https://ethan-gates.com/ Recent content in Welcome! on Ethan Gates' Personal Site Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2025/12/best-of-2025/ Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2025/12/best-of-2025/ For some Reaons that I’ll get into in my end-of-year reflection (assuming I’m even able to get around to that), I’m quickly approaching a point of no return, past which I’m unlikely to be able to find time to post my usual recommendations. https://ethan-gates.com/2025/10/httpoetics/ Thu, 23 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2025/10/httpoetics/ A post for “Saving Digital Stuff”, a blog about born-digital archival collections at Yale University. In this post, I summarize the experience and takeaways from a 5-week creative course on making websites offered by the School for Poetic Computation in Brooklyn. https://ethan-gates.com/2024/12/best-of-2024/ Sun, 29 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2024/12/best-of-2024/ Fun stuff! Fun stuff! Fun stuff! Fiction The Angel of Indian Lake, Stephen Graham Jones Birnam Wood, Eleanor Catton Black Hole, Charles Burns Crook Manifesto, Colson Whitehead The Fraud, Zadie Smith The Goose Fritz, Sergei Lebedev Land of Milk and Honey, C Pam Zhang Ripley’s Game, Patricia Highsmith The Secret Hours, Mick Herron The Vaster Wilds, Lauren Groff The Witch Elm, Tana French Non-Fiction Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech, Brian Merchant Image Objects: An Archaeology of Computer Graphics, Jacob Gaboury The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle, Anna Schectman Movies A Different Man I Saw the TV Glow Janet Planet La Chimera Problemista TV Shows The Franchise, season 1 Girls5Eva, season 3 Justified, seasons 1-3 Limited Series Baby Reindeer Over the Garden Wall Ripley The Sympathizer True Detective: Night Country Podcasts The Big Picture (but only if/when Amanda Dobbins is on) 5-4 Good Job, Brain! https://ethan-gates.com/2024/12/2024-personal-review/ Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2024/12/2024-personal-review/ At Work I find myself less and less inclined to do this half of my reflection - perhaps to consider it “half” of my life - each time this annual write-up rolls around. https://ethan-gates.com/2024/09/ipres2024/ Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2024/09/ipres2024/ Lightning talk presented at iPRES2024 (the 20th International Conference on Digital Preservation) in Ghent, Belgium. What started as a request for emulation-related readings to share with graduate students for a guest lecture quickly ballooned into a side project with a life of its own. https://ethan-gates.com/2024/08/savethegames2024/ Thu, 22 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2024/08/savethegames2024/ Since 2018, the Mellon- and Sloan-funded EaaSI program of work has focused on scaling use of the Emulation-as-a-Service framework (an open, web-based platform for managing and accessing remote emulators) for digital preservation in cultural heritage and memory institutions. https://ethan-gates.com/2024/05/termites/ Thu, 23 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2024/05/termites/ For about the past year, I’ve been attending the “Far Out Film” club at a local public library, which as been an absolutely delightful way to both nudge myself back out into adult social spaces in a COVID-ravaged world and get back in touch with the film snob tendencies at the root of so many of my major life decisions. https://ethan-gates.com/2024/05/dpoe-n_intro_to_software_pres_and_emulation/ Tue, 07 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2024/05/dpoe-n_intro_to_software_pres_and_emulation/ A two-session, four-hour virtual workshop, co-designed and taught with Claire Fox for the Digital Preservation Outreach and Education Network (DPOE-N). Originally held on May 7 and May 9, 2024. What do you do if you get data off old floppies, CD-ROMs, or hard drives, but still can’t access the files because they depend on decades-old software? https://ethan-gates.com/2023/12/best-of-2023/ Tue, 26 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2023/12/best-of-2023/ These are all things that I enjoyed this year! If you have not enjoyed them yet, I hope you do! Addendum: if you want the full-full rundown on the year in film, do check out the 2023 “EMOs” on my other blog: https://bestfilmsofourlives. https://ethan-gates.com/2023/12/2023-personal-review/ Fri, 22 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2023/12/2023-personal-review/ At Work I wrote quite a bit last year about feeling stuck in a holding pattern at work, and boy did that feeling continue for quite a lot of 2023, until…August? https://ethan-gates.com/2023/06/eabcc2023/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2023/06/eabcc2023/ Lightning talk presented at the Email Archiving