history pragmatic historian

Using History – Analyzing Luxury Homes, the New American Aristocracy, and Greenland’s Ice

Today I bring you three articles showing the use of history in relation to the economy. Yep, even Greenland’s ice has a tie between history and the economy. The FastCo Design article “The hidden cost of our obsession with luxury living” shows how our expectations regarding the size of our homes have changed over time, with bigger now equaling better. However, this increase in home size has had real effects on society and the economy.…

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history pragmatic historian

Using History – Sloths, History Flat, & the Job of Being President

History is in use all around us for a variety of purposes. The Pragmatic Historian’s “Using History” series is meant to highlight some of these uses by presenting a few articles and other online resources each week. [Reuters] Giant sloth vs. ancient man: fossil footprints track prehistoric hunt – By using 3D modeling, scientists have been able to analyze the footprints of giant sloths and ancient humans to see how sloths were hunted. Not only…

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Olio: April 12, 2016

Olio: a miscellaneous collection of things Here are some items of interest I’ve found online recently. —– For data geeks, Minnesota Compass has created geographic profiles for Minnesota cities over 1,000 in population. —– From Unstuck: How to be a better complainer – As a bit of a contrarian, I am weary of the constant societal push for everyone to be positive all the time, like we’re never supposed to complain about life. This article…

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Olio: December 13, 2015

  Olio: a miscellaneous collection of things — My recent internet findings … I had not heard the terms “trigger warnings” or “microagressions” until the past month. Now I’m seeing the whole phenomenon surrounding me. For a good article that explains both, see “The Coddling of the American Mind” from The Atlantic. South Park has also been exploring the issue in recent episodes with the character P.C. Principal. “i will let go of my darkness when…

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