Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Digital_Humanities, Critical Reaction #5: Progress, Always Progress

I still feel behind in my Digital Humanities course, at least in terms of the quantitative "ah-ha" moments I am supposedly expected to have regarding new technology and its application to my own research and online portfolio. I completed the Python tutorials without a hitch and my general understanding of our previous tools is fairly sound, albeit rudimentary, especially where QGIS and Javascript are concerned. However, in spite of this completion, I am having trouble understanding how navigating a computer without a GUI will help my research in any way or how it can be incorporated into my own research. Perhaps this will link up with data mining in some way, but I have not had adequate time or the resource of a file to data mine that is relevant to my research to really test this out. That being said, in spite of the lack of satisfaction I feel in completing and understanding Python and command line text, I should be excited. In one night, I picked up a new tool that I had never before used, understood the language, and completed the exercises. Perhaps this underwhelming feeling is progress. 



Roughly two months ago, I had no real conception of HTML or CSS or how the language syntax really worked. Now, while there is still a lot to learn, I have at least a basic understanding and I seem to be picking up new techniques and aspects of this digital language, such as with command line, fairly easily. If anything, that shows an adjustment from before and illustrates, at least, the potential to advance and attempt to utilize more complex digital tools in the future. 

I still don't exactly know how to apply what I am learning to my own research or even the ABQ airport project just yet. But maybe that, too, will come in time. If anyone has any suggestions, I am definitely open to hear them. 

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