2020. 2020. My first link dump of a whole new decade*:
Monty Python’s Terry Jones (RIP) Was a Comedian, But Also a Medieval Historian: Get to Know His Other Side: I caught the tail end of Jones’ presentation at the 2008 (!) Kalamazoo Medieval Congress. Standing room only, but not just because he was a Python – his presentation was a sober academic one, arguing that Richard II was actually a pretty good king. I also highly recommend his Crusades [DailyMotion] and Medieval Lives [YouTube] series.
Hans Holzer at 100: America’s First TV Ghost Hunter Still Haunts Paranormal Community: I most likely encountered Holzer through the 1970s incarnation of In Search Of, and agree with this article that most likely made the current rash of ghost hunting tv shows possible. I’ve not read him lately but given that Potential Future Book 1 revolves around 1970s paranormal research perhaps I’d best revisit him.
How astrology paved the way for predictive analytics: yeah, it sounds like a stretch, but hear (read) it out. For all it’s incorrect conclusions about celestial influence human lives, the need for accurate data to make predictions led to mathematical advances that led to all kinds of scientific advances – including the “if you liked this you might also like that” algorithms used/abused by almost every online retailer and social media outlet.
*Yes, I know that technically it doesn’t start until 2021, but the readjustment of having to put a “2” after 20 on my checks is startling enough that I feel like we’ve already started.
