Thursday, December 30, 2021

Gardner's Beacon, Vol XI, No 2

This issue of Gardner's Beacon continues the context from the prior issue, GB XI, 1, with respect to accomplishments, continuations, and new beginnings.  

Topics:
...

GB XI, 2 (PDF w/links)

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See Vol. XI, No. 2 of Gardner's Beacon for ... Sources.

Remarks: Modified: 12/30/2021

12/30/2021 -- Wayback - About the AHACWikipediaNSWDofAHACofMass

12/31/2021 -- With respect to technology, see discussion at Truth Engineering - Grand Challenge

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

"Old" in New England

TL;DR -- American Ancestor has proven to be a wonderful resource with regard to New England and beyond. As plans for the Plymouth 400th ensued and the time approach, more and more articles dealt with interesting details some of which motivated more research. One addition has been a look at the experiences year by year by R.C. Anderson of Great Migration fame. But, James W. Baker of long association with Plymouth wrote in the current issue about "popular culture" and mentioned a myth and included a reference for further information. That link went to the Nutfield genealogy blog. We have been noting more and more research articles providing URLs (or editors allow them). This indicates the potential for internet resources, when used right. We look at three organizations, two of which have a web presence. The third is of interest to us for many reasons and will be getting more attention. 

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One benefit of belonging to the NEHGS is having access to "American Ancestors back to 2010. That would be about the time that we got started with this work. We have gotten the print version since we joined, but it is nice to review the contents in a digital mode. 

You know, as a reminder, the web was thought to be conducive to information sharing and more. That is, supporting research across time and space (disparately). And, it has done that, some what, as well as spawn a bunch of other things that will need ongoing attention. As with anything, it's good to see work from the past get attention in the present. That is scholarship, in part. But, too, there has been such an explosion that making sense of the whole deal (in about any context) is daunting, at the least, and virtually impossible, in the large. 

BTW, the yearnings for things that might help control, such as we see with AI/ML/DL, is more hopeless than one might imagine and opens up many areas for unwarranted gaming. Actually, that phenomenon of mischief unbounded could have been foreseen. Was, in fact. We have mentioned this theme and will continue to do so. 

Okay, after that prolog, what is this all about? James W. Baker, of the Plimoth Plantation and the Alden House, had an article in the Fall 2021 issue that was titled "The Pilgrim Story in Popular Culture." To us, it was instructive and represented a type of article that will be increasingly useful. That is, fleshing out history with information about people, their families and the local affairs. Usually, history squashes out such detail. The web will allow it to be brought back to attention. It's our choice as to whether this is a good thing or not. 

Two things motivated this post and are mentioned in the second bullet. We add an older group in the first bullet since the organizations doesn't get much attention outside of New England. And, there are members all over. Then, while there are more to consider for each group, the second bullet is the focus of the post. Finally, we add one that has direct interest to TGS, Inc. 

These bullets look at a group from the 17th, then another from the 18th, and finally, one from the 19th century. 

  • Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company - usually, with "of Massachusetts" appended. We ran into this very early on and have used some of their research. Over here, the organization dates from 1638, so that is old. Over there, the lineage goes back and century or so. Here, it is still active. There, they are active. It's nice to see that continuity. 
  • Old Colony Club - which, according to Baker, was formed in 1769 by a "group of elite young Plymouth men" to honor "their Mayflower ancestors." As an aside, they beat the Hasty Pudding group by a year. Baker provides lots of material that will be interesting to study. The early times and troubles have gotten lots of press, whether myth or story. He mentioned 'five kernels of parched corn' with a reference. Looked familiar so went to look. The reference came from a post at the Nutfield Genealogy blog (using one from 2020 - "The Five Kernels of Corn Myth at Thanksgiving"). Of late, we have noticed technical papers being allowed to use URLs as reference. These are being published by professional organizations, such as the IEEE.org. We have not paid attention to this with regard to NEHGS work but will do so henceforth. We have used Nutfield Genealogy a lot in our research. Heather Wilkinson Rojo is a descendant of Thomas and Margaret via daughter, Sarah Balch. 
  • The Old Planters Society -- was instituted in 1899, so made the 19th century by a nose. There were many groups formed during this time of the approaching 300th. SAR (1889) and DAR (1890) are examples. For the TOP Society, Col. Thomas W. Higginson was the first President. The Massachusetts Magazine was to be the official organ and provided information and meeting minutes during its brief existence. The City of Beverly has been sponsored several meetings related to the theme of old planters over the years.   
Old Colony Club

With respect to 'firsts' such as winters, we have looked at the early time (The First Year) and the later move of Conant (Massey's Cove). Of special note would be juxtaposing the English Wigwam with the Governor's House and thinking of the winter months. But, there are many 'firsts' for us to look at, especially when we expand to include the nation's wide interior and the left coast.   

Remarks: Modified: 12/20/2022

12/20/2022 -- Changed image for the Old Colony Club. 


Sunday, December 26, 2021

Colonel John Glover

 TL;DR -- Everyone in the U.S. knows of the crossing of the Delaware, at least by name. Some of the details may suffer, but the internet provides the means (if things are done right) to fill in as necessary. The New England Historical Society wrote of Moylan and the "United States of America" in a recent feed. We see that Washington had told Moylan to work with Glover. That latter name means something. The first two of a series of military articles in the Massachusetts Magazine dealt with Col. Glover's regiment. In these articles, the regiment, its officers and campaigns are covered. The officers have a little of their history mentioned which information is of interest to family researchers. By the time of the Christmas Eve crossing, Gen. Glover was there with his men who were boat handlers. One of their accomplishments had been to 'privateer' British vessels. In doing so, got nine.  

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Col. Glover has been mentioned three times in posts of this blog: 

  • Massachusetts Magazine (May 28, 2014) -  this is when we first ran into Dr. Frank's magazine, TMM.
  • Research examples (Jun 7, 2015) -  we had seen a book, Embattled  farmers, about revolutionary soldiers and listed the military articles in all of the issues in the first two volumes of TMM. 
  • TMM, Vols. I and II (Jul 1, 2015) - we provided links to the Table of Contents for all of the issues of all of the volumes of TMM. 
Earlier this week, we saw a reference to Col. Glover's regiment. Then, The New England Historical Society sent an article that mentioned Col. Glover's outfit. The date of the article is uncertain, however the Society has regular mailings of a collection of articles. 

So, the article was titled "Stephen Moylan, the Irishman Who Coined “United States of America.” It gives some details about the life of Moylan. He came over here to Philadelphia after being educated in southern Europe. At the outbreak of the troubles, a friend referred him to George Washington who made him muster-master general. Also, he was ordered to work with Col. Glover's unit. At the time, Washington was quartered in Cambridge.   

