Comments for Archives Tragic http://www.archivestragic.com For lovers of archives and history Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:03:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 Comment on Damn! by Anne-Marie http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=191#comment-26643 Anne-Marie Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:07:10 +0000 http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=191#comment-26643 Sigh. Yes you are right Helen. I should have upgraded to a newer version of WordPress ages ago. When AT was first set up I didn't want to go for one of those systems where you have to login, or retype gobbledegook, in order to leave a comment. I wanted it to be as easy as possible. Now I know better (!) and if I'd upgraded when I should have done I would have done something about it. All this time I've been working more on the content of the site and not the the design or the technical stuff. Anyway, thanks, happy new year to you too. Hope you keep your blog going. Sigh. Yes you are right Helen. I should have upgraded to a newer version of WordPress ages ago. When AT was first set up I didn’t want to go for one of those systems where you have to login, or retype gobbledegook, in order to leave a comment. I wanted it to be as easy as possible. Now I know better (!) and if I’d upgraded when I should have done I would have done something about it. All this time I’ve been working more on the content of the site and not the the design or the technical stuff.

Anyway, thanks, happy new year to you too. Hope you keep your blog going.

]]> Comment on Damn! by Helen Morgan http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=191#comment-26570 Helen Morgan Fri, 16 Jan 2009 04:55:45 +0000 http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=191#comment-26570 Wow! Heaps! Maybe you needed to upgrade the Wordpress version? Or you are just incredibly popular! I found that I had to close comments on all but the most recent posts, and then when it gets too much I close the comments on those too. Perhaps closing the comments does help, or later versions of Wordpress are better? Seems a shame to close comments because you might be denying people the opportunity to comment who discover you later (I once emailed a friend and asked him to re-open his comments just for me, and he did!). Ah well, nice to have one more post from you. Happy new year! Wow! Heaps! Maybe you needed to upgrade the Wordpress version? Or you are just incredibly popular! I found that I had to close comments on all but the most recent posts, and then when it gets too much I close the comments on those too. Perhaps closing the comments does help, or later versions of Wordpress are better? Seems a shame to close comments because you might be denying people the opportunity to comment who discover you later (I once emailed a friend and asked him to re-open his comments just for me, and he did!).

Ah well, nice to have one more post from you. Happy new year!

]]> Comment on Happy Christmas and good bye from Archives Tragic by Christina http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=190#comment-26246 Christina Thu, 15 Jan 2009 06:19:40 +0000 http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=190#comment-26246 "the Assmann has me gasping for breath!" -- good. I thought I was just hyperventilating. As a person who loves the behind-the-scenes spaces in a museum, you will also be pleased to know that Prof Assmann has them marked down as "cellars and attics". I'll be writing you an e-mail in a mo to see whether you might be able to give me a few references to key/standard texts on archival theory and perhaps one or two of the core debates, just for a footnote. None of your assumptions are easy (that prize would have to go to Prof Assmann, sorry), but all of them are eloquently expressed. And yes, let's tackle a real cafe someday soon. “the Assmann has me gasping for breath!” — good. I thought I was just hyperventilating. As a person who loves the behind-the-scenes spaces in a museum, you will also be pleased to know that Prof Assmann has them marked down as “cellars and attics”.

I’ll be writing you an e-mail in a mo to see whether you might be able to give me a few references to key/standard texts on archival theory and perhaps one or two of the core debates, just for a footnote.

None of your assumptions are easy (that prize would have to go to Prof Assmann, sorry), but all of them are eloquently expressed. And yes, let’s tackle a real cafe someday soon.

]]> Comment on Happy Christmas and good bye from Archives Tragic by Anne-Marie http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=190#comment-25955 Anne-Marie Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:40:56 +0000 http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=190#comment-25955 Good Gawd. The Attwood I can sort of understand, and archivists have to take some of the blame themselves for their invisibility. But the Assmann has me gasping for breath! (And not just because of the heat tonight.) Thanks Christina for your many comments. You have kept the blog going, and so often made me think again about my rather easy assumptions. See you soon in a real cafe. Good Gawd. The Attwood I can sort of understand, and archivists have to take some of the blame themselves for their invisibility. But the Assmann has me gasping for breath! (And not just because of the heat tonight.)

Thanks Christina for your many comments. You have kept the blog going, and so often made me think again about my rather easy assumptions. See you soon in a real cafe.

]]> Comment on Happy Christmas and good bye from Archives Tragic by Christina http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=190#comment-25825 Christina Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:44:47 +0000 http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=190#comment-25825 No! You can't just close my favourite café! But thanks for having it -- and for having us. The blog has taught me a lot about archives, and got me thinking more about people create the records that we take for granted, and how they come to be in the places they are. First-rate ammunition to shoot holes into this sort of argument, from one of Germany's leading theoreticians on cultural memory: "the knowledge that is stored in the archive is inert. It is stored and potentially available, but it is not interpreted. This would exceed the competence of the archivists. [...] Margaret Atwood [...] calls archivists and librarians 'the guardian angels of paper' [...] These guardian angels are so inconspicuous that they remain almost as invisible as the angels themselves." (Aleida Assmann, 2008; the Atwood reference is from In Search of Alias Grace: On Writing Canadian Historical Fiction) No! You can’t just close my favourite café!

