Saturday, January 26, 2008

Modern history

Mostly what I accomplished this time around was to add cities to the various peoples in the various centuries of the period, as well as pretty much the same batch of standard links. Also started going into more detail into particular periods, and while several 20 year slices from the 18th century on got more development, there wasn't much new information added. Likewise when I went into 5 year periods from the late 1960s. The next round through history should go a bit faster, since I won't have to add so many city links.

For now, I've started again on Sociology, which doesn't need many new links, until particular periods are better developed. I want to do a little bit more generalizing on modern history. Peoples also require few links, but the history of peoples is a bit bare compared to what I have developed in other sections, so I will want to expand on this a little starting in antiquity. For Asia, I split out the Asian history section from the main Asia page. I'm almost ready to do the same for the Western Civilization history, except that hasn't been growing so fast, and it's going to by noticeably more incomplete.
I had taken links to history almost entirely out of the communities page, since it was far overdeveloped compared to the actual number of communities I had linked. I've started to put some of those links back in, since various periods of history now actually do have particular cities linked to them. I also inserted a number of links to peoples and nations, since some of these now have links to particular cities. I'm starting in on Social structure and change next.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Antiquity to Classical again

I've been going through the subdivisions and, withough mentioning them individually, adding links to human ecology, Asian geography, foodstuffs, language, customs, education, particular governments, Abrahamic religion and Asiatic religion, and social types. I've also been going through and picking up references to cities. There aren't many as old as the early first millennium BC, but there is another one or two in each successive period. I'll be mostly relying on these to guide whether to subdivide particular nations, eventually. In roughly the late medieval period, I've made a few more connections of specific cities to specific nations, which is helping give them detail. The connections to Abrahamic and Asiatic religion are starting to give a reasonable outline sketch of their history.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Prehistory plus

I came back around to to the top level and started in with history again. This time, I added a few links to the main history page: languages of the world, customs, and economic production.
Prehistory now has links to foodstuffs, language, customs, occupations, economic activity, and pagan religion.
Early prehistory has links to biohistory and the human body,
Middle prehistory has links to geohistory, biohistory, the human body, demography, Asian geography, foodstuffs, language, customs, and social types: a significant expansion of it. I also added a link to Pakistan, which pushes Brazil to the Americas and the United States to North American Indians.
Late prehistory has links to geohistory, biohistory, the human body, Demography, Asian geography, foodstuffs, language, customs, education, and social types. I added a link to Bangladesh, which pushes Pakistan into Asia and Indonesia into Southeast Asia.

This time, I decided to divert from the straight pursuit of history and look at the targets of these links, especially those that have more than one link to them.
Within Earth science, there is a link to the planets, within Astronomy. Geohistory got a link to atmospheric science, in preparation for study of climate change. The Cenozoic got a link to Sociology, so that eventually I can start looking at national resource, for instance.
I didn't see any obvious resources for biology or biohistory, but Cenozoic life got a link to institutions.
I didn't see any need to expand the main Personal studies page, but the Human body page got links to biological behavior, religion, and communities.
Likewise, I saw no need to expand the main Anthropology page, but demography got a critical link to the human life cycle, human geography got linked to ecology, which opens up the possibility of biogeography, and Asian geography was linked to science and human ecology
The culture page got a couple of long-overdue links to Middle prehistory and late prehistory. Material culture has been short on specific examples, so I started linking to cities, beginning with Tokyo. Foodstuffs also need specific examples, so I started linking that to communities and nations. Conceptual culture also got linked to Tokyo, and language to religion. Behavioral culture got links to New York City and Indonesia, while customs got a link to peoples of the world, and occupations a link to religion
Within Institutions,I skipped the main page. Education got links to New York City and Indonesia. Economics got an important link to social types, and economic activities got a link to culture that I have been wanting to make for what seems like ages.
A lot of these links were made in the reverse direction as well, so I'm not going to trouble to track them all.

