by James McNally on July 30, 2004
in Internet
The Toronto Star has digitized every daily issue of their paper, from 1892 through 2001, and put them online. It’s all searchable, too. What a monumental task. It isn’t free, but this will make researchers jobs much easier. I hope other newspapers follow suit. For now, you can check out all the 1945 issues gratis. (via mefi)
UPDATE: The Globe and Mail has done the same thing, with every issue from 1844 onward. Not available for individual access, but apparently some public and university libraries have paid the site licence fees.
Paper of Record appears to be a sort of super-database consisting of scanned newspapers from Canada, the US, the UK, and Mexico. This could become a great resource.
by James McNally on July 28, 2004
in Blogging
Well, I’ve been putting this off for some time now, but I figured it’s finally time to let the cat out of the bag.
Back in April, I began a new weblog. It’s called Runner-Up. As you’ll notice, it’s a collection of stories, mostly sports-related, about “non-winners”. I’ve often found that the most interesting stories never get heard in our “winner-take-all” culture. I was particularly inspired by the Olympics, that now oft-maligned celebration of sport and idealism that comes around every few years.
But it’s not only in sport that we find these interesting people and experiences. They’re all around us. From the start, I envisioned Runner-Up as a group blog, with contributions from the worlds of sports, the arts, politics, wherever. I’ve held off publicizing it until now mostly because I’m too lazy and/or unskilled to design the sort of attractive templates that I feel the site needs. So, I’m making an appeal, for two kinds of help:
- Most urgently, if you’re a web designer comfortable with Movable Type, I’d love to see some gorgeous standards-compliant web templates that would fit the overall theme and spirit of the site. The tagline (“Where 2nds Count”) will probably stay.
- I’m also looking for more long-term help, with contributing writers for the site. You need not contribute often, but if you think you can contribute a story that is in the spirit of the site, please get in touch. I’d especially like some non-sports-related stories that would fit the themes of the site.
by James McNally on July 27, 2004
in Blogging
by James McNally on July 27, 2004
in Blogging
by James McNally on July 23, 2004
in Music
In 1996, I made a mixtape for a young guy I knew at my church. He was really into music; in fact, he was a musician. Eight years later, Jason is fronting a band called China Jean. My friend Jay and I went to see them playing at the Horseshoe Tavern last night. Jason had told Jay quite recently that my mixtape had influenced his tastes, so if China Jean finds any measure of success, I’ll be quite gratified.
Digging around, I found a track listing of the tape I made for him. It amazes me that every single band is from the UK or Ireland. I think I’m much less of an Anglophile these days. I also included some great dialogue bits from the animated series “The Tick” and the Coen brothers’ film “Raising Arizona.”
Side A
Suede – Stay Together
Morrissey – My Love Life
PJ Harvey – Hardly Wait
The The – I’ve Been Waiting for Tomorrow
Elastica – Smile
My Bloody Valentine – Soon
Sleeper – Bedhead
Pulp – Babies
The Wedding Present – Blue Eyes
Billy Bragg – The Saturday Boy
The Smiths – What Difference Does It Make?
The Tick – A Psychic Journey of Self-Discovery
Raising Arizona – Diapers and Balloons
Side B
Joy Division – Disorder
Bauhaus – Ziggy Stardust
PJ Harvey – Man Size
The Only Ones – Another Girl, Another Planet
Elvis Costello – Lipstick Vogue
The Police – Roxanne
Elastica – Blue
The Waterboys – The Big Music
The Cranberries – I Can’t Be With You
The Wedding Present – Give My Love to Kevin
Morrissey – Interesting Drug
Sinead O’Connor – Jerusalem
Billy Bragg – A New England
Mike Scott – What Do You Want Me to Do?
Depeche Mode – Black Celebration
