Information School
December 23, 2015
Documents that Changed the World: The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, 1896
A glance at a kitchen bookshelf gave UW Information School professor Joe Janes the idea for the latest installment of his Documents that Changed the World podcast — about the famous Boston Cooking-School Cookbook, more popularly known as the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.
November 30, 2015
UW researchers estimate poverty and wealth from cell phone metadata
In developing or war-ravaged countries where government censuses are few and far between, gathering data for public services or policymaking can be difficult, dangerous or near-impossible. Big data is, after all, mainly a First World opportunity. But cell towers are easier to install than telephone land lines, even in such challenged areas, and mobile or…
November 25, 2015
Documents that Changed the World: FDR’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1939
The U.S. Senate voted to set Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November on Dec. 9, 1941, two days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. You’d think they would have had more important things to talk about. Not Nov. 26, as George Washington had it or the last Thursday in the month as Lincoln…
November 9, 2015
Documents that Changed the World: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1982
The Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., is many things to many people. To Joe Janes of the Information School, the son of a World War II veteran and creator of the Documents that Changed the World podcast series, the memorial, the discussions it sparked and the hearts it helps heal — “the totality of the wall” he says – together comprise an important document.
October 6, 2015
Documents that Changed the World: Alfred Nobel’s will, 1895
Alfred Nobel is remembered for the annual prizes given in his name. But were it not for his confused but effective will, we might remember him as the inventor of dynamite, who grew rich inventing and developing lethal explosives.
August 13, 2015
Documents that Changed the World: Charles Richter’s seismic scale, 1935
A scale of simple numbers — the Richter Scale — unnerves us when we think about earthquakes, as Pacific Northwest residents have been prone to do lately. But who was Richter, and how did it all come about? Joe Janes takes a look for an installment of his Documents that Changed the World podcast series.
July 29, 2015
Documents that Changed the World: Annals of the World, 1650
As shadows lengthened and day turned to night on Saturday, Oct. 22, in the year 4004 BCE, God created the universe. Or, perhaps not. Still, that’s the time and date for creation determined, after long and painstaking research, by Irish scholar and church leader James Ussher, author of the 17th century chronology, Annals of the World.
July 16, 2015
New book by UW’s Philip Howard urges democratic values for coming Internet of Things
UW professor Philip Howard discusses his new book, “Pax Technica: How the Internet of Things May Set us Free or Lock Us Up,” published this spring by Yale University Press.
May 5, 2015
Documents that Changed the World: The Exaltation of Inanna, 2300 BCE
In the latest installment of his Documents that Changed the World podcast series, Joe Janes looks back more than 4,000 years at the Exaltation of Inanna, and what might be the first-ever claim of authorship.
February 2, 2015
Documents that Changed the World: ‘Rosie the Riveter’ poster, 1943
The famous World War II-era poster of Rosie the Riveter is less a document that changed the world than the other way around — an image the world adopted and filled with meaning. But such turnabout is fair play in the ongoing Documents that Changed the World podcast series by UW Information School Professor Joe Janes.
October 14, 2014
Documents that Changed the World: Joseph McCarthy’s ‘list,’ 1950
Sometimes a document can be devastating — can ruin lives and change history — even if it doesn’t really exist.
September 9, 2014
Documents that Changed the World: The Star Spangled Banner turns 200
Information School Professor Joe Janes takes a look at “The Star Spangled Banner” for his Documents that Changed the World series.
July 8, 2014
Documents that Changed the World: Rules of Association Football (soccer), 1863
Joe Janes explores the rules of “an ancient and sometimes dangerous game, now generally regarded as the most popular sport in the world.”
June 10, 2014
Students mine history for their own Documents that Changed the World installment
Undergraduates working with University of Washington Information School Professor Joe Janes looked to American and European history for their own installments of Janes’ podcast series, Documents that Changed the World.
May 8, 2014
Documents that Changed the World: Airline ‘black box’ flight data recorder, 1958
Recent headlines sadly explain why Joe Janes chose the latest installment in his Documents that Changed the World podcast series — he’s writing about airline flight data recorders, or “black boxes.”
May 5, 2014
Memorial May 14 for Information School’s Eliza Dresang
Eliza Dresang, a well-loved professor in the University of Washington Information School, died on Monday, April 21. She is remembered as a respected friend, colleague, teacher and community member. She was 72. There will be a campus memorial for Dresang from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 14, in the Husky Union Building Lyceum (room…
April 16, 2014
Metoyer to present 10th annual Samuel E. Kelly Distinguished Faculty Lecture
In her lecture “Are We There Yet? The Four Directions in Native American Higher Education,” Metoyer will talk about the historic development of Native Americans in higher education.