General John Glover
So, recalling that we had seen Col. Glover mentioned by Dr. Frank and desiring to keep TMM in focus, we went to look. Sure enough, Dr. Frank mentions Moylan in his first of the military series: Colonel John Glover's Marblehead Regiment (via archive.org). They also were headquartered in Beverly. 

Something of interest was that Glover had been ordered to capture British ships. They got nine which was the start of the Navy of the United Colonies. In his articles, Dr. Frank mentioned the officers of the outfit and some of their campaigns. Glover's regiment served in the New York areas as well in New England and New Jersey. As well, Dr. Frank writes of the origins of the personnel. Col. Glover was born in Salem; his family moved to Marblehead. Glover had two brothers who also served in the colonial army. 

The article continues from TMM Vol. I, 1 to TMM Vol. I, 2. In the later period, Gen. Glover was in charge of prisoners throughout Massachusetts. He also was asked to join Gen Washington at Valley Forge. Dr. Frank did not include his references, but we can compare his notes with the modern version like we did with the link to a Wikipedia article on Washington at Valley Forge and as crossing the Delaware. Too, the officer list is a who's who that would be useful for research and reference with respect to the focus of SAR and DAR.  

In many issues, Dr. Frank also included an article titled "Department of the American Revolution" which provided additional material and discussion with specifics related to the times and the events. Expect that we will be visiting TMM issues more frequently as we go along. 

Remarks:  Modified: 12/26/2021

12/26/2021 -- 
 

Sunday, December 19, 2021

Yellowstone, plus

TL;DR -- In our research, we emphasize real people, their families, and events related to their lives. And, sometimes, one finds biographies that are truthful. There have been videos with the same characteristic. However, fiction reigns. So, getting more information about one dealing with areas around Yellowstone, we went to look at what we've researched the past couple of years and have listed the posts. As usual, the main theme is the long reach of New England across the U.S. and the world. And, Harvard fits in there, too, as its history is parallel with that of the country. 

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Frankly, as we mentioned in looking at Harvard, we want to see the influence across the great land of the U.S. and beyond. Harvard? For the pampered? Our note on John Gardner and the Merrimack surveying crew might provide a hint on our view. Perhaps not. 

We'll have to relook at that, since Harvard started up, again, in 1640 after a bit of closure post the Eaton deal. So, at least, we can say that John was learning something as he worked with the older guys. Brings up a lagging bit of work which is looking at the classes through the generations. We'll start to sample that. One key one is the big gpp, Rev. John Wise (big in several ways). 

So, expect the theme to continue that relates to the blue and red today. Those on the coast; those in the large interior; of course, with perturbations causing permutations everywhere. Now, we're about to the subject. It has to do with some fiction, on TV. So, we're not reading it; rather, it's the thing of having people extant now portray those of the past through events that might have happened. Or not. It's like the Games of Thrones; we find that very tedious and erroneous since those involved with what the theme is were real flesh and blood. Perhaps, respect of sorts might happen someday, maybe not. 

The other side of this is that people then get a warped view since they are not get a true representation. But, so what? It's fantasy. Well, in the case of this show, they use a house that is real. We'll look at the owner who is out of New England. You see, folks, New England is the core, many ways. Yes, and in the Civil War, Massachusetts was prominent, especially in Gettysburg. 

Finally, to the theme? Let's see. We're continuing this theme: Harvard, in the west. Nowadays, sure, there are students from all over. But, we're talking 200 years ago. And, Harvard was going through some changes that need some attention. As in, we can provide a mirror to lift up to the institution, perhaps. 

As we come through time, we will note the changes in Harvard. Early on, the focus was on ministers or teachers. The Adams family can be a good example, say the two Johns (politician and the mountain man). The latter had no education (Grizzly, of TV fame). The former's father (John married to Abigail) went to Harvard. His grandfather did not, however a great-uncle did. There can only be so many preachers in a family. Someone has to do real work. 

Grizzly's ancestors were of the sea which does not quite go with the terrestrial life on campus. There was no remote learning in those days. One might say that the potential influence of Harvard grew with them. The more students, the likely the remote touch. And, New England had a long reach, as we will be showing. 

Built for
Howard Clark Hollister
and William S. Ford
However, to the theme, again. Oh yes, the show is 'Yellowstone' with an adjunct now starting with the title of '1883.' The house is the one built by Howard Clark Hollister (WikiTree: Hollister-3379). 

In the below, we provide pointers to material and to our posts (in order) on the subject so as to pull them into one place. Oh yes, from the east, it's a huge trek to Yellowstone. From the west, accomplished by sea to the coast, it's no big deal. There was regular traffic (American Indians and the French and Spaniards). 

Let's start with a map, that comes via Harvard. 

  • Map of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers and their tributaries -- this map, from the 1860, is great for a few reasons. It's can be panned and zoomed. Too, the 1860 timeframe is a demarcation line for us with respect to visitors and travelers. The early ones have had our focus, for a while. The later ones we are getting to as the expanse after the Civil War really accelerated. In both case, we have started to research families. 
  • Expedition of Harvard students -- this points to the journal of Henry F. Keyes who was out with others (1899) under the auspices of the Geological Department of Harvard. Have not read this yet. 
  • Jedediah Strong Smith -- have to add this since the Montana view ignores the guy who was there way early. Died in KS in 1831. The JSSS is out of the UCBerkeley area. No one back east cares?  
  • Gardner River -- we had not paid attention to The Revenant (movie) until we noticed the theme and saw that New Englanders (and southerners) were involved. We will be looking more closely at these individuals and their history. 
  • Cumberland Gap -- coming back a little in time, about the same time as Glass and his type were out there, people were coming west following Daniel Boone (real guy). Lots of those families are still around, scattered across the west. The Boones got to Missouri which is a focus for several reasons, including St. Louis' roles in the expansion of the west. Some claim that Daniel got out to Yellowstone as an old guy. 
  • Gathering of the trappers -- some came out of the east; some from the south, including the southeast; some from the coast. Again, St. Louis was a center for fur trade. 
  • Research: Rivers - having been out there several times, recently, we started to look at the mapping, especially with respect to sources. Say, the Missouri River, with tributaries that started west south of Yellowstone, coming around and heading to the Gulf of Mexico through a long trek. Nearby, the Snake collecting itself to head west. Then, the southern movement headed to the Gulf of California. The Grasshopper map is wonderful. 
  • Two different times -- looking at two times and the people involved. There were recent imports and older families early on. In fact, the Revolution's Patriots are, many times, only a generation or two from arrival, as opposed to being the Fifth Generation from New England (Massachusetts, of course). But, many were both old and new. That is one beauty of the country. 
  • Upcoming celebrations -- we do not have a 'west' focus or favor the wild places, such as Texas. We can really talk 100-year periods where, at any point, we can consider, looking back, events that were 100, 200, 250, 300, and 400 years ago. The 250? Yes, see SAR/DAR. 
This represents our ongoing research which has themes to study across a slew of time as well as across a wide expanse. No limit seen, as the U.S. keeps marching forward, its tail follows. 

