ways; an awesome one makes a good argument or raises some good questions and has fun doing it. Here are five of my faves.1. John Snow's 1854 Cholera map
As Pete Warden points out, Snow’s map is the poster child for effective visualization of information, mostly because Tufte wrote so convincingly about it in The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Snow, who had been trying to convince NYC officials for some time that cholera was not just water-born but related to a particular pump, created this map to show the correlation between high numbers of cholera-related deaths and proximity to a contaminated well in SoHo. The details of the story might be the stuff of legend, but I still love this map: it is simple, clear, direct, and uses spatial information to make a compelling argument for the cause of a deadly disease.2. Eric Fischer’s racial integration maps (click through for more images)
Janet Davis sent Eric Fischer’s maps my way and I’m so glad she did. These maps aren’t interactive nor are they even particularly flashy, but the way that they present data on race from Census 2000 – one dot for every 25 people of a particular racial or ethnic background – reveals incredible variation in how integrated (or not) major US cities are and just begs for further cultural analysis. The map of Austin is telling, but my fellow east coasters might want to check out New York and DC, too. The data from Census 2010 is just starting to come out – it’ll be interesting to see if any of the racial landscapes represented here have changed.3. The CDC obesity epidemic map (click through for more images)
An oldie but a goodie, this map traces the changing rates of obesity in all 50 states from 1985 to 2010. Yes, we’ve all heard that obesity rates are increasing, but the regional differences represented here hint at so many different stories: different food cultures, exercise cultures, infrastructure, economics, climate, standards of beauty. The time-lapse bit is pretty awesome, too.4. Where Americans are moving (click through for interactive Flash map)This map might have its issues – for one thing, data constraints mean it has to track moves by county rather than by city or state – but it’s still a lot of fun to play with and a great way to display population flows in different parts of the country. A friend in Detroit sent this to me, and comparing Detroit’s flows with Austin’s is certainly food for thought – as is the whole interactive mapping concept.5. The Walmart Virus[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojLQ2t6N1EU]So many awesome references. So little time. The great thing about this video is the change in tone from the original graphic on FlowingData: with the voiceover, what FlowingData describes as a “wildfire” or as “organic growth” becomes something menacing and destructive. One map, many perspectives, incredibly fascinating visual.
12 Twitterers American Studies Folks Should Follow
I’ve become known as a Twitter evangelist around these parts, which is not an entirely inaccurate assessment. I’ve been a user for about three and a half years now, and continually find new, helpful uses for it, thanks largely to other Twitterers’ innovations in the ways that they use the site.One area that’s seen a lot of innovation has been in education. If you do a Google search for “twitter and academia” or “twitter and classroom,” you’ll find thousands of sites devoted to exploring how the academic world can engage with Twitter to enhance student learning, bridge gaps across disciplines, and otherwise enable communication and sharing in new ways.If you’re an internet or social media neophyte, though, the Twitterverse can seem more than a little daunting, even for the most illustrious and tech-savvy academic. With millions of users, jumping in at this point takes some mettle – or at least some guidance.So, dear reader, we’ve curated a list of users you might consider following, especially if you are lucky enough to study American Studies. Besides us, of course.Granted, this list is by no means any kind of comprehensive! There are hundreds of accounts that would probably be helpful to you and your scholarship, thanks to the big tent quality of the field, but our hope is that these will help you get your feet wet in the Twitterverse.Check it out below the fold!1. @chronicle2. @insidehighered3. @profhackerFirst things first: if you’re any kind of affiliated with the world of higher education, you must follow The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, and ProfHacker. They’ll alert you to the latest developments in academic news, meditations on the scholarly life, and the place of technology in education.4. @errolmorrisErrol Morris is a fantastic documentary filmmaker, but he’s also an incredibly entertaining Twitterer. He offers both high brow academic tweets (like his discussion of Wittgenstein’s interest in composite photography) and wonderfully pithy one-liners:
5. @independentlensAlong those documentary lines, check out PBS’s Independent Lens account. They tweet info about documentaries in general as well as “tasty morsels” for your consumption – like clips. Perfect for a brief distraction from whatever work you've glanced at Twitter to escape.6. @richard_floridaFor anyone interested in creativity and/or urban life, this is a wonderful resource. Florida (author of The Creative Class and big, big fan of Austin) tweets commentary on topics from American self-centeredness to post-industrial landscapes.7. @tedtalksThe whole TED project is one of my favorite developments in new media and public knowledge. But much as I love how the entity has grown - you can find hundreds of videos on the website, ted.com - that same growth means it's hard to choose from all of the awesome. That's why this Twitter account is so handy: every day (or roughly thereabouts), they tweet a new video for your viewing pleasure. No sifting necessary!8. @cornelwestCornel West is one of our great public intellectuals, working on subjects from politics to race to jazz to rap. On Twitter, he opines about any number of topics, and, if you need more reason to follow him, he recently quoted American Studies patron saint Herman Melville in a tweet:
9. @smithsonianmagIf you ever wanted to know what happens when comics meet dinosaurs, you’d find out here. Of course, the Smithsonian Magazine doesn’t simply offer poppy content like that; you’ll also find links to articles about Hitchcock films, bluegrass music, and baseball, among other topics.10. @lifeIconic photographs live on Life.com. And, since there’s too much there to comb through, the Life Twitter account curates intriguing and relevant photos for our viewing pleasure. Oscars coming up? Get ready for a photographic retrospective of iconic Hollywood moments. Hurricane brewing? You’ll find links to photographs of natural disasters and responses. Timely and always fascinating.11. @magnumphotosIf you have even the slightest interest in photography, follow Magnum Photos. They usually tweet incredible single photographs, but every once in a while, they’ll send off an article or a collection from one of their esteemed members.12. @theatlanticYou already know The Atlantic’s content is great, so we’re just listing it to remind you that it’s there.Well, did we miss anyone? Who are your must-follows? Weigh in, comment!