But thanks for having it — and for having us. The blog has taught me a lot about archives, and got me thinking more about people create the records that we take for granted, and how they come to be in the places they are. First-rate ammunition to shoot holes into this sort of argument, from one of Germany’s leading theoreticians on cultural memory:
“the knowledge that is stored in the archive is inert. It is stored and potentially available, but it is not interpreted. This would exceed the competence of the archivists. […] Margaret Atwood […] calls archivists and librarians ‘the guardian angels of paper’ […] These guardian angels are so inconspicuous that they remain almost as invisible as the angels themselves.” (Aleida Assmann, 2008; the Atwood reference is from In Search of Alias Grace: On Writing Canadian Historical Fiction)

]]> Comment on Lizzie’s stuff by Helen Morgan http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=188#comment-21715 Helen Morgan Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:49:27 +0000 http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=188#comment-21715 We're probably heading in to doll nostalgia (but God forbid, not chanelling doll tragics - boy, is Flickr alive and well with those!). I still have the woollen doll that was my second ever knit (primary school age) and somewhere I think I still have my Chrissie doll (with the hair that pulled out), but there's not much else, and I do remember having more than that. In particular, <a href="http://www.flatsy.com/" rel="nofollow">Flatsy dolls</a>. No-one I mention them to remembers them, but Google reassures me that they weren't a figment of my imagination. Iris received an Upsy Daisy doll for Christmas (because I wanted one!). We’re probably heading in to doll nostalgia (but God forbid, not chanelling doll tragics - boy, is Flickr alive and well with those!). I still have the woollen doll that was my second ever knit (primary school age) and somewhere I think I still have my Chrissie doll (with the hair that pulled out), but there’s not much else, and I do remember having more than that. In particular, Flatsy dolls. No-one I mention them to remembers them, but Google reassures me that they weren’t a figment of my imagination. Iris received an Upsy Daisy doll for Christmas (because I wanted one!).

]]> Comment on Lizzie’s stuff by Anne-Marie http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=188#comment-19773 Anne-Marie Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:36:53 +0000 http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=188#comment-19773 Now you mention it, I would have loved seeing my mother's childhood things. The few things she did keep always intrigued me. Still, people of her generation didn't have as much stuff, that's for sure. Yesterday I wandered through one of those little toy shops that sell old fashioned toys. You know the sort of thing: lots of wooden toys, simple games, knitted teddy bears, spinning tops. I quite liked it but there is a strong note of adult nostalgia in those places. We remember (or think we remember) when toys were handmade and when girls longed for a new doll because they had only one. Girls these days have dozens. Not sure where I'm going with this. Nowhere I think. Now you mention it, I would have loved seeing my mother’s childhood things. The few things she did keep always intrigued me. Still, people of her generation didn’t have as much stuff, that’s for sure. Yesterday I wandered through one of those little toy shops that sell old fashioned toys. You know the sort of thing: lots of wooden toys, simple games, knitted teddy bears, spinning tops. I quite liked it but there is a strong note of adult nostalgia in those places. We remember (or think we remember) when toys were handmade and when girls longed for a new doll because they had only one. Girls these days have dozens. Not sure where I’m going with this. Nowhere I think.

]]> Comment on Happy Christmas and good bye from Archives Tragic by Anne-Marie http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=190#comment-19772 Anne-Marie Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:29:48 +0000 http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=190#comment-19772 Thanks Helen! Same to you. Keep writing. Thanks Helen! Same to you. Keep writing.

]]> Comment on Happy Christmas and good bye from Archives Tragic by Helen Morgan http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=190#comment-19608 Helen Morgan Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:57:15 +0000 http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=190#comment-19608 Well done Anne-Maire on a wonderful blog. I wish you well on your future writing endeavours. I'll be watching for your progress and look forward to it! Best wishes for 2009. Well done Anne-Maire on a wonderful blog. I wish you well on your future writing endeavours. I’ll be watching for your progress and look forward to it! Best wishes for 2009.

]]> Comment on Lizzie’s stuff by Helen Morgan http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=188#comment-19607 Helen Morgan Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:55:30 +0000 http://www.archivestragic.com/?p=188#comment-19607 Our garage (thank goodness we have one) is full of boxes of my childhood things. As I've only moved house twice in over 40 years, perhaps this explains why I still have them. I do fear that next time we move will be into a much smaller place, with next to no storage, and I'll finally have to start to cull. I don't want to! I'm sure Iris will be amazed going through all her mother's childhood things one day - I would've enjoyed going through my own mother's. I'm lucky to have been able to do this. I'm hope Lizzie enjoys making her new stuff! Our garage (thank goodness we have one) is full of boxes of my childhood things. As I’ve only moved house twice in over 40 years, perhaps this explains why I still have them. I do fear that next time we move will be into a much smaller place, with next to no storage, and I’ll finally have to start to cull. I don’t want to! I’m sure Iris will be amazed going through all her mother’s childhood things one day - I would’ve enjoyed going through my own mother’s. I’m lucky to have been able to do this. I’m hope Lizzie enjoys making her new stuff!

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