Remarks: Modified: 04/07/2022

04/07/2022 --  Change Native Americans to American Indians. 

Other Deans

TL;DR -- While looking at Heads of Harvard, we ran across a lecture by a Dean that included a piece of a poem. So, we went and looked for this. Found it in the Harvard Graduate's Magazine. Also, we are tracing down the influence of New England on the west, that is west of the Mississippi River. And, as we find New England references, we like to follow them to know more of the people and their families. This is one current focus which we'll follow as long as it bears fruit. Then, we saw that a contribution has been made by the head of Meta to Harvard to study intelligence, natural and artificial. Sounds to be great news. We'll watch how this unfolds. 

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We have been looking at Harvard's influence on the U.S., primarily by getting to know the Heads of Harvard over the 400 years. The sampling (see History of Harvard) that we have done so far is interesting. The sample has been motivated by considering current affairs at different times. 

Today, we thought to revisit the Western rivers that had our attention, for a while. Why? There is a TV show titled 1883. Also, it has to do with Yellowstone. So, that got our interest, though we have paid more attention, til now, on the earlier times (pre Civil War). One thing we looked at was Harvard names out west. There is a 14k footer with the name in Colorado. Many of Harvard have been in the area, like Henry Keyes, with other students, who did some mapping in the area in 1899 and wrote a journal. 

While searching further, we found this poem given at a talk and looked to see where that came from. 


It is a good representation of motivations that might accrue from being of Harvard. That is, the talk was titled "The Personal Character of Harvard" by LeBaron Russell Briggs (WikiTree: Briggs-5684). It appeared in The Harvard Graduate's Magazine in 1920. 

Briggs held several positions of leadership at Harvard, including Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Dean of Men. 

So, to the poem: 'Go forth, she cries, ... serve me by serving God and man.' Ah, the secular Harvard. Wait, this was a while ago. Where did it come from? Well, it can be found in The Harvard Graduate's Magazine, Vol. XII, September, 1903 - No. 45. It is titled: Mater Fortissima and is a Phi Beta Kappa Poem of June 25, 1903. By? L.B.R. Briggs, '75. So, the man quoteth himself. 

One of our motives is to have Harvard included through time as we look at generations. For instance, the Fifth Gen was the core of the U.S. Revolution. We will continue along this vein after stopping to look at what we have accumulated so far. 

At the same time, we are looking at the family history of those we consider. We have already followed some links related to collateral families. There is no end to this work which would not have been capable of accomplishment before the internet came on the scene. 

On another note, we have expressed our intent to focus on technology as we consider the 400 years of New England influence. And, that would include Harvard's work, as well. 

BTW, a pointer to the Officers and Deans page. 

The Crimson has this article, recently: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Pledges $500 Million for AI Institute at Harvard. This is an institute-wide initiative with the purpose to study natural and artificial intelligence. 

Hence, the inclusion of the poem relates to the several themes of this post. 

Remarks: Modified: 12/19/2021

12/19/2021 --  

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Ralph Waldo Emerson

TL;DR -- How could a study of Harvard only point to a foreigner? Even if it's Dickens? So, to balance that, we are picking Ralph Waldo Emerson for several reasons. He had a long-term relationship with the institution. Too, he was there when the Count Rumford monies came in and changed things. He was in the Divinity School. And, juxtaposing these two talents has a lot of potential for considering the U.S. and its roles: past, present, and future. 

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We got to Charles Dickens (1812-1870) from our study of the Heads of Harvard. On our first read of this material, we saw Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-182) mentioned. After looking at Josiah Quincy, III (1772-1864) whose biographer talked to Emerson, it is imperative that we give him some attention. 

Self-Reliance 

Ralph Waldo Emerson (WikiTree: Emerson-46) was New England to the core via both parental lines. On his mother's side, he has Mayflower lineage. Emerson was in Harvard in 1817 when he was 14. John Thornton Kirkland was the President, at the time. That was about the time that Count Rumford's impact on the institution with his Loyalist's donation. Though, Emerson stayed true to his calling in the Divinity School. The secularization moves would come later. This has not really been addressed in our research, yet, but is on the agenda. 

With respect to Dickens, Emerson went to one of his talks and noted the obvious talent. That was during the 1842 visit. It was in the later visit by Dickens, in the 1860s, when the two had a chance to talk further. There were several commonalities, such as being abolitionists. And, they both had deep insights with disparate means of expressing these. Their two talents represent something that we have not learned to balance and must. 

A few mentions of Emerson by Dickens are noted in an article on Dickens meeting with Edgar Allen Poe. We mentioned Poe, earlier, in a post on Magazines

This is a cursory mention, mainly serving as a placeholder and reminder. We have been paying more attention of late to those who went west. Dickens bailed out at St. Louis. The travel was arduous. We really need to get the proper view back on what people did in the middle of the country to establish that part of the nation. With Emerson entering the picture, we can go back and look at the east coast over the same timeframes of the generations of the country. 

Reminder: Emerson is of the 7th generation. 

Remarks: Modified: 12/19/2021

12/19/2021 --  Put photo of Emerson with link to Self-Reliance. Actually, what I know now of Emerson and Harvard, the latter has dropped a load of sins. He grew up there, after his father died. For general purposes, we need to mention Walt Whitman

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Josiah Quincy, III

TL;DR -- So far, we have looked at a few of the Presidents of Harvard which came about from our studying the History of Harvard with respect to the unfolding of the U.S. The visit of Dickens happened during the term of Josiah Quincy, III which motivated this post. Too, he is heavily New England on his mother's side which is a continuing theme for our research. As well, his term was the first one after the Count Rumford donations changed Harvard which, too, will be reviewed. 

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While looking at the Heads of Harvard, we have been sampling somewhat driven by interests that map back to the mission of TGS, Inc. An important aspect of our mission is the 400 years of history from Cape Ann and the 250th celebration that is the focus of SAR/DAR. That is, history needs to be fleshed out with the reality of individuals and their families, in part. Of course, the total picture is larger. 

