When it comes to World War II, much attention is placed on the battles that took place throughout Europe, sites of monumental confrontations and decisive victories. But some of the most epic battles were fought silently on the grounds of Bletchley Park, a British estate just north of London in the small town of Bletchley.
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Recently, at the Christmas party at work, talk turned to our first computers, and from there to the computer games we played back then. “Ah,” says one, “‘Defender of the Crown’ on my Amiga, that was something.” “‘Monkey Island,'” says another. “Those Infocom games,” says I. As we continue reminiscing, I realize that none of my colleagues is aware of ‘The Digital Antiquarian,’ who during the past years has thoroughly researched these and many more computer game classics.
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Google constantly ups the ante for doodles on their page. The Google Doodles began with static artwork replacing the iconic letters G-o-o-g-l-e, but they’ve lifted it to its own art form. For quite a while now, we’ve expected great things from the doodles. The pressure is on, and Google continues to deliver.
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Traveling and American history are two of my biggest passions. So visiting locations that are important in history pretty much sums up glee for me. And William Zinsser, author of ‘On Writing Well’ among other books, pulls that all together in his book, ‘American Places.’
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Growing up, music and musical theater gave me a home and community. Hamilton is helping me gift my son an entrance into this community by using his musical as well as intellectual interests.
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The 1960s were such a time of obvious change in the United States. Portions of society lost their innocence, while others were empowered. Music often made a statement, and drugs influenced lives. What was life like at the end of that decade, and at the turn of the 1970s? The boundless optimism of earlier in the ’60s had disappeared, and times, they were a’changin’. The best way to learn about a certain time is to go straight to the source.
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Patricia’s sons asked about what it was like to play video games like Pong and Pac-Man in the 1980s. She and her husband decided to show them first-hand.
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I’ve had my eye on Megan Lee’s scientist art for quite some time. It’s the perfect mixture of simplicity, unity, and graphics, all with science history as the underlying theme. Most of the scientists she has profiled in art are at least somewhat known if not very well known. But for a few, I actually had to research who they were and what they have done.
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Writing ‘Iron & Blood’ was so much fun, in part because the more Gail Z. Martin and Larry Martin dug into Pittsburgh’s past, the cooler, geekier things they discovered.
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Fantasy author Django Wexler has taken some time to tell us what made him geek out while writing his Shadow Campaigns novels. Please welcome him!
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For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to look at maps. Maps of all kinds. Road maps, house floor plans, diagrams, graphs, and more. I love to know how things work and how they are laid out. I adore any well-done visual representation. I often explain my feelings as graphs. So when I saw these two books, they caught my attention right away.
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This book is a rich companion piece to a current exhibition of the same name at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
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Greenland? Isn’t that place green? Or cold? Or something? What’s up with Greenland anyway? So glad you asked. Practically at the North Pole, Greenland is on my “someday” list of places to visit.
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Episode number 2 of Bristol Banter brings lengthy discussion by GeekDad Rory and GeekMom Jenny on libraries, including the Library of Congress, the Library of Alexandria, Andrew Carnegie, and a tangent about ‘Doctor Who.’ Find out the answer to last episode’s trivia question, and take a guess at the one in this episode!
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History is cool, and your kids’ curiosity about it can lead to some wonderful things.
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Bristol Banter is a geeky conversational podcast. Rory and Jenny Bristol discuss a new theme each week, with sections including “Did You Know?” and “Obscure Awesome Trivia” (OAT).
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The Bayeux Tapestry is an important piece of history, and now you can make your own virtual collage in the same style.
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The new book ‘American Homes: The Landmark Illustrated Encyclopedia of Domestic Architecture’ is a feast for the eyes and the brain. It is filled with over 1,000 illustrations, home elevations, and floor plans. There are dozens of home styles, ranging from the Longhouse to the Saltbox to the German Colonial to the A-Frame to the Passive Solar.
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If you’re looking for some fantastic background information on the world’s incredible sites and sights, Lonely Planet has another quality book that will teach you the wheres, whens, whys, and hows of 50 of them.
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Today’s gift guide is full of books: Historical books, storybooks, reference books, baby books, comic books, and more. There is something for everyone on this list!
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Pearl’s Peril features a competent heroine whose engineering prowess often saves the day in this pulp fictional adventure game.
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Learn about history through graphic novels, from the point of view of individuals and groups not usually represented.
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Float down memory lane with these stunning space art images from history and the more recent past.
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In honor of Ada Lovelace Day, here’s a quiz about discoveries and inventions. Can you correctly identify which were made by women, and which were not?
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Learn about every day life for the Civil War soldier.
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The summer is a great time to observe the moon. Learn about the moon, some of its history, and how lunar eclipses occur.
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Take an arduous journey around the world, racing the clock and avoiding trouble!
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If you’re like me and are fascinated by the history of role playing games (RPGs), the folks over at Evil Hat Productions are about to make your day. I’ve written recently about some of the current books available that focus on the history of RPGs, but I’m a firm believer that we can always use more.
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Imagine what an island would look like, in the middle of New York City, after years of nature’s reclamation.
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The National Archives’ Today’s Document project brings history to life through primary sources.
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