April 2, 2014
Science-themed music videos boost scientific literacy, study shows
As the United States puts ever-greater emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to keep competitive in the global economy, schools are trying to figure out how to improve student learning in science. University of Washington researchers think music may be the answer for some students.
March 28, 2014
Documents that Changed the World: Mental disorder diagnostic manual, 1952
Three little words fittingly kick off the latest installment of Joe Janes’ Documents that Changed the World podcast series: “Are you crazy?”
March 17, 2014
Hold that RT: Much misinformation tweeted after 2013 Boston Marathon bombing
University of Washington researchers have found that misinformation spread widely on Twitter after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing despite efforts by users to correct rumors that were inaccurate.
February 6, 2014
Documents that Changed the World: The Book of Mormon
Joe Janes of the UW Information School discusses the famous book and its origin as part of his ongoing podcast series, “Documents that Changed the World.”
December 3, 2013
New book ‘Going Viral’ explores nature, impact of Internet virality
Will we of the early 21th century be remembered for Internet memes like Grumpy Cat? “Going Viral,” a new book by Karine Nahon and Jeff Hemsley of the UW Information School explores the nature of virality and impacts of virality.
November 18, 2013
Documents that Changed the World: the Zapruder film, Nov. 22, 1963
He only came to get the iconic footage through a series of coincidences and later regretted what he had done. It was the last film Abraham Zapruder would ever shoot.
November 14, 2013
A decline in creativity? It depends on how you look
Recent research suggests that young Americans might be less creative now than in decades past, even while their intelligence — as measured by IQ tests — continues to rise. But new research from the UW Information School and Harvard University hints that the dynamics of creativity may not break down as simply as that.
November 1, 2013
Documents that Changed the World: The Rosetta Stone
The latest installment of Information School Professor Joe Janes’ podcast series takes a look at the 2,200-year-old Rosetta Stone.
October 21, 2013
‘Pushback’: Resisting the life of constant connectivity
Researchers at the University of Washington have studied and named a trend lots of people can identify with: the desire to resist constant connectivity and step back from the online world.
September 25, 2013
Digital applications can enable or limit, say authors of ‘The App Generation’
There’s often “an app for that” these days, but for young people such digital shortcuts can be as limiting as they are convenient, says the University of Washington co-author of a new book titled “The App Generation.”
September 18, 2013
Documents that Changed the World: The Riot Act, 1714
When does a gathering become a riot? According to the United Kingdom’s Riot Act of 1714, it’s when local authorities say so.
August 6, 2013
Documents that Changed the World: Einstein’s letter to FDR, 1939
The latest installment in the popular podcast series by Joe Janes of the UW Information School is about the famous physicist being persuaded to warn FDR of a growing atomic threat from Germany.
July 10, 2013
Global study stresses importance of public Internet access
Millions of people in low-income countries still depend on public computer and Internet access venues despite the global proliferation of mobile phones and home computers.
June 14, 2013
Documents that Changed the World: Alfred Binet’s IQ test, 1905
With students huddled over spring quarter finals campuswide, the latest podcast in the Documents that Changed the World series seems particularly timely: It’s about intelligence testing.
May 15, 2013
Documents that Changed the World: ‘What is the Third Estate?’ 1789
Joe Janes of the UW Information School reached back two centuries to pre-revolutionary France for the latest installment of his podcast series, “Documents that Changed the World.”
April 1, 2013
News Digest: Built “ecologies” lecture April 4, cybersecurity competition winner, autism awareness lectures
Built “ecologies,” resource integration subject of lecture April 4 || UW wins sixth consecutive regional cybersecurity competition || Autism center lecture series in Seattle, Tacoma
March 26, 2013
Documents that Changed the World: The ‘Casablanca’ letters of transit
The latest in the Documents that Changed the World podcast series is about a famous World War II-era document that never existed at all.
February 21, 2013
Documents that Changed the World: A papal resignation
A new episode in the podcast series about the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, and other famous resignations.
January 29, 2013
Pioneer of human values in technology design to give University Faculty Lecture
Information School professor Batya Friedman will give the University Faculty Lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 in Room 130 of Kane Hall.
January 18, 2013
Documents that changed the world: The fraudulent ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’
Joe Janes investigates the 1900-era anti-Semitic manifesto “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”
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