While looking at Felton (who is coming up for some attention), we got reference to a book which looks at the 300 years of Harvard (see History of Harvard). We found the Table of Contents. Lots to read, but Charles Dickens was one of those published in the book. Turns out that Dickens visited the U.S. in 1842. He was mostly in the east, lots of time in Boston where he liked the Harvard crowd, one of whom was Felton. An article in the Crimson noted who was there and met Dickens. A who's who which we could relate to having done this look at the Heads. 

Josiah Quincy, III was the Head at the time. We haven't mentioned generations yet with respect to these Heads, but Quincy was of the 6th generation (WikiTree: Quincy-306). His mother was of the Phillips family with a solid New England history. 

On Quincy's Wikipedia page, there is a photo of five Heads of Harvard. On the left was Quincy. On the right was Felton. The range of their terms was from 1829 (start of Quincy's term) to 1862 (end of Felton's term). That included the frontier years in the west prior to the Civil War. We will be looking at that history further using the Heads as guideposts.

Dickens' visit is only one of several events to consider. However, we need to mention the opinions that he wrote of American and Americans. Too, though, Dickens was quite perceptive. As an example, the below link is him writing about social classes which is very much apropos to the Harvard experience. Somewhat an aside, but not, as this was written during Quincy's term:
Too, it's apropos to the time of the year, where the Christmas Carol (written after the trip to the U.S.) gets attention, yearly. 

Remarks:  Modified: 12/26/2022

12/16/2021 -- Added the TL;DR line. 

12/26/2921 -- Some editing to make "The Haves and The Have Nots" stand out. 

12/29/2022 -- Benjamin Peirce was at Harvard and is listed as one of the few mathematicians from the USA in the XVIII Century. Quincy encouraged him; Benjamin became head of the mathematics department. 

Saturday, December 11, 2021

Charles Dickens

TL;DR -- Dickens visited the U.S. twice. The first was in 1842. He liked Boston and Harvard. At a site that offers Dickens-related material, his view during the 1842 visit of some people of fame can be found. He noted the American ways, good and bad. His western jaunt only went to St. Louis. On a later visit after the Civil War, he mainly read his writings at eastern locales. The west was still too wild. Dickens's views will be more apropos than those of the aristocrats who visited, too. 

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We got to Charles Dickens (1812-1870) somewhat in a circuitous manner. We, briefly, looked at Cornelius Conway Felton as one of the Heads of Harvard in order to assess information about him. Neither Wikipedia nor WikiTree had much. Lots of these profiles seem to be ignored; so, we will table Felton until we look at a few other administrations. 

On further search, Felton was mentioned in relation to a publication: The Harvard Book. The record on archive[.]org is only the Table of Contents. Dickens was included. On browsing the content list, it does look worth while for further reading. 

So, that led to a search on Dickens and Harvard. One article was published by The Crimson (A Moist and Oystery Twinkle: Charles Dickens at Harvard). This visit was in 1842. The article mentioned that Dickens loved three things about Boston, "its literature, its oysters, and its Harvard men."  And, the article mentions the people who entertained Dickens whose names we now know due to this research. Felton was mentioned. 

When Dickens ventured outside of Boston, Felton went with him to some areas. Dickens went further west; that is something to look at. St. Louis was as far as he got in the 1840s. Travel was arduous. Wherever people had started to settle there and further west, but it takes time to develop facilities. 

A wonderful site covers the authors two visits to the U.S. and his other ventures: The Charles Dickens Page. Technically, we really like the layout of the site which is loaded with information and will be using it as a resource for our work when Dickens applies. 

Dickens' travels, 1842

The first trip was in 1842. Missouri was all of twenty years old. One thing about the above site is that Dickens wrote of his travels. The Dickens site has made these writings available. This is the page on Travels in America and Canada 1842. Sites up to St. Louis are on the list and covered. But, here is Dickens on St. Louis. As mentioned, that was his furthest point west. 

On his return trip in the 1860s, post the Civil War, Dickens did not even venture out of the east. This is the article about his travels: Charles Dickens in America 1867-68. A table provides some detail about the itinerary with some notes. These are not as extensive as he did with the 1842 trip. He was older. Also, he was reading his works. He got to DC but the furthest west was Niagara Falls. 

The following are links to related articles provide only for reference. 

It's great to hear of Harvard and Dickens repairing the ties that bound the old and the new English cultures. After all, there were still some conflicts going on in the 1840s as Canada served as the means for friction. The boundaries of Oregon were not settled until 1846. 

Too, in 1842, Dickens was meeting the upper crust Americans who really had no counterpart in England. In fact, that type of dynamic is still with us and motivates some of our work. Over the 400 years of the U.S., all sorts of social and cultural issues have been a hotbed of conflict some of which we still see as unresolved.

So, actually, it is great to run into Dickens and his two trips. There is a more real flavor to this than we saw with the visits by the French aristocracy (say Lafayette's Trail).  

Remarks: Modified: 12/16/2021

12/15/2021 --  From the home page of the Charles Dickens site, one can branch to pages related to many themes. Dickens' work was quite broad. So, not only are there many links, it can be difficult to follow all of these and not get lost. That's why 'search' was created. But, in the first article there is a link to material related to his Travels in America with information about the 1842 and the later trips. This Remarks contains major pointers to remember with regard to browsing on the travel theme. 

12/16/2021 -- Added years to Dickens (which helps place people with their generations - multiple as we will explain). Also, Ralph Waldo Emerson needs attention. He was around Harvard most of his life. Too, he was there, as a youngster, about the time that the Count Rumford monies arrived. ... At the Crimson article on Dickens, a comment mentions Dickens' opinion of the American Titian: Washington Allston. Mentioning this due to our early look at an exhibit: Titian at Isabell's place

Henry Dunster

TL;DR -- Henry Dunster is the 1st Head of Harvard, coming in not long after Nathaniel Eaton's tenure was ended. Dunster had fallings out with the Puritans, as well. 

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We have been adding Heads of Harvard to a list while taking an initial look at each with respect to time and affiliations, including family and New England. Our research started with a recent one, comparatively, and we have done a few more. But, we missed the first one and are correcting that oversight with this post. As mentioned, we mostly are using links, in our posts, to Wikipedia and WikiTree for the first pass and will be diving deeply into the term of each along with our review of U.S. history from the time of the revolution until the time that the frontiers were mostly settled. That get us from 250 years ago (plus or minus a few years) to the early part of the 20th century.  

Well, our list of heads is in our post titled History of Harvard. We were adding numbers to show where there are still gaps and noticed that we ought to include #1, Henry Dunster to anchor the list. Dunster held the position from 1640 to 1654. He took over after Nathaniel Eaton found himself facing the first American cancel culture. We need to discuss that and will, at some point. 

Dunster came over in 1640 after teaching for a time. He earned his bachelor's and master's degree from Magdalene College, Cambridge. Dunster experienced some controversy in conflict with Puritan views which led to him leaving the position in 1654. 