Monday, January 21, 2008

I don't get it

I had intended to do quite a bit of work among peoples of the world, but when it got right dow to it, my energy and interest fizzled. I didn't find Asian peoples in general all that significant, nor Western civilization, or even social chage and types. I found myself skipping over government and economics, and only a token movement at occupations within the area of behavioral culture, nothing in anthropology or personal studies or science. Instead, my attention is turning back to history, and its finer divisions.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Modern history

I didn't see a while lot to add to mdern history's main page that eeither hasn't been, or doesn't need to be added to the main history level first. The particular centuries are a different matter.
In the 16th century, I added or reviewed links to human geography, occupations, education, and social types I also added a link to Ethiopia, which pushes Egypt into Asia and Vietnam into Southeast Asia.
For the 17th century, I added links to the same first four subjects. There would have been a link to Turkey, but that was already in place. But it pushes Ethiopia into Africa and Nigeria into Western Africa, which weren't in place yet.
For the 18th century, I added links to those same first four subjects. There would have been a link to Iran, which pushed Turkey into Asia and Egypt into the Middle East, if those weren't already in place. This is also the leading edge of progress backward into the past. Most of the page I liked to were already in place and developed to where I wanted them, there wasn't much real progress.

For the 19th century, I expanded the connection to human geography, and added one to occupations. The others were already sufficiently developed. This already had a link to Thailand, so there wasn't need to add one.
The mid 19th century got a link to religion, to Tokyo, and to the United States. (The Mexican War, for anyone keeping track). Adding cities at the same time I add nations will complicate things a bit, but hopefully not too much.
The late-mid 19th century got a link to behavioral culture and government. From this point, I'm adding links to cities that ought to be there if I had been adding cities from the start, so Tokyo and Seoul. Adding China pushes the United States into Western Civilization and American Indian peoples: the US Civil war and reconstruction go in this period.
The Late 19th century has links to Conceptual and behavioral culture and to government: Most of the others I wanted were already in place. Adding Mexico City pushed Tokyo and Seoul into Asia, and adding India to the list of nations pushed China into Asia. This was the period when China came close to being carved up by European powers.

In the 20th century, most of what I wanted to add had already been added, but France would have been the next nation.
The Early 20th century included new links to material culture, economics, and an update of links to it from social structure and change and social change pages. Since many nations had already been added, This would have included Indonesia, pushing India to Asiatic peoples and China into Oriental peoples. Adding New York City would push Mexico City into Western Civilization and American Indian peoples.
The early-mid 20th century included new links to all three major areas of culture, economics, and the updates from social structure and change, and social change pages. Adding Bombay would push New York City into Western Civilization. Adding Brazil would push Indonesia into Asiatic peoples and India into South Asian peoples.
The mid 20th century got the links to and from other ares I mentioned with the previous period. Adding Delhi would push Bombay into Asiatic peoples, which would push Seoul into Oriental peoples. Adding Pakistan would push Brazil into Western Civilization, which would push the USs into Anglic peoples, and it would also put Brazil with American Indian peoples, and the United States into the North American Indians.
The late-mid 20th century got the same batch of other areas linked. Adding Sao Paulo to the city list, pushed Delhi into Asia, and Bombay into South Asia. Adding Bangladesh would push Pakistan into Asiatic peoples, which would push Indonesia into Southeast Asia. This has the effect of calling to attention that I have mostly ignored the recent history of Pakistan, so there's a gap I want to make up when I next look at Pakistan.
The late 20th century was already linked to most of the areas I wanted to add. Adding Shanghai would have the effect of pushing Sao Paulo into Western civilization. Adding Russia would push Bangladesh into Asiatic peoples and Pakistan into South Asian peoples.
The early 21st century already has all the links I wanted to add. Adding Los Angeles would push Shanghai into Asiatic peoples, which would push Delhi into south Asia, and Bombay into India, where it rightly belongs, which creates a solid link between a nation and a city for this particular period. Adding Nigeria pushed Russia into Western civilization and Brazil into Latin peoples (Also bringing Mexico City with it).

With this pass through history done, I'm in a better position than before to turn to study of what I call Sociology.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Antiquity to medieval, revisited.

