Having data in a spreadsheet can be fine for many types of data and projects, but when you want to start interrogating the data in more complex ways a relational database is much more powerful. There are numerous programmes around to create such a database in (MySQL is a powerful free one), but before we get to that stage it is necessary first to plan out the database, going back to first principles.

I propose covering these first principles step by step, then working our way together through a few sample datasets to think about how we would structure that data for a relational database. If you have some data you would like to go through, feel free to bring it along.

Now that editing software is easily available and it is increasingly simple to download/rip AV content, video essays are becoming increasingly popular. Two main trends seem to be emerging:

1. Video essays that merge text, sound and visual content in an open manner that can be read in multiple ways. These normally lead viewers towards central arguments but ask viewers to engage in their own interpretations of the content. A good example is Catherine Grant’s ‘Touching the Film Object? Notes on the ‘Haptic’ in Videographical Film Studies’ (filmanalytical.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/touching-film-object-notes-on-haptic-in.html)

2. Video essays that follow a traditional voice-over documentary format which leads viewers through specific arguments and towards direct conclusions. A good example is Arielle Bernstein and Serena Bramble’s ‘Female Sexual Agency in a World of Blurred Lines’ (blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/video-essay-female-sexual-agency-in-a-world-of-blurred-lines)

Both types can be constructed with relative ease and are good tools for exploring and presenting research topics and/or class themes.

In this session I propose covering the basic principles of how to construct video essays with a particular emphasis on how consumer technologies such as smart phones can help produce original content to be included in the essays as well as how to use creative commons licenses in the production of video essays.

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[Update: 3 December 2013]: A blog summarizing a little of what I presented at my THATCamp session can be found here: exponentialdecay.co.uk/blog/architecture-of-the-fr-org/ – Thanks to all those who attended!]

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Two-weeks back I built myself a linked file-format registry. For me, one of the biggest motivations is opening up existing data and making it more queryable…

I want to share some of that experience and provide a bit of a technical background about the implementation of that work, and what a SPARQL endpoint can do for you.

Covering:

• The motivation
• A (brief) intro to RDF / Linked Data
• Architecture
• .htaccess makes it fly! (hint: magic)
• Query mechanisms
• You… (well, what’s next)

Conclusion: The technology isn’t a silver bullet, but, make your data available on the web, and use open standards.

Further Reading…

Personal blog, covering the work: exponentialdecay.co.uk/blog/tag/the-fr-org/

A bit of an example query: bit.ly/I2xwB3 (More information on this particular query in session…)