These computational contraptions we stare into by the hour seem remarkable in that they are customizable tools that can do anything you dream up within certain parameters. One of the most interesting things yet dreamed up for perusing and using on the Internet is certainly London Lives. Kind of thing that gives one hope we may not devolve back to primordial sludge. Well, quite as fast.
The site offers millions of records from London, from around 1680 to 1820. And though that may sound dull and drab, consider the full mission statement:
London Lives makes available, in a fully digitised and searchable form, a wide range of primary sources about eighteenth-century London, with a particular focus on plebeian Londoners. This resource includes over 240,000 manuscript and printed pages from eight London archives and is supplemented by fifteen datasets created by other projects. It provides access to historical records containing over 3.35 million name instances. Facilities are provided to allow users to link together records relating to the same individual, and to compile biographies of the best documented individuals.
Which means it’s quite possible to get a real and fascinating glimpse into the lives of everyday Londoners of the period. It’s the kind of history that’s seldom explored, but which is, as the kids insist on saying, “relatable” (my apologies for using that) in a way battles and dates never are.
Once compiled, these data sets are like character studies. Check out, for instance, records of the life of triple murderess Sarah Malcolm.
PLUS:
A few posts back, I noted that BP was turning away pilots who wanted to fly over the oil leak area. Here’s one who succeeded in flying over:
PS: If you don’t have the latest Flash, you probably won’t see this–here’s the direct link.
