When I first started the REAL in-depth historical research life was very different.
I can even remember the date. 3rd of December 1993.
We’d moved back to the UK after over 2 years in Gibraltar on the 17th of September that year….I remember because it was my brother’s birthday.
The only resources I had were my own collection of books and the local library.
Micro-fiche was a bastard to use. Old newspapers were time consuming. Writing letters to book-searchers took weeks/months before (or IF) you got a reply.
That year I learned about the Inter-Library Loan System. Woohooo.
The ability to read a bibliography, go to the local library and ask them to search for a certain book was amazing. Weeks after asking, I’d get books from every corner of the UK.
Also lots of fines because you were only allowed to keep said books for 3 weeks.
It taught me patience and how to concentrate my research on the absolute necessary – without the fluff.
Fast forward to now when info is available at lightning speed and you get (OK – I get) brain overload.
So much is so fruitless, unnecessary and frankly UNINTERESTING.
If I’m uninterested within the first 3 to 5 minutes, I will leave.
Tempus Fugit and there is too much to do.
So – 99.9999999 % of youtube gets the UNINTERESTED/NOT INTERESTED vote from me.
Back to the beginning aka 1993. I’ll wait for the interesting and only engage with them :o)