Henry Dunster (WikiTree - Dunster-36) requires a little work on his Profile. But, that there is a lack of interest in researching seems apparent for some of these profiles (we have only looked at a small set of the total). 

We will get back to his term as we look at a few more profiles and establish a framework for our study. We started this review with Count Rumford's contribution as a key item. However, going back before the U.S. Revolution will require more concern about English culture and its influences.  

Remarks: Modified: 12/15/2021

12/15/2021 -- Added the TL;DR line.  

Friday, December 10, 2021

U.S. and Harvard, I

TL;DR -- Looking at Harvard goes from 1636 to now, and one could think about the before times as well as what's next. Our interest is partly personal due to having connections over the toto of the life of the country and the school. Too, though, the U.S. might have started on the coast, but it has filled in a huge continent (or part of it) over these centuries. It was a mere 200 years ago, when the carving of the middle was the vogue and had everyone's attention. Well, not, as most who left the busyness of the east coast became unknowns out here. The recent Head's life motivated this review which is intended to be a usual affair as we go along. BTW, us is the US and its folks. 

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Having started to look at Harvard and its ties to the U.S. (which is us, the people - not just the brainy who need to be fed and told how to move one foot in front of the other -- as the embodiment of that notion of Winthrop quoting the Bible about humanity needing a 'light' or two, whether on a hill or not is immaterial, though we love lighthouses and gaslights) that we all live in and try to know, from several perspectives, it appeared useful to consider the 32 Heads of Harvard over the almost 400 years of its existence. 32? The official count is 29, however we added three. Two of these were in an interim position, for more than a year. So, they count. Then, we have the first one who is mentioned already in this blog. 

Note: There is a note that John Winthrop served as acting Head on two different occasions. So, the count would be 33 Heads. Winthrop is a descendant of the original Governor and taught Count Rumford in his youth. Other acting presidents are listed (Presidents of Harvard). 

See this post, History of Harvard, for the list which has a few names on it as of now. Of course, an early one was James Bryant Conant. It was a New Yorker article that got our attention, so we went to look at New England and family ties. From that, it was easy picking from various areas. For example, an important time is when Count Rumford funded Harvard's efforts at becoming more secular. John Thornton Kirkland was there at the time, but we have other names to run down. It seems like the Pearce family was more involved with setting up the technical focus for the institution.  

While doing this work, our principal modes of information are Wikipedia and WikiTree, both of which we support via editing and usage. But, we go to other sources, to boot. Right now, we look for and find New England connections, where we expect that later folks may have tenuous links in comparison with those from the early ages who would have had closer ties. 

In fact, our last two Heads were related, with Samuel Willard being the great-grandfather of Joseph Willard. We have been picking people by name and noticed the two Willards. Will there be others who relate more closely than New England cousin? As well, we expect to follow threads especially as we consider the frontier. Too, Harvard ties will hit all over the place and ought to be interesting for several reasons. 

One of these is U.S. history as it relates to its future. We have been dealing with the frontier for two years now (U.S. Interior) with respect to families. Many were new arrivals; lots of patriots were 1st or 2nd generation in their family. New England patriots were mostly the fifth generation. 

Presidents of Harvard

However, our net will be cast wide. The U.S. has many aspects of its history that never got attention. Part of this was technology. However, part of the oversight is due to the ruling mindset. The internet will allow more freedom. Actually, it'll allow more effective means for research. We already see that with the genealogical and historical approaches with family data. That is both good and bad. 

But, like with brainstorming, we look at things in order to get sufficient material to make those assessments that are necessary for maintaining society and sanity. What follows might seem wide-spread, or too unfocused, but it is not. Rather, it represents a mere scratch on the surface. Digging deeper? That is always a choice for which decision theory, hopefully, will be helpful. 

So, this post is motivated by noticing that Nathan Pusey was the next Head after Conant who was a descendant of Roger Conant of Cape Ann and Salem. It looked like Pusey's heritage was principally from Pennsylvania and the south. Then, the family moved west. Pusey was born in Iowa. His extended family was scattered around in that area west of the Mississippi. 

When did the family arrive? On a closer look, we can see that his paternal ancestors were with William Penn in the late 1600s. Some have done genealogical work on Pusey's; we will be looking into this further at some point. We had noticed that some of the Heads have very slim information about them, as if there is some popularity aspect that determines interest. 

Well, all of these Heads will be important, as we step through the many generations. Fortunately, we have family involved with Harvard, as well as in-laws and friends. So, personal motivation will help fill in the historic look. 

Let's consider this little tie. Pusey taught at the Riverdale School in New York City early in his career. He is mentioned in the 'Notable staff' section. Looking at the 'Notable alumni' section brought up several names that are of interest. President JFKennedy and his brother, RFK, are on the list. The school started in 1907, so the names are fairly contemporary. Others of a wide variety are Ratan Tata, Carly Simon, Cesar Romero, Steven Mnuchin, and others. 

But, so was Lawrence Ferlinghetti an attendee of the school. He is well-known for his literary work and his book store in San Francisco (City Lights Bookstore). Given our focus of late, what caught the eye was that his wife was the granddaughter of Edmund Kirby-Smith. Families went south and then west. Some came in and went west, like Pusey's. And, when west, there was the huge U.S. Interior involved which took over 100 years for a frontier experience to not be the norm. 

His folks were from Connecticut, but Kirby-Smith was born in Florida. After attending a military academy in Virginia, he went to West Point and served in several military campaigns. With the start of the Civil War, he was a superior officer. By the time of Bull Run, where he was wounded, he had held several positions of General Officer. After the war, he had several positions, ending up as professor of mathematics and botany. 

According to WikiTree (Smith-39301), his tree is fairly well filled in with lots of Connecticut connections. However, there are Massachusetts connections, as well, including Essex County. This is an example of a New England family from the north going south. Many had done so much earlier. 

One might wonder about the Harvard association as it seems fairly weak. But, it is not, just like the reference to West Point is there constantly when we look at the military history. Harvard is part of that long-arm of New England which threads heavily from one coast to the next across the large middle. And, then, of course, U.S.ers were very much active overseas from the beginning. 

Lots of things to look at and ponder. 

Remarks: Modified: 12/11/2021

12/11/2021 -- Add image for our portal (to truth).  

Nathan Pusey

TL;DR -- Continuing with the look at the Heads of Harvard, we chose the one who succeeded James Bryant Conant in the role. Conant started the testing focus. Pusey continued the work. Pusey also was of the time of the student unrest which grew faster than anyone expected. His decisions as Head may have not been popular. We look at Pusey and his heritage. Is he an example of being cancelled? 