6 TV Shows American Studies Scholars Should Watch
One of the best things about the American Studies field is that popular songs, TV shows, movies – what many folks might see as simple diversions – don’t need to be treated apart from more traditional artifacts that merit scholarly analysis. In other words, they offer representations of America worth considering, dissecting, and debating.And, thanks to entities like Hulu and Netflix, exploring media in depth has become quicker and easier – especially where television is concerned. Entire seasons of shows have been digitized and made readily available to the viewing public; it's a golden age of access to representations of American life! And, of course, what better means of tapping into our cultural zeitgeist than through TV?So, without further ado, a few shows you should watch if you’re in the wonderful field of American Studies – or simply aspire to be – along with a few clips to whet your appetites.1. Deadwood - HBO – 2004 – 2006 (RIP)I started watching Deadwood thanks to some recommendations by a few professors and colleagues. And the show doesn’t disappoint. Based on a post-Civil War South Dakota town, and featuring actual historical figures like Calamity Jane and Wyatt Earp, Deadwood provides what seems like a faithful representation of the lawless 19th century frontier. Authentic history notwithstanding, it’s an intense show, and that intensity starts right at the beginning. If you have a squeamish stomach or cringe when you hear coarse language, perhaps steer clear of this one. Bottom line: this is a hardcore western show. Watch it. It means business.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZENV8E3TaJo]
2. Louie - FX – 2010 -So I wrote a final paper about Louie last fall, and am also a massive, massive fan of C.K.’s stand-up material - and I recommend the show to pretty much everyone I encounter. Aside from being awkward and hilarious and uncomfortable, Louie has a lot of layers. Its premise is simple enough, of course: Louis C.K. stars as himself in a mostly autobiographical show about his life as a divorced parent and stand-up comic in New York City. Beyond that, though, Louis comments in various levels of subtlety on race, sexuality, gender, community, and modern American life. On paper, the show is a comedy, but blended with truly funny moments are dark and absurd situations that might leave you cringing rather than laughing outwardly.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-55wC5dEnc]
(warning: this clip is NSFW, though it's one of the most lauded moments of the first season - check out The American Prospect's take here)3. The Wire – HBO – 2002 – 2008 (RIP)What Deadwood did for the old west, The Wire did for modern Baltimore, but maybe better – many critics argue that this is literally the best TV series of all time. Each season explores a different aspect of the city, like the drug trade or the school system. Fundamentally, though, the show is about the city, urban life, and the American working class. And it’s deep enough to merit entire college courses centered on the series and what it reveals about our world.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2fV-_eiKxE]
4. Mad Men - AMC – 2007 -I’ll admit it: I always used to get irritated when Mad Men won literally every Emmy. But then I remember that it’s a completely fantastic show, and such awards are ultimately well-deserved. And it depicts some of the grittier day-to-day realities of the 1960s, realities that we might not normally think about when we look back on the good ol’ days of Woodstock, peace, and hippies. Interpersonal drama aside, Mad Men also offers a glimpse into the ways homophobia, sexism, racism, feminism, and other –isms shaped society in those days.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMr3NCqCvYE]
5. All in the Family – CBS – 1971 – 1979 (RIP)Reruns of All in the Family were on TV in my house all the time when I was growing up, and while I was too young to appreciate the show back as a 9 or 10 year old, nowadays, I'm totally impressed with the weighty issues this show takes on. We’re not talking about another lackluster family sitcom here: All in the Family was extremely controversial in its day, and remains so forty years later. The show offers a window onto blue collar life in New York City amidst growing ethnic diversity and social upheaval. More than that, though, the show represents a broader clash of generations following the counterculture's decline and America’s failure in Vietnam. Those were the days!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStu_cfDx-Y]
6. An American Family – PBS – 1973 (RIP)Reality TV hasn’t always been all Kardashians and Trumps. An American Family was, in many ways, the precursor to The Real World, and documented the lives of the Loud family in early-1970s Santa Barbara. Bear witness to bickering, divorce, and the values of the middle class American family. What’s also remarkable about this show is the presence of Lance Loud, who left a legacy as being one of the first openly gay men on television.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF3bs4xvbYg]