The Sydney Morning Herald has created an excellent multimedia resource focused upon the history of Antarctica and Australia’s role in that part of the world. This resource would be useful as a supporting element for teachers of Geography in NSW wishing to implement an ICT activity focused on broad continental patterns (Focus Area E7). It would also be a useful support for teachers of History.

The interactive timeline has links to video and still images. It is superbly designed and features rich imagery. The site also has a valuable set of links to worthy web sites that also deal with Antarctica. This excellent multimedia resource is on a par with another available on the SMH web site, SS Misr ~ 1947 Journey. It is the story of immigration to Australia after the Second World War.

Today I chanced upon a brochure for an exhibition featuring artefacts from the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. This museum houses the Iceman, the celebrated gentleman found frozen in the Similaun Glacier in the Otzal Alps. The exhibition is being held at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

The brochure included links to an Iceman blog on MySpace as well as a feature page on the museum’s web site. The museum’s web site also has a link to that MySpace Iceman blog. The blog is titled ‘Who iced Otzi?’. Otzi is the nickname given to the Iceman. I think that calling the blog ‘Who iced Otzi?’ is in bad taste.

The museum describe the blog as follows: “Through the wonders of MySpace, Otzi himself shares a creative story tracing his last days alive.” The story is purely fictional of course. It relies in part on some of the archaeological evidence found with the Iceman’s body (clothing, tools, personal belongings and evidence of injuries incurred).

What I find interesting is the use of the adjective ‘wonderful’ by the NMA staff to describe MySpace. I feel that MySpace is one of the most visually repelling web-based mediums. The Iceman blog features banner advertising in addition to the cluttered design, ragged fonts and busy layout that are the hallmarks of the design nightmare that is MySpace. How can the National Maritime Museum possibly consider MySpace to be ‘wonderful’. No doubt the curators or project officers involved with the exhibition felt it would be hip with the kids. The Iceman has 182 ‘friends’ to date. They include Rene Descartes, Stephen Hawkings, Tutankhamun, David Byrne, Ice T and Vanilla Ice.

Surely the National Maritime Museum could have created something a little more visually pleasant and authentic than that awful MySpace blog? They could have emulated Pepy’s Diary or at least used WordPress or TypePad as the blog engine.

The diary of Samuel Pepys provides a valuable insight into the lives of the people of London during the 1660s. Samuel Pepys is a famous 17th century diarist who lived in London, England. Phil Gyford is publishing the diary as a blog. A new entry written by Pepys will be published each day over the course of several years. As Phil Gyford explains, 1 January 1660 was published on 1 January 2003.

I have been reading the diary for about three or four years now. It reveals aspects of English life through its references to literature, music, games, fairs, food, drink, sport and individuals that lived at the time. There is an encyclopaedia and glossary with hyperlinked references. This online diary is an excellent resource for students of English social history.