--

There is a lot of motivation for this review, as there have been thirty-two Heads of Harvard if one considers that a couple were not counted as they were considered interim for a few years plus we have the first one who was run out on a rail, so to speak. Those not counted were Samuel Willard and Eliphalet Pearson, both of whom we have looked at, briefly. We have noticed that some of these folks are ignored as seen by sparsity of their information on Wikipedia and WikiTree. This can be corrected. But, too, we can discuss the 'cancel' culture which is really nothing new (witch hunts, for instance, and their hangings). 

We picked Nathan Pusey due to his name which we have seen in the New England milieu. Nathan does have a WikiTree profile (Pusey-1124) which is very sparse. Even his wife's heritage is an empty bucket. However, from the Wikipedia profile, we see that a great-uncle of Nathan was William Henry Mills Pusey (WikiTree: Pusey-111). 

William's WikiTree profile has information about his paternal ancestry which would then be the same as that of Nathan's. The Pusey family came into PA in the early 1700s. William was born in PA but went to IA after being admitted into the bar in PA. Nathan was born in Council Bluffs, IA. So, this was a great find for several reasons which will be explained, over time. Meanwhile, this task is very finite; albeit, once we organize the material, there will no end to showing how the 'lights' of New England are transcendental yet very much pertaining to the U.S. and its history and future. 

Nathan was admitted to Harvard. It would be interesting to trace his Harvard roots, as at that time, there was a New England focus with regard to admission. In his term as Head, Nathan continued what Conant started which emphasized testing to allow a broader mix of students to obtain admission. Nathan was the Head who succeeded Conant (see History of Harvard). 

Nathan's time at Harvard coincided with the rise of up rest in the 60s. He was not a fan of student advocacy. So, his life and times need further elucidation from the perspective of Harvard and the 400+ years of the U.S.  

Remarks: Modified: 12/11/2021

12/10/2021 --  Working in a way to provide views that extend the primary look at the Head into related areas. Is Pusey an example of being cancelled? There is not much written on him. We have only looked at a few Heads, so far. Analysis awaits completing a larger set of these looks. So, another post was motivated: U.S. and Harvard, I

12/11/2021 -- Added link to History of Harvard.

Monday, December 6, 2021

The Willards

 TL;DR -- Samuel and Joseph Willard were kin while both being Heads of Harvard. Samuel was first and the great-grandfather of Joseph. With these few samples so far, we can look for Harvard to illustrate its role in the unfolding of the U.S. which is one of our chief themes.  

--

So far in our look at the History of Harvard, we have considered four. Today, we pick two who are related:  Samuel Willard and Joseph Willard who are descendants of Simon Willard, an early entrant. 

  • Samuel is the great-grandfather of Joseph and served as an acting Head of Harvard from 1701 to 1707. Hence, Samuel is of the second (first born here) generation. Samuel's father was a founder of Concord, MA with Rev. Bulkeley. Samuel served as Head after Increase Mather and before John Leverett. There are New England stories to consider, such as Samuel's Puritan church being used for Anglican services on order of Gov. Andros. 
  • Joseph was Head of Harvard from 1781 to 1804 and came into his duties before the end of the conflict with jolly old England. In his term, he introduced a dress code and was the first to offer the Commencement Address in English. Joseph Willard descended from Simon Willard through his mother, too. 
One would expect the earlier Heads to have a New England background (see Heads of Harvard). Or New World. Samuel is the earliest that we have considered, so far. 

 Remarks: Modified: 12/11/2021

12/10/2021 -- Added image for our portal (to truth).  

12/11/2021 -- Added link to Heads of Harvard.

Thursday, December 2, 2021

U. S. Interior

TL; DR -- Before, we talked of the 100th, 200th, 250th, 300th, and 400th coming forward from Cape Ann. Where the 250th deals with the U. S. start. The 400th involved New England and more. Now, we can talk 400 years ago, 200 years ago, and now. 400? The forebears crossed the sea. 200? The waves of immigrants crossed the prairie and other areas of the U. S. interior. Now? We are all sailing the seas of the cyber and virtual and more due to the computationally-framed new world. 

--

In the latest issue of Gardner's Beacon, which was Vol. XI, No. 1, we mentioned one of our continuing subjects: U. S. Interior. In part, the subject of the U. S. interiors deals with history, however we add in the family aspect with the same intent as groups focused upon historical and genealogical topics (say, the NEHGS). We have called the period of over hundred years in which the interior expanded to be the Frontier Century

While browsing today, we ran across a map that looked interesting which is given below. However, let's take a moment for reflection. The map was in a collection of other images related to why the U. S. has been successful, in the world, which is a debatable subject. There was no attribution, so we used the facilities of Google's image search to find the source for the map. It showed several similar maps, however PInterest had the map and pointed to where it got the map. So, that was nice to see. 

The site is run for teachers. Here is the map which provides a timeline for acquisition as well as some indication of the geography. We have had several posts on this subject which are list below (such as, All that Louisiana brought, which is first on the list).  


The map also was used at a Quiz site. Doing this exercise made us aware of a Wikipedia page that looks at the "Territorial evolution of the United States" and provides an animated map. This reminds us of the Virginia map showing its extent over the first few decades.  