On another passs through the antiquity section of the knowledge base, I did some linking of the main antiquity page to physical geography.
For the 5th millennium BC, I have new links to human geography, to conceptual and material culture, to economics, particular religions, and social change. I added Bangladesh, which pushes Pakistan into Asia and Indonesia into Southeast Asia. I also revised the information on Pakistan just a little, but the decription of findings at one archaeological site reminds me that I need to add links to information on occupations to history and sociology.
For the 4th millennium BC, I added mostly the same links, added one to Russia, which pushes Bangladesh into Asia and Pakistan into South Asia.
For the 3rd millennium BC, I added mostly the same links, but went into specific detail on pagan religions, plus one to Nigeria, which pushes Russia into Western Civilization. I might have spent some time in the Harappan civilization, but decided to wait and do that at a later time
For the 2nd millennium BC, I had mostly the same links to add, plus one to Japan, which pushes Nigeria into African peoples.
For the early first millennium BC, I had mostly the same links to add, plus one to Mexico, which pushes Japan into Asia and Bangladesh into South Asia.

For Classical and medieval history, I added a link to Asian geography, one to occupations, and one to recreation and entertainment.
For links to early classical history, I added the same links as for the 3rd millennium BC, except for adding a link to the Philippines, which pushes Mexico into American Indians, and Brazil into South American peoples.
For links to late classical history, I added the same links as for early clasical, except for adding a link to Vietnam, which pushes the Philippines into Asia and Japan into Oriental peoples.
For links to early medieval history, I switched a little. Human geography still, and occupations, but education, since economics was already connected, and I didn't extend particular religions: I'll do that next time through. I added a link. I also added Germany, which pushed Vietnam into Asia and the Philippines into Southeast Asian peoples.
For links to to late medieval history, I did most of the same links as for Early medieval history, plus one to Egypt, which pushes Germany into Western Civilization and Russia into Northeast European peoples.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Prehistory

I had intended to go through the Sociology and Institutions sections more thoroughly, but when It came down to it, none of them really caught my attention with things I had was really interested in looking at. So, I started over in history, with prehistory. This time, though, there are a few teeth in the subject.
In reviewing what I have in prehistory, I was reminded that I wanted to connect this better to human geography, and with the emphasis on Asiatic countries that's been been given to it, to Asian geography in particular. That subject's been hanging incomplete for a while, so I added an East Asia page, and linked prehistory to it. I also found reason to link to the hunting and gathering societies page.
In Early prehistory, I made connections to Geohistory, and to Asian geography. I also added Indonesia, which pushes India into Asiatic peoples, but that's as far as I was going to go with this, because at this point in history, I'm not sure there was the same kind of cultural division that is seen later.
In Middle prehistory I added links to Human geography, Behavioral and conceptual culture, and social change. I added a link to Brazil, which pushes Indonesia into Asia and India into South Asian peoples, This provided a little incentive to add links to Asian geography to Sociology and Peoples pages, as well as to Asiatic peoples.
In Late prhistory, I added the same batch of geographical and cultural links, and social change. Adding Pakistan pushed Brazil into American Indian peoples, and the United States into North American peoples. Some of the characteristics of the peoples added to Pakistan suggested that I do something I've been wanting to do for a while: create a new page for food-related occupations, History is now linked to this. In the use of sociology in history, I also created a link to horticultural societies, which in turn have a link to Culture that will prove useful.

Classical to present

After filling in more links to sites dealing with the classical and medieval period, I did a little more development of particular sections.
In Early classical history, I added links to areas of culture, to government, and particular religions. I addeded a new link to Mexico, which pushed Japan into Asia, and Bangladesh into South Asia. The link to mexico will eventually lead to Meso-American history, but that still needs some development.
In Late classical history, I added the same kinds of links to other areas, a new link to the Philippines, which pushed Mexico into American Indian peoples.
In Early medieval history, I added the same kinds of links to other areas, and a new link to Vietnam, which pushed the Philippines into Asia, and Japan into Oriental peoples.
In Late medieval history, I added the same kinds of links to to other areas, and a new link to Germany, which pushed Vietnam into Asia, and the Philippines into Southeast Asia.

In Modern history, I found that I already have a number of links to other sites, so I skipped the general page and went straight to particular centuries.
For the 16th century, I added links to areas of culture, government, and particular religions, and added Egypt to the list of nations. During this period, this was under the rule of the Ottoman empire which I haven't discussed, yet, but that's coming. This addition pushed Germany into Western civilization, which pushed Mexico into Latin peoples (Since the Spanish Conquest began in this century)
For the 17th century, I added the same kind of links. I also added Ethiopia to this century's list of nations, which pushed Egypt into Asia, and Vetnam into Southeast Asia.