Symposium (June 12-14, 2023) sponsored by the Email Archives: Building Capacity and Community grant program. The grant-funded EaaSI (Emulation-as-a-Service Infrastructure) program of work, hosted by Yale University Library, has been working for the past 5 years to build an open-source access platform for remote access to legacy software and data in emulation. https://ethan-gates.com/2023/05/isea2023/ Sat, 20 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2023/05/isea2023/ Co-author on a paper describing a collaborative case study between the Yale University Library Digital Preservation Services department and the Yale University Art Gallery to investigate local workflows and technical strategies for assessing and preserving a mid-aughts Mac Mini associated with Joseph Smolinski’s time-based-media work Tree Turbine. https://ethan-gates.com/2023/03/bitcurator2023/ Wed, 29 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2023/03/bitcurator2023/ At BUF 2021, I presented a lightning talk on potential archival and curation uses for QEMU, an open source emulator. As a follow up, I will present Qiwi (https://gitlab.com/eg-tech/qiwi), a graphical Python application I am developing that builds on top of QEMU, with the explicit goal of easing the use of QEMU in archival appraisal. https://ethan-gates.com/2022/12/best-of-2022/ Thu, 22 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2022/12/best-of-2022/ While I’m definitely going to continue with this rundown of all my favorite things read, watched, played and listened to in the past year, a definite trend I have to shout out: the movies are back, baby! https://ethan-gates.com/2022/12/2022-personal-review/ Sat, 17 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2022/12/2022-personal-review/ At Work To be perfectly honest - weird year! Living on grant funding has always been a bit squiffy of course, wondering where exactly I’ll be this time next year, or the next. https://ethan-gates.com/2022/10/nttw6/ Fri, 28 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2022/10/nttw6/ Remote presentation to the “No Time to Wait 6” conference hosted by Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision at The Hague (Oct. 26-28, 2022) Inspired by this year’s theme of Transparency and Trust: rather than talk as much about the EaaSI platform itself, in this lightning talk I address some of our biggest challenges in the EaaSI program. https://ethan-gates.com/2022/10/swhap_days2022/ Thu, 20 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2022/10/swhap_days2022/ Remote presentation to the “SWHAP Days” workshop (hosted by Software Heritage in Paris, Oct. 19-20, 2022) Since 2018, the grant-funded EaaSI program of work has been building off of the bwFLA project’s Emulation-as-a-Service framework to investigate and encourage emulation as a critical missing link in software and digital preservation workflows. https://ethan-gates.com/2022/10/ipres2022/ Wed, 19 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2022/10/ipres2022/ Co-author on a paper describing the background, goals, and accomplishments to date of the grant-funded EaaSI program of work. Presented by Euan Cochrane to the 18th International Conference on Digital Preservation (iPRES 2022) in Glasgow, Scotland, Oct. https://ethan-gates.com/2022/01/puzzling/ Sun, 16 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2022/01/puzzling/ No, this is not a post about Wordle, and yes, this is a post about Wordle. Even before the latest viral word game swept across our social feeds, I was considering writing about my personal turn to constant puzzling in the pandemic (more inspired by the longevity of the previous viral word game that swept across our social feeds, the New York Times/Sam Ezersky’s Spelling Bee, which I am still dutifully shuffling through every day even if Twitter has largely moved on). https://ethan-gates.com/2021/12/best-of-2021/ Tue, 21 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2021/12/best-of-2021/ Comparing this year’s recommendations to last year’s, it’s obvious that at least one difference for me between 2021 and 2020 was an ability to engage more significantly with new (to me) books, TV, and movies, including a few actually challenging works, rather than just slapping the same reruns and absolute trash nonsense on the screen to numb out. https://ethan-gates.com/2021/12/2021-personal-review/ Sun, 19 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2021/12/2021-personal-review/ At Work What would a year look like where I actually stopped, slowed down, or otherwise invested myself less in work? That was sort of the running question in the back of my mind throughout 2021. https://ethan-gates.com/2021/10/buf2021/ Thu, 14 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2021/10/buf2021/ Lightning talk presented virtually at the 2021 