‘The committee of the whole is called to order.’
‘Opa!’
‘Before we review Type 56: The Story of China’s Army, let’s make a list of the things that make for a first-class video channel. Mel, what do you think?’ (YouTube)
‘Solid narrative structure.'
‘Check. Good story telling. Thalia, what’s your chief desideratum?’
‘True tales, told in sufficient detail to allow folks to turn them into decision-forcing cases.’
‘Check. The means of making map problems.’
‘Historical map problems!’
‘I stand corrected. The means of making historical map problems.’
‘And, what, Clio … I mean Madame Chairmuse … do you like to see in a video channel?’
‘Historical accuracy. That is, I want to watch someone with deep expertise tell stories drawn from first-hand sources.’
‘Now, let’s hear from the Muses of Literature.’
‘Terpsichore, Muse of Empathy, Role Play, and Character Development, what do you look for in a video channel?’
‘Stories centered on real, relatable characters.’
‘Check. The personal touch.’
‘How about you, Calliope?’
‘As you know, I prefer stories to abstractions.’
‘And active verbs to equations.’
‘You’ve been reading our posts on Extra Muros!’
‘Always.’
‘Euterpe, what sorts of things do you seek?’
‘Well, as Muse of Philology, I like programs in which the presenter presents foreign words and phrases in their native form and, better yet, pronounces them correctly.’
‘外语短语发音准确’ (Deepl)
‘Precisely.’
‘Now for the Library Troika. Urania, Muse of Card Catalogs, Indices, and Search Engines, what do you like to see in a video channel?’
‘I like channels that make it easy for viewers to find videos of particular interest.’
‘Check. Good labels, good thumbnails, and well-chosen hashtags.’
‘Polyhymnia?’
‘As you might imagine, I like video channels that provide viewers with lists of sources. However, as I have yet to encounter one of these, I will go with a presenter who doesn’t take himself too seriously.’
‘Check. A sense of humor.’
‘To wrap things up, Erato, Muse of Bibliography, if you please.’
‘I find myself in the same boat as Polyhymnia. That is, as I have yet to encounter a video channel that provides its programs with proper bibliographies, I will express my fondness for presenters who dress in ways that match the tales that they tell.’
‘Check. Appropriate costumes.’
‘So, now that we’ve laid out our desiderata, let’s review Type 56: The Story of China’s Army. (YouTube)
‘Madame Chairmuse, a point of order, if you please.’
‘Yes, Thalia.’
‘I think that we already have.’
‘Have what?’
‘Provided our readers with a list of the nine virtues of Type 56: The Story of China’s Army.’ (YouTube)
‘In that case, the meeting is adjourned.’
‘Opa!’
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