For the 18th century, I added the same kinds of links to other areas, and added Turkey to this century's list of nations, which pushed Ethiopia into Africa, and Nigeria into Western Africa.
Since modern history is getting another level of detail, I reviewed the status of pages I added some time ago, the late-mid 18th century and the late 18th century. There isn't much to add yet.

For the 19th century, most of the links to culture and institutions had already been added.
Iran would be added to the list of nations, which pushed Turkey into Asia, and Egypt into the Middle East. This division will be worked backinto earlier and earlier periods as I progress.
Most of the divisions of the 19th century were being expanded a little. For the Late-mid 19th century, I have a connection to the US which includes the Civil War era.
For the late i9th century, I added a connection to China, which includes its near partition among nations of western civilization, and moved the United States as an example of Western civilization, and American Indian peoples.

The 20th century is already well developed in other ways: This would include discussion of Thailand, which would push Iran into Asia and Turkey into the Middle East if this were not already done.
For the early 20th century, I added a connection to India with its agitation for home rule or independence from Britain, which pushed China into Asiatic peoples. Western nations were no longer trying to carve up China amongst themselves, and I'm not sure why. This is a question for further study.
For the early-mid 20th century, I added a connection to Indonesia (Still called the Dutch East Indies, at this point), which pushed India into Asiatic peoples, and China into the Oriental peoples group.
For the mid 20th century, I haved a connection to Brazil, which pushes Indonesia into Asia, and India into South Asian peoples.
For the late-mid 20th century, this would have a connection to Pakistan if it were not already developed, pushing Brazil into Western civilization and the US into Anglic peoples, and also Brazil into American Indian peoples and the US into North American Indians.
For the late 20th century, if this were not already done, adding Bangladesh would push Pakistan into Asia and Indonesia into Southeast Asia.
For the early 21st century, if it were not already done, adding Russia would push Bangladesh into Asia and Pakistan into Southeast Asia. This concludes the latest foray into history, but I will be back to it before too long.

Monday, January 14, 2008

More Antiquity

Since I'd started work on prehistory, I skipped over early prehistory and went to middle prehistory. Addition of Indonesia pushed India into Asia and China into Oriental peoples. These are most likely not where human societies originated, so I will need more work here.
In late prehistory, addition of Brazil pushed Indonesia into Asia and India into South Asian peoples. This still isn't a very broad perspective, but it is a start.

When I got to antiquity, I took a look through the sites world history links to and made a bunch of links that antiquity can link to. There is a fair amount of information on those sites that's going to take a while to digest, but it does provide some raw material to look at.

In the 5th millennium BC, I added connections to material culture and to government and to social structure and change. Addition of Pakistan pushed Brazil Into American Indian peoples, which pushed the United States into North American Indians, which is not yet much developed.

In the 4th millennium BC, I continued the additions to material culture, government, and social structure and change. Addition of Bangladesh pushed Pakistan into Asiatic peoples, which pushed Indonesia into Southeast Asian peoples. That gives Asia three major divisions, and I'm still woefully ignorant on southeast Asia.

In the 3rd millennium BC, the rise of bronze age civilization and literacy along with it gives so much weight to material culture that I had to link to conceptual and behavioral culture as well, in addition to the government and social structure and change links. Addition of Russia pushed Bangladesh into Asiatic peoples, and Pakistan, along with India, into South Asia. This starts to focus a little more on the Harappan civilization of the Indus Valley.

In the 2nd millennium BC, all three areas of culture had to be connected, and I added government, and linked specific religions. Addition of Nigeria pushed Russia into Western Civilization, and I would like to take a better look at the Indo-european expansion.

In the early first millennium, again all three major areas of culture needed to be connected, and I added links to government and to specific religions. Addition of Japan pushed Nigeria into African peoples, which now have a better link to antiquity.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

I mentioned that I'd continued with my review of history.
For the second millennium BC, I added a reference to Russia, which pushed Banbladesh into Asia and Pakistan into South Asia. This also brings up connections to the Indo-European peoples that I'd love to pursue, but will have to set aside for a while

For the early first imllennium, I added a reference to Nigeria, which pushes Russia into Western peoples, which pushes Brazil into American Indian peoples for this period.

