Veni, vidi, vici [вэни, види, вици] Цезарь говорил,
Сразу как Фарнака полностью разбил.
Veni, vidi, vici [вэни, види, вици] я тебе желаю –
Ведь кто смел и дерзок, тот и побеждает.

Пусть твои задумки все проходят тесты,
И идей «громадье» будет только к месту!
Вопреки погоде, каверзно паршивой,
Сил и вдохновенья! Мега-продуктива!

Starbucks.

Crossing the road.

Chasing

Around the corner

Coffee after stalking.

Hotel New Yorker, originally uploaded by jacopast.

feel like pops out of 1960’s MAD MEN.

LAVA Architects Win Masdar Eco City Center Competition.

Hmm… Eco City…

How about this?

Zangarmarsh in Outland to the west of Hellfire Peninsula. from the World of Warcraft

3rd time MoMA. My Favorite Spot

“Vēnī, vīdī, vīcī”

The phrase was purportedly first used by Julius Caesar in a brief message to the Roman Senate following his victory over Pharnaces II of Pontus in 47 BC at the battle of Zela.  Following her dominant performance against colts in the 2009 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Sunday, the amazing filly Rachel Alexandra might be neighing something eerily similar in her stall right now. 

Just like we all thought she would, Rachel conceded the early lead in the Haskell to Munnings, the son of 2004 champion sprinter Speightstown.  Summer Bird was determined to give Rachel a challenge and pulled up even with (and for a brief moment in front of) her as the field raced down the backstretch.  Then, the moment jockey Calvin Borel began to ask her for a bit more as the “real running” commenced, she responded in the style of a champion and began pulling away by open lengths.  By the time the field reached the sixteenth pole the race was beyond over and she was coasting in front by 6 lengths. 

Borel stopped asking her with about a hundred yards to run, and immediately broke into his trademark victory celebration by pointing to the crowd and blowing kisses.  Despite this, the amazing filly romped home in 1:47.21 – just off the track record.  Some might attribute this to the fact that the main track at Monmouth was sealed due to the (at times) torrential rain experienced earlier in the day, but having seen what this filly can do in the Kentucky Oaks, the Preakness, and the Mother Goose, I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that the final time was 99.999% “Rachel.”

The victory capped off an exciting day of racing at Monmouth.  It wasn’t a particularly good one for me as far as handicapping/wagering is concerned (I’m dreadful at such tasks when a track turns sloppy), but overall it was