List of posts dealing with the western expansion (as we call it). Part of the discussion and work will be taken by concerns for our relationships with the American Indian
  • All that Louisiana brought (Nov 2020) -- The brown area picked up by Jefferson which included St. Louis. 
  • Sam Dunn (Nov 2021) -- A look at the interior by a Londoner in 1794. 
  • State of Missouri (Jun 2021) -- On the right edge of the brown area which was the HQ, so to speak, of those who were surveying, who were early arrivers (fur trading), or who were just passing through. 
  • Michigan, 200 years ago (Aug 2021) -- The light green area on the right includes the colonies and areas that are close. However, things, such as borders, were still being settled there in the early 1800s giving a chance to practice carving the land in a big-time way. 
  • Rendezvous (Apr 2021) -- The dark green area to the left includes the mountainous regions of the northwest (the real one, not the area around Ohio). 
  • New Spain (Feb 2021) -- Covered most of the region west of the Mississippi. This map includes the major rivers which helped carve the land. Coronado was in the middle of the brown region in the 1540s. 
  • Pre-Civil War, San Antonio TX to San Diego CA (Mar 2021) -- Cutting across the lower part of the U. S. in the early days. Again, for the hearty. 
  • Carving the land (Jul 2021) -- As mentioned, St. Louis was an early sight where the surveyors got started on the great middle. The post includes a color-coded map with discussion. 
  • Department of Interior in MO (Jun 2021) -- One of the earliest departments of the new government. Following the Boone family into MO might be of interest for several reasons. 
  • 3 Trails (Sep 2019) -- St. Louis might have been where the paperwork was shuffled, but those heading west converged on the area around Gardner Junction KS which is west of Independence MO for some time. This is in the middle brown section. 
  • Trails West (Mar 2016) -- The Gold Rush (left coast) was later. While it saw a substantial bit of travel by water (around the Cape or split with a ground jaunt across Panama), there were many who went by the trails. The Bostonian went around and sailed from Jul 1849 to Jan 1850. After a jaunt to New Zealand, it returned and shipwrecked along the OR coast. 
  • Paper Trails (Jun 2021) -- One can follow the Post Offices through time (see maps by year). Looking at the treads related to the points, one can get a sense of the eventual railroads  as well as the modern highway system. 
  • St. Louis MO to San Francisco CA (Jun 2021) -- About eight rough days for the hearty traveler. Post also shows the progress of the establishment of the railroad in three maps. 
  • Jedediah Strong Smith (Jul 2018) -- He mapped out the CA Interstate system on foot and horseback. 
  • Trapper, Trader, Rancher (May 2021) -- The Bent family out of New England eventually got to St. Louis. The father was a surveyor and agent for the government. The son was in MO, KS, CO, OK, and TX (using modern state labels throughout to save the fingers). 
  • Rivers and more (Feb 2021) -- The Mississippi and its feeders cover a lot of the brown and light green areas. In fact, water from eastern PA (and NY) go down to the middle of the country. In the dark green of the upper left, waters come down to the Missouri river. 
  • Oregon or bust (Sep 2021) -- Gardiner OR was founded where a ship of New England ownership wrecked. People went out by the wagon trains. Or, they came in from the Pacific after a long voyage. 
  • New France (Feb 2021) -- The area covered was in the upper U. S. as well as in Canada. 
  • Scholars, in general (Aug 2020) -- Papers and maps on the divides that run north to south along the western edge. 
In conclusion, New England influence by family or other parties is our interest. We can see a good reminder with respect to the founding of Lawrence, KS and the University of Kansas
    To set the stage, let's do a quote. This is from Chapter 1 in which Cordley quotes from Whittier's poem, "Song of the Kansas Emigrant:"
      We cross the prairie as of old
      The fathers crossed the sea,
      To make the West, as they the East,
      The homestead of the free.
So, as the early ones "crossed the sea" 400 years ago, we saw the later ones crossing the prairie, the river, the mountains, and the valleys 200 years ago. 

Nowadays? Flyover country or by car (1300 miles from San Antonio TX to San Diego CA, by Interstate, 22 hours). 

BTW, one other focus is technology, especially computationally framed reality. So, now we are going to be sailing the seas of the cyber and virtual? 

Remarks: Modified: 12/03/2021

12/02/2021 --


Sunday, November 28, 2021

Structure and GB

TL;DR -- The internet/web has become increasingly fluid over the years as choices push in that direction. Part of this was the large set of potential representation devices grew in size and complexity. Adapting to that situation motivated several choices which might need reconsideration. As, information has structure as does the language used to express information. For our purposes, we see the PDF as a framework for providing temporal views of our information. However, given an early choice, we provided a print flavor. In retrospect, the PDF ought to point to information in its contemporary form. We will do that, albeit the task will become harder going back in time. So, right now, we have two volumes to show as an example. 

--

We recently released the issue of  Gardner's Beacon, Vol. XI, No. 1 in which we included links in the PDF file so as to have a more full presentation of information. After than, we re-issued the PDFs for Volume X which was 2020 and Volumes IX and VIII. These are the PDFs done so far. 
  • Table move to our tech blog. Added in a format for more general reading. 
Try them and let us know. Why do this? It's a starting point. 

As we have mentioned, we are now designing changes to incorporate the mobile devices of small footprint. Over the past few years, site have been adjusting to make the interchange the same no matter the level of device. As in, we have the small (smartphone and other), tablet (varying sizes) and the more normal (where, again, we have a size range). Our portal (https://TGSoc.org) is where we have worked on the issues of mobility. 

From time to time, we have checked pages on the portal. However, the older (traditional) site has had minimal upgrade, though it works. 

In regard to the flexible approach that has been adopted, it has been a mixed blessing. One type of interface cannot handle all requirements. On the one hand, there has been lots of energy and money put into better interfaces for handling photos or games or steaming video. Other requirements might be for text with graphics such as we find with a scholarly paper. There are many more. 

An approach to allowing flexibility has been to remove structural constraints, almost entirely. Hence, the objects being displayed adapt. One scrolls to look for what one is seeking. A metaphor would be trying to find a bottle cap on a football field using only a small window of view (pan mostly, perhaps with some zoom). Using a browser on a larger screen can allow some search using text if the images have these identified.  
small example of the
array of modern devices 

This is a brief overview which was discussed in the 'Favorite site' post. An important concept is structure which can be several things, even some implicit order for scrolling. At the portal, we have offered a sliding icon array which maps to post by time. The PDF is another approach where text will have links to additional information. One can offer popup information and similar. 

So, with these PDFs, there is, at least, one link per paragraph to a post that relates to the theme. Then, each of these posts links to related material. Now, links? They can go bad for several reasons. Part of the maintenance would be link management which would identify those that are stale. Or, perhaps, where a server disappeared and might return at any moment. 

Now, this might seem to be out of scope with regard to our content. In an ideal world, that would be true. But, the internet has been undergoing tremendous change. We have looked to use the none extreme, in the sense of KISS. Too, we think of our material as being an in-progress outline with some fleshing available that is like a summary or overview. Besides, the balance of content and configuration is a never-ending affair where the line of demarcation moves by context. 

We will be putting out a temporary page to handle these PDFs as they get updated. Too, there will be ongoing reconfiguration seen through the next few (no end seen, yet) months.  

Remarks: Modified: 10/03/2022

12/20-21/2021 -- Added GB Vol. IX, No. 1,2, 3 and GB Vol. VIII, 1, 2 to see what's involved with the editing in of links. And, how many years back we might like to go. 

12/29/2021 -- Working GB Vol. XII, No. 2. Also, added GB Vol. IV, No. 2 which included information about the incorporation. 
 
02/22/2022 -- Added GB Vol. I, No. 1 and GB Vol. II, No. 1, ..., essentially, starting over. 

03/30/2022 -- Added GB Vol. XII, No. 1 
 
10/03/2022 -- Moved the status table over to our mobile-friendly site. 