For the early classical period, I added a reference to Japan, which pushes Nigeria into African peoples.
For the late classical period, I aded Mexico, which pushes Japan into Asia, which pushes Bangladesh into South Asia, and highlights how very thin my knowledge is in this area.
For the early medieval period, I added the Philippines, which puses Mexico into American Indian peoples.
For the late medieval period, I added a connection to Vietnam, which pushes the Philippines into Asia, which pushes Japan into Oriental peoples and allwes something of a contrast with China.

For the 16th century, I added Germany, which pushes Vietnam into Asia, which pushes the Philippines into Ssoutheast Asia.
For the 17th century, I added Egypt, which pushes Germany into Western civilization, which pushes Russia into Northeastern peoples.
For the 18th century, I Added Ethiopia, which pushes Egypt into Asia, which pushes Vietnam into southeast Asia, before the French conquest.
For the 19th century, I added Turkey, which pushes Ethiopia into Africa and should have put Niteria into Western Africa, but I'm not sure remembered to do that.
For the 20th century, the addition would have been Iran, which would have pushed turken into Asia, which would have resulted in expanding the middle east, except that I have already done this.

This suggested that I start doing for the next lower divisions of peoples the same kinds of things. This has been developed to 20 year periods starting in the late 19th century. By the time I get to the early 21st century in the present day, Im at the level of adding Bangladesh, (already done), which suggests that most of the progress is going to come in earlier decade, which actually sits rather well with me.

Having gone through history, I thought to go through the peoples, add another community and another nation, and see what pushing those connections led to. As it turns out, not a great deal of change to what I already had. Among Asiatic peoples, the history is turning out to be far more satisfying, but that isn't really leading into any deepeer analysis of society, which is where I would like to go. I don't know if I've mentioned that I'm itching to subdivide nations, but since I'm going back through and adding detail, I need to get caught up to that point, again.

I also didn't see much push for improvement in religions, although I had connected most of the sudivisions of history to religion if the connection wasn't already there. I'm going to have to, in the next pass through history, form links and particular governments, as well as links to more specific areas of culture, because those are areas I need to work on.

Since I went through all this fairly quickly, I started over again with history, and this time took the trouble to add links to prehistory. A couple of those have solid information. It's also about time to publish all thes updates to the website, but I'm going to wait until Monday to do this.

In a separate matter, I did some research on the net in Astronomy, mostly related to trying to trach down how the color index of stars is related to their temperature. I'd like there to be an equation that relates them, but I couldn't find it, and access to the University library's axtronomical references is a bit difficult.

Friday, January 11, 2008

In the latest round of my studies, I've been trying an older approach that I set aside for a while
The lastes version has me working in prehistory. I'm trying to start with countries and expand out. Early prehistory to about 40, ooo BC is hard to access from sources that start in history: This topic goes more with archaeology, but I don't quite want to go into that subject right now.

For middle prehistory, I expanded the countries connection to India and added a link to Asiatic peoples. Archeological research has not progressed as far as it has in Europe, so the story of how the earth was peopled by modern humans is seriously incomplete.

In later prehistory, I added a connection to Indonesia, and within Asiatic peoples, created a link to Oriental peoples. This does not mean that the Chinese people have the oldest civilization; I just haven't got to adding older but less numerous cultures. I've also started creating links to religion: not that I know much about religion in any part of prehistory, but so that I can add more links when I do know somethings.

Antiquity is a little bit easier to handle, and I start with the 5th millennium BC. Following my program of adding countries in decreasing order of population, this meant adding Brazil, this pushed Indonesia into Asia and India into a link with South Asia. Neither the Orient nor South Asia is well documented for this period, so this involves a bit of armwaving.

The fourth millennium BC adds Pakistan, which pushes Brazil into American Indian peoples, and I'm anxious to split these into regions based on countries, but still haven't done it yet.

The third millennium BC adds Bangladesh, which pushes Pakistan into Asia. So far, the Harappan (or Indus Valley) civilization appears most prominently, but I haven't yet begun to consider the middle east. Indonesia guides a link with Southeast Asian peoples, about which I know nothing in antiquity. This might be a good subject for reading, if I could get to it.