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  • Digital IT Glossary

    1. Algorithm– An exact set of rules that clearly specify how to solve a problem. They are step by step so as to solve a problem computationally. They will yield a clear output with a non-infinite number of steps.

    2. Browser – A mobile or web based online application that allows a person to surf the internet. There are various types of browsers including commonly used one’s like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Additionally certain browsers like Tor allows one to access the “dark web”.

    3. Cloud Computing – Is a form of service that allows people to use infrastructure and applications by means of the internet. It replaces earlier physical media like flash drives and floppy disks. It allows for remote-based collaboration and the uploading of documents to the internet which can be asked from multiple places.

    4. Cookie – A small slice of data that will be stored on a user’s device while using a web based browser. It helps the originator remember information about the user such as preferences while browsing on their site. It grants those sites greater information about the user browsing their site.

    5. HTTPS – Or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, is a more secure extension of HTTP using encryption as a secure way to send data between a web server and a web browser. In HTTPS the protocols of communication are encrypted using Transport Layer Security or TLS for short. It used the common TCP port 443 for communication, allowing us to browse websites far safer than during the HTTP days.

    6. Database- Is an organized collection of data that is put together for easy retrieval. A database by nature allows ease of access to large sums of data. It forms the basis of modern data-processing operations.

    7. Domain Name – A unique series of alphanumeric strings that is case-insensitive that in its function helps differentiate the multitude of internet websites from each other. It is a unique identifier for a website on the internet. It also helps maps the domain to a unique IP address.

    8. Encryption – The process of converting message in normal language into a private coded form that cannot be known without knowing the method of interpretation. This method of interpretation is called the key. The method of knowing the key is called decryption.

    9. Firewall – A software or hardware means of restricting communication between a private network and those outside that private network. This can be used by various entities including governments, corporations, and education based settings. A famous example of a firewall is the great firewall in China.

    10. HTML – Or Hypertext Markup Language for short, is the fundamental building block of the world wide web, it has historically been used to make the first webpages on the internet. HTML is what makes webpages come to life. Besides HTML JavaScript in terms of functionality, and CSS for appearance have largely supplanted it in the modern day.

    11. Hyperlink – Is the completed form of a hypertext link contained with an e-doc or file. It is the means upon which one within a file can go to another source or document. For example many references contain hyperlinks.

    12. IP address – A unique label of numerical value assigned to each and every device connected to a computer network that access the internet. Its use is to serve as a means of identification for each and every device accessing the internet. It also enables data transmission between all devices.

    13. Malware – Malicious software that has been designed to operate in a harmful manner. It can be used to steal, transfer, or delete data on a users device. Anything sort of malicious computer software that seeks to intentionally disrupt normal computer functions or data can be considered malware.

    14. Search Engine – A type of software system that allows people to find results from a database of entries. Examples of search engines include google, DuckDuckGo, Bing, and Wolfram Alpha. They allow people to search the web for multiple types of queries.

    15. File – A collection of data compressed into a single unit to be uploaded or downloaded. This is the means of transmitting data for work, school, among other purposes. For example audio files are used when making a podcast, document files are used for an essay etc.

  • About This Blog

    This blog is a creation for the History 390 Digital Past class taught by Dr. Lincoln Mullen. This class is focused on IT skills like website creation, with a focus on interactive historical websites, and the post civil war reconstruction period in the United States. Combining media and history to create a better understanding in both tech skills and historical knowledge. The point of this blog is to be updated with various assignments and to show competency in these subjects. I thank all who are reading for taking time out of their day to get a better understanding of what this blog is about.

  • Digital History Review Gulag: Many Days, Many Lives

    The Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media in conjunction with George Mason University, have created a digital exhibit on the victims of the USSR’s gulag system where dissidents, members of enemy classes, and victims of Stalin’s paranoia including a select few who were genuine criminals were sent to spend in many cases of the rest of their lives. Their years were spent in hard labor, torture and suffering, a lucky few got out many did not.

    The media project covers the USSR and it’s use of gulags especially in the first couple decades of the entity, they document carefully the process of arrest, farce, trial, interrogation, transport and lives at the gulag of the prisoners, including specific cases like Lev Kopelev. The funding for the Roy Rosenzewig Center for History and New Media was made with funding from GMU. The technology they used was primarily text based along with video based, with sequential paging and sections painting a complete picture of the life of someone sent to the gulags. The work done by this project is simply amazing and a testament to all who worked on it.

    Example image from the multimedia history project

    Bibliography

    “Gulag: Many Days, Many Lives | Days and Lives.” Gulag: Many Days, Many Lives. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://gulaghistory.org/exhibits/days-and-lives/labor/1/index.html.