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Gardner's Beacon, Vol XI, No 1

This issue of Gardner's Beacon provides an overview of things accomplished in 2021 and before, plus commentary on what we are doing and why. Reports on our work have mostly been done by blog posts. The occasional issue of Gardner's Beacon provides for a structured review. Also, we have presented material by way of The Gardner Annals, an issue of which will be published in 2022. 

Topics:
GB XI, 1 (PDF w/links)



---

See Vol. XI, No. 1 of Gardner's Beacon for ... Sources.

Remarks: Modified: 12/30/2021

11/25/2021 -- Added links on topics to be covered. 

11/26/2021 -- Issue released. Links in the PDF are supposed to be active. See the problem. Will be corrected tomorrow. For those interested, a forgetful transform kicked in when it was not expected. Oversight. Mea culpa. In the meantime, use the links in this post which goes to a subset. 

12/30/2021 -- Vol. XI, No. 2

Monday, November 22, 2021

Favorite site

TL;DR -- Considering technological issues related to computer systems some of which are exhibiting, supposedly, behavior that might be considered intelligent. Some of these systems handle language interchange with humans, somewhat. On the other hand, we have the example of educated humans who grasp lots of material with an understanding that is apparent in effective action. Versus, the more focused modes that we see with computer systems. The debate continues. In the meantime, we can see slow progress with respect to computer-based information. A long-time example is provided. 

--

We have had several posts on technology over the years in a general sense. We have also taken up the them of History, Culture, Technology. And, we have several times remarked about content versus configuration in terms of knowledge management. The computer has really changed the landscape. 

We started in 2010 using Microsoft's Office Live. It was two years later that they switched to Office 360 and pruned out lots of small business systems that had developed. We are to where we want to incorporate an ecommerce flavor, of sorts, but our focus is research. WikiTree is sufficient to support our genealogical needs. How to handle the rest of the requirements is a recurring them? Associated with this is the issue of what are the requirements. 

Since the introduction of the smart phone 14 years ago, we have watched the evolution. 'apps' were one major enhancement (for better or for worse is to be discussed) with wide-spread ramifications. We just got our first smart phone a couple of weeks ago which will help hone our research. That is, the platforms for interface are several, but we have three as a focus, at the moment: mobile, tablet/laptop, desktop. Other platforms? The whole of the gaming theme, including the 'meta' dreams of Facebook. 5G and IOT as frameworks for the future are a big deal. At the upper end, we have the huge systems doing massive computing. We have to mention the cloud which is not to be without huge farms of computers dealing with distributed systems in disparate areas and across a never-ending landscape of information. 

Got the drift, yet? I may have mentioned this once, but the Gairdner Foundation was an inspiration when first seen years ago. It was started in Canada by a Gairdner gent from Scotland. Their focus is medical research for which they support work and offer prizes for results. This is a huge domain. 

Computing? It's larger, for several reasons. For one thing, it's supportive of everything. Like IEEE.org says, their members have been involved intimately with all advances in technology of the past century. Then there are all of the issues related to 'smarts' with respect to computing. I already mentioned the 'smart' phone. Another topic would be AI and its association with knowledge and autonomy of artifacts. Of note are the discussions currently looking at the various subjects. Lines are being cast. 

Our focus is the U.S., principally, with New England a key topic. A large part of our history has been technology as it evolved in our timeframe. The past few decades saw an acceleration where American ingenuity influenced the world. Of late, China has made inroads which will be discussed. For now, this image is from the Communications of the ACM, Nov 2021

There are several articles to discuss, such as this one reviewing NLP with respect to the historical work plus enhancements that accrue to applying modern techniques: Knowledgeable Machine Learning for Natural Language Processing

In the larger picture which deals with complexity and thereby limits to computing, technical perspectives article provides and overview and arguments for MIP* = RE. This has direct implications related to the need for management of expectations. 

One might argue that AI AIn't. In the general way of progress, hype has been let loose of its restrictions. Mind you, much misinformation is out there. Where does one go to find any type of truth? Well, that is one thing that we can help with. Our little portal is meant as a means to define, discuss, and determine matters that go to the core, even with regard to our very essence as humans. 

So, let's put here a little bit of text from a discussion. This from a post by Prof. John Baez with regard to thermodynamics as seen from an introductory framework (Composited thermodynamics). 

I'm sure there's much more to be done. But I feel happy to see modern math being put to good use: making the foundations of thermodynamics more precise. Once Vladimir Arnol'd wrote:
    • Every mathematician knows that it is impossible to understand any elementary course in thermodynamics.
I'm not sure our work will help with that---and indeed, it's possible that once the mathematicians finally understand thermodynamics, physicists won't understand what the mathematicians are talking about! But at least we're clearly seeing some more of the mathematical structures that are hinted at, but not fully spelled out, in such an elementary course.

How this relates to the above is that thermodynamics has been studied for a few centuries now. Count Rumford was an early researcher. AI? Modern to its core. Most classical views that might relate are not consider. Or, have not been for several reasons. But, the computer and changes to cognition can be observed. We are too new to this game to know as much as we are assuming. 

Be that as it may, finally we can get to the gist of the post. Favorite site? It has been mentioned several times in posts (Culture, History, Technology). Prof. Baez started blogging in the 1990s using the blogging mode in vogue at the time which was the minimal type of framework. He kept at it until about ten years ago. Reminder, this blog dealt with advanced mathematics of the highest order with embedded images and many equations written out in a textual format. The message got conveyed. 

When he transitioned, he left his old blog that was full of content which is one of our themes. And, he went to WordPress (Azimuth) which we have been using, somewhat. Seeing him work with both the old and the new is encouraging. 

Right now, we have two sites. We will transition to using the new (https://TGSoc.org) while we work issues with regard to re-configuring and adding in new facilities, such as ecommerce functions. 

Remarks: Modified: 08/12/2023

12/10/2021 -- Added the TL;DR line. 


Saturday, November 20, 2021

Eliphalet Pearson

TL;DR -- We continue our look at the History of Harvard by featuring another Head. In this case. Eliphalet Pearson served in an interim role for a couple of years. The information on him is sparse, so we can look to fill that in. But, his pedigree is shown on WikiTree, starting in Newbury, MA which is of Essex County. 

--

So far, in our look at the History of Harvard, we have featured three Presidents. Today, we add another. Eliphalet Pearson (1752-1826) was acted in the role between the death of the 12th (Joseph Willard) and start of the 13th term (Samuel Webber). Eliphalet served from 1804 to 1806 (see Heads of Harvard). Prior to his stint at Harvard, he was Head of Phillips Academy which has an illustrious list of notable alumni.  


Eliphalet was born in Newbury of Essex County, MA and has a solid New England pedigree as shown by WikiTree

Remarks: Modified: 12/11/2021

12/11/2021 -- Added link to Heads of Harvard.