Essay Exhibit Blog Post- Peter Panagiotou

The class essay exhibit was a display of a variety of ideas about what digital humanities is, and how it can be applied practically to many differently applications. Of the variety of interesting topics that were presented, several stood out to me. The first presentation that I viewed was a presentation on 88 constellations by Michael Banks. Mike's presentation went into depth about how 88 constellations combines philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, and history. Mike talked about how the combination of these elements in a digital format aids in storytelling. Mike goes over the different elements of the story that derive meaning from the variety of disciplines. An example of this interdisciplinary storytelling that Mike mentioned in his presentation was the use of astronomy --in the form of constellations-- to move the story forward.  Mike argues that the combination of disciplines plays a positive role in portraying digital storytelling to a large audience. After viewing Mike's presentation, I agreed that these different elements combine very well to form a comprehensive story telling experience.

I also had the chance to look at Mike Heverly’s presentation about video games, and the military. Mike argues that video games can help the United States armed forces become more advanced through training simulations. Mike also discussed the uses for video games in helping to reduce the often crippling symptoms of Post-traumatic stress disorder. After viewing Mike’s presentation, I was surprised at the utility  that video game technology can have in the military, and how this technology is already being utilized. .

Overall, the essay exhibits demonstrated how many different applications that the digital humanities can have. When living in a world that is becoming increasingly more digital, the digital humanities are having a greater effect on many aspects of life and culture. The projects I looked displayed this  growing overlap of digitization and culture, and how this combination can be beneficial for the field of digital humanities, as well as for people around the world.