BitCurator Users Forum. QEMU (Quick EMUlator) is a powerful open-source program for emulation and virtual machine management. In this lightning talk, I discuss its potential application in digital archive and curation workflows, including: running BitCurator in a virtual machine; running Windows and/or MacOS virtual machines inside BitCurator; running legacy software systems and applications for use in file assessment and migration; and as a delivery vehicle for access to born-digital materials on “incompatible” systems. https://ethan-gates.com/2021/09/handbook-archival-practice/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2021/09/handbook-archival-practice/ Contributed the entry for “Emulation” to The Handbook of Archival Practice (forthcoming September 2021). Gates, Ethan. “6.11 Emulation”. Patricia C. Franks, ed. The Handbook of Archival Practice. Rowman & Littlefield: 2021. https://ethan-gates.com/2021/08/saa2021/ Mon, 02 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2021/08/saa2021/ Poster presented virtually to the Society of American Archivsts' 2021 ARCHIVES*RECORDS annual meeting. The poster provides an overview and some intial conclusions from the joint hosted emulation services pilot provided by the Software Preservation Network and the EaaSI program of work. https://ethan-gates.com/2021/05/clippy_is_dead/ Tue, 25 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2021/05/clippy_is_dead/ Remote lecture presented to the METRO community in a series of webinars on the topic of digital preservation. This talk is essentially an updated version of “Emulation 101”, with edits to account for advances in the EaaSI program of work, new demos of emulation and the EaaSI platform, and expanded discussion of rendering. https://ethan-gates.com/2021/05/music_management/ Mon, 24 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2021/05/music_management/ I was an early adherent/adopter of Spotify - I want to say sometime in 2011, as a student in college, I think pretty much as soon as it was available in the U. https://ethan-gates.com/2021/04/zakharovich/ Fri, 30 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2021/04/zakharovich/ A week of vacation has knocked loose a few thoughts about what, were I actually given the time, energy, and empty brain space to do something, what would I actually want to do with those blessings. https://ethan-gates.com/2021/03/blaseball/ Sat, 27 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2021/03/blaseball/ Blaseball is one of those things - like small-plate restaurants or monthly subscription boxes or cryptocurrencies - that really really likes to explain itself. So I’m already slightly annoyed at myself for writing this, since a quick search for “blaseball” (and you truly must include the quotation marks, to have any hope of relevant results) is more likely to give you ten different “what is blaseball” articles than it is to take you the actual Blaseball site. https://ethan-gates.com/2021/02/lists/ Sat, 27 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2021/02/lists/ When I was about 15 or 16 years old, I vividly remember spending the better part of a winter break from school compiling a monstrous list of every movie I had ever seen. https://ethan-gates.com/2021/02/talking_about_emulation_2021/ Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2021/02/talking_about_emulation_2021/ A roundtable discussion featuring guest speakers from around the EaaSI Network presenting their emulation use cases and discussing moments of interaction between researchers, practitioners, and emulation technology in digital archives. https://ethan-gates.com/2021/01/amia2021/ Wed, 27 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2021/01/amia2021/ Collaborated and presented as part of a team for a webinar, sponsored by the Association of Moving Image Archivists, on the topic of “digital preservation formats.” Co-organizers included Nicole Martin (Human Rights Watch), Annie Schweikert (Stanford Libraries), and Jackie Jay (Farallon Archival Consulting LLC). https://ethan-gates.com/2020/12/best-of-2020/ Mon, 28 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2020/12/best-of-2020/ My adolescent enthusiasm for awards shows and year-end movie lists has devolved, inexorably, to whatever 2020 is/was. Some things brought me joy - many just passed the time. Rather than a detailed breakdown, here are some recommendations, the best things I watched/read/listened to in this awful year. https://ethan-gates.com/2020/12/2020-personal-review/ Mon, 14 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2020/12/2020-personal-review/ Every year I see Ashley Blewer write her “annual report” and think, that’s a great idea - I, too, often feel burned out from blending endless personal and professional projects and forget to reward myself for the many things I do accomplish! https://ethan-gates.com/2020/11/dlf2020/ Tue, 10 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2020/11/dlf2020/ Panel presentation at the virtual 2020 Digital Library Federation (DLF) Forum. This discussion panel highlighted “emulation-in-action” within the EaaSI Network, including brief demonstrations followed by a facilitated discussion of use cases with EaaSI program partners at Stanford University and the Swinburne Institute of Technology. https://ethan-gates.com/2020/11/macroblogging/ Mon, 09 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2020/11/macroblogging/ Did you know that social media sites like Twitter and Instagram are sometimes called “microblogging” platforms? I like the idea of modularity and microservices and breaking down my life and work and thoughts into digestible pieces as much as the next person. https://ethan-gates.com/2020/02/preparation-and-process/ Mon, 17 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2020/02/preparation-and-process/ Co-facilitated a full day workshop in conjunction with the 15th International Digital Curation Conference. During this workshop, leaders and participants from the EaaSI and FCoP SPN-affiliate projects presented use case examples and hands-on exercises to convey technical knowledge about emulation services and encourage organizational reflection, policy development, and capacity-building. https://ethan-gates.com/2020/01/investigating-eaas-reproducible-research/ Tue, 28 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2020/01/investigating-eaas-reproducible-research/ Co-presented with Limor Peer at the virtual “ReproLibs” event, on the topic of EaaS and its various approaches/possibilities for reproducing studies from the Yale ISPS Data Archive. Limor presented the problem of computational reproducibility and access facing data sets and studies deposited in the Yale Institute for Social and Policy Studies' Data Archive. https://ethan-gates.com/2020/01/using-emulators-to-resurrect-data/ Mon, 27 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2020/01/using-emulators-to-resurrect-data/ Co-facilitated a three-hour workshop on using emulator applications to install legacy operating systems and recover data or run applications contained on disk images. This workshop was co-designed and led by Claire Fox, NYU-MIAP graduate student (class of ‘20) and former Yale/EaaSI intern. https://ethan-gates.com/2020/01/emulation-101_emulation-as-strategy/ Wed, 22 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2020/01/emulation-101_emulation-as-strategy/ Remote lecture presented to the METRO DigiPres Meetup as part of a two-hour “Disk Imaging and Emulation 101” event. My talk was a portion of an event on disk imaging and emulation for libraries and archives, which also included contributions from Erin Barsan and Rachel Egan of Small Data Industries, as well as Claire Fox (NYU-MIAP student and former EaaSI intern). https://ethan-gates.com/2020/01/emulating-amnesia/ Mon, 06 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2020/01/emulating-amnesia/ A post for “Saving Digital Stuff”, a blog about born-digital archival collections at Yale University. Co-written with Alice Prael, Digital Archivist for Yale Special Collections, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. https://ethan-gates.com/2019/11/2019-dpc-wdpd/ Thu, 07 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2019/11/2019-dpc-wdpd/ A post for the Digital Preservation Coalition blog as part of the World Digital Preservation Day 2019 celebration. A call to action on preserving and integrating a broader swath of resources related to using legacy software and computers into digital access systems, the better to capture communal, ephemeral and experiential knowledge of systems rather than just technical documentation. https://ethan-gates.com/2019/10/caring-for-digital-art-objects/ Fri, 11 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2019/10/caring-for-digital-art-objects/ Co-facilitated two days of a three-day workshop for students and professional conservators working with digitized, born-digital, audiovisual or computer-based artworks. The workshop was led by Nicole Martin (Human Rights Watch, NYU), and co-taught with Amy Brost (MoMA) and Jonathan Farbowitz (Guggenheim). https://ethan-gates.com/2019/09/towards-a-uvi/ Tue, 17 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2019/09/towards-a-uvi/ Co-author on a paper describing history, need, and requirements for the “Universal Virtual Interactor”: an EaaSI-sponsored API allowing for automated interaction with digital objects in their original software. Presented by Euan Cochrane and Klaus Rechert to the 16th International Conference on Digital Preservation (iPRES 2019) at the EYE Film Museum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, as part of the “Cutting Edge // Emulation” stream. https://ethan-gates.com/2019/08/multithreading-software-preservation/ Fri, 02 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2019/08/multithreading-software-preservation/ A full-day software preservation and emulation workshop. Taught in conjunction with the Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting, “Multithreading Software Preservation: A Software Preservation and Emulation Workshop” was a collaboration between the EaaSI and Fostering a Community of Practice projects, both affiliates of the Software Preservation Network. https://ethan-gates.com/2019/02/scaling-emulation/ Tue, 12 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2019/02/scaling-emulation/ Remote lecture presented to NYU-MIAP’s “Handling Complex Media” course. An overview of the EaaSI grant program. Topics covered included: an overview of emulation as a computing concept, the current state of PC emulation and emulator software, an introduction to the Emulation-as-a-Service platform developed by bwFLA/OpenSLX, ongoing challenges to emulation as an access strategy for digital collections/institutions, the EaaSI grant and its program of work aimed to address these challenges, and a technical demonstration of the capabilities of the EaaSI platform. https://ethan-gates.com/2018/11/storage-crash-course/ Mon, 19 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2018/11/storage-crash-course/ November webinar presented to the Memory Lab Network on the subject of digital storage media, and concerns/strategies for avoiding data loss. An update and restructuring of a previous digital storage strategy lecture, this talk was delivered to the Memory Lab Network’s public library project partners, with the aim of prepping participating librarians and archivists to communicate concerns and strategy for digital storage to their patrons/communities. https://ethan-gates.com/2018/09/notes-on-creating-persona-professional-website/ Tue, 25 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2018/09/notes-on-creating-persona-professional-website/ Remote presentation to NYU-MIAP course “Advanced Topics in Preservation Studies” on how to create a personal website for purposes of hosting a professional CV, resume, or similar content. Topics covered included benefits of creating a personal website for professional purposes, what is needed to create one, and how to sift through the myriad platforms and software options available. https://ethan-gates.com/2018/07/video-rescues/ Sat, 21 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2018/07/video-rescues/ Co-presentation with Michael Grant, on behalf of XFR Collective, as part of Northeast Historic Film’s 19th Annual Summer Symposium, “The Political / The Personal : Global and Local Functions of Regional Media. https://ethan-gates.com/2018/02/emulating-legacy-games/ Tue, 20 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2018/02/emulating-legacy-games/ Class lecture and accompanying lab exercise presented to the Handling Complex Media course for the NYU-MIAP program. A practical introduction to setting up and troubleshooting emulation/virtualization on modern hardware for legacy computing systems. https://ethan-gates.com/2018/02/ffsake/ Mon, 05 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2018/02/ffsake/ Part of self-designed Talking Tech workshop series for Moving Image Archiving and Preservation students. Possibly the most powerful software available for manipulating, editing and transcoding audiovisual data also just happens to be free and open source. https://ethan-gates.com/2017/12/unicli-powerful/ Mon, 11 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2017/12/unicli-powerful/ Class lecture and accompanying exercise presented to the Digital Literacy course for the NYU-MIAP program. A first-timer’s introduction to understanding and using command line interfaces and the Bash shell. https://ethan-gates.com/2017/11/the-next-generation/ Thu, 09 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2017/11/the-next-generation/ Lightning talk presented at No Time to Wait 2: a two-day symposium on the intersection of open media, standardization, and audiovisual preservation. During this talk, I try to make the case for increased cooperation between the communities developing open source media formats and standards and archival education programs. https://ethan-gates.com/2017/10/place-where-you-process/ Thu, 19 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2017/10/place-where-you-process/ Taught in conjunction with MIAP course Advanced Topics in Preservation Studies. Somewhere in all the MAMs, DAMs, CMSs, databases and repositories out there, Archivematica holds a unique space. It’s impossible to show off all the robust and customizable features of Artefactual’s integrated suite of digital processing software - but when and where is it even applicable? https://ethan-gates.com/2017/09/introduction-to-metro-rack/ Mon, 11 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2017/09/introduction-to-metro-rack/ Professional workshop hosted by Metropolitan New York Library Council. Co-led with members of XFR Collective. Join members of the XFR Collective for an introduction to METRO’s brand new A/V digitization station. https://ethan-gates.com/2017/04/hello-octokitty/ Wed, 19 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2017/04/hello-octokitty/ Part of self-designed Talking Tech workshop series for Moving Image Archiving and Preservation students. Co-led with Dinah Handel of New York Public Library. This web platform, long popular with software engineers and programmers, has been gaining ground as a collaborative space for archivists and projects of all sorts. https://ethan-gates.com/2017/04/hack-the-docs/ Wed, 12 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2017/04/hack-the-docs/ Part of self-designed Talking Tech workshop series for Moving Image Archiving and Preservation students. Being able to talk about tech can be just as important as being able to use it. https://ethan-gates.com/2017/03/do-you-have-dss/ Tue, 21 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2017/03/do-you-have-dss/ Lecture presented as part of MIAP’s Collection Management course. An overview of digital storage strategy for media preservation, including risk factors and causes of digital loss, storage media and characteristics, physical interfaces and data transfer protocols, types of external storage, administrative strategy, and failure and data recovery. https://ethan-gates.com/2017/02/under-the-hood/ Wed, 22 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2017/02/under-the-hood/ Part of self-designed Talking Tech workshop series for Moving Image Archiving and Preservation students. What’s that sound? If you’re asking that question in the archive, the answer is probably: sadness. But self-repairing your equipment can save you money, save the planet, and at the very least, teach you something you didn’t know yesterday! https://ethan-gates.com/2017/02/glass-archive/ Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2017/02/glass-archive/ Part of self-designed Talking Tech workshop series for Moving Image Archiving and Preservation students. Co-led with Nicole Martin of Human Rights Watch. Though it has always been true, recent political turns across the globe have re-emphasized the notion that archivists are all, to some degree or another, activists. https://ethan-gates.com/2016/12/2016-dlf-reflection/ Thu, 01 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2016/12/2016-dlf-reflection/ Written for the Digital Library Federation blog. Thoughts from the 2016 AMIA/DLF Hack Day event, which I attended as a ‘virtual cross-pollinator’. Read here https://ethan-gates.com/2016/11/diy-tips-from-xfr/ Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2016/11/diy-tips-from-xfr/ Workshop co-organized by Third World Newsreel, the Documentary Forum at City College of New York, and XFR Collective. Co-led with members of XFR Collective. Tips and strategies for independent filmmakers and students for preserving their works. https://ethan-gates.com/2016/11/cable-bible/ Fri, 11 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2016/11/cable-bible/ Poster presented at the annual conference of the Association of Moving Image Archivists, in support of The Cable Bible. The Cable Bible is a comprehensive online guide to identifying cables and connectors used for audiovisual tech and media preservation that I began as a resource to the professional community. https://ethan-gates.com/2016/02/son-of-saul/ Wed, 17 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2016/02/son-of-saul/ Published in The New Republic online. Laslzo Nemes' film “Son of Saul” is a self-reflective rumination on cultural obsession with the Final Solution Read here https://ethan-gates.com/2015/10/taxi/ Thu, 01 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2015/10/taxi/ Published in The New Republic online. A review of “Taxi”, the latest work of cinematic resistance by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. Read here https://ethan-gates.com/2015/09/gag-man/ Wed, 09 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2015/09/gag-man/ Published in The New Republic online. A review of “The Gag Man”, Matthew Dessem’s biography of Clyde Bruckman, inspires second thoughts on virality and attribution in modern comedy. Read here https://ethan-gates.com/2015/06/vertov/ Thu, 25 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2015/06/vertov/ Published in Diabolique Magazine online. The release of Flicker Alley’s definitive Blu-Ray box set prompts some thoughts on Vertov’s much-discussed classic. Read here https://ethan-gates.com/2015/04/archive-millions/ Wed, 01 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2015/04/archive-millions/ Thesis presentation given as part of graduation requirements for an M.A. in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation from NYU. In 1935, in a directive signed personally by Stalin, the Soviet government approved the construction of a state feature film archive in the Moscow suburb of Belye Stolby. https://ethan-gates.com/2015/02/birdman/ Mon, 23 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2015/02/birdman/ Published in The New Republic online. The Best Picture win for “Birdman” reveals the film industry’s insecurities in the modern landscape of entertainment. Read here https://ethan-gates.com/2015/02/jack-o-connell/ Tue, 17 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2015/02/jack-o-connell/ Published in The New Republic online. A trio of films positioning Jack O’Connell as a new leading man lays bare an interesting trend: the industry’s male stars are getting older, with no obvious generation up-and-coming to replace them. https://ethan-gates.com/2015/02/timbuktu/ Mon, 09 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2015/02/timbuktu/ Published in The New Republic online. A review of Abderrahmane Sissako’s “Timbuktu”, the first feature nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars to be directed by a black, African-born director. https://ethan-gates.com/2015/02/leviathan/ Sun, 08 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/2015/02/leviathan/ Published in The New Republic online. A review of Andrei Zvyagintsev’s film “Leviathan”, contextualized within Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky’s aborted attempts at international cultural outreach. Read here https://ethan-gates.com/cv/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://ethan-gates.com/cv/ Education B.A. in English and Russian, concentration in Film Studies, Amherst College, 2012 M.A. in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation, New York University, 2015 Work experience April 2026 - present: Software Preservation and Emulation Librarian, *Yale University Library Duties include: Creating and maintaining emulation-related documentation to broaden access to Yale digital collections Providing training and support in using the EAASI platform to other library staff and researchers Developing requirements and testing updates to implemented emulation software, including EAASI Spearheading, maintaining, and/or contributing to policies and procedures related to software preservation, emulation, and digital librarianship at Yale Supervisor: Wendy Hagenmaier July 2024 - March 2026: Senior Software Preservation and Emulation Technologist, Yale University Library Duties include: Creating user documentation that supports the sustainability and adoption of Emulation-as-a-Service Infrastructure (EaaSI) Leading training initiatives to increase the capacity of cultural heritage and research practitioners to leverage software preservation and emulation infrastructure Leading testing and troubleshooting of new EaaSI platform releases and translating feedback into user stories that guide the development roadmap and maintenance Conducting research and leading initiatives to assess the usability of software preservation and emulation infrastructure Working with the Software Preservation and Emulation unit, building replicable software preservation policies and workflows at Yale Working with EaaSI’s organizational partners, facilitating communication and learning among global EaaSI users Supervisor: Wendy Hagenmaier October 2018 - June 2024: Software Preservation Analyst, Yale University Library Duties included: As User Support Lead for the grant-funded EaaSI (Emulation-as-a-Service Infrastructure) program of work: Coordinating prompt response to issues and bugs reported by EaaSI Network members/users Developing training materials and resources for using EaaSI and emulation for software preservation Guiding new and existing EaaSI Network members on available solutions for their software and digital preservation use cases Providing feedback and synthesis of community response to aid in feature development, design, and prioritization for the EaaSI service Configuring and troubleshooting legacy software within Yale and the EaaSI network’s instances of Emulation as a Service Supervised Yale student team responsible for software configuration, description, and QC Supervisor: Seth Anderson (October 2018 - November 2022), Euan Cochrane (November 2022 - August 2023), Wendy Hagenmaier (August 2023 - June 2024) August 2017 - present: Freelance Workshop Leader Duties include: Designing and leading occasional workshops for library, information and other cultural heritage professionals on topics of digital literacy and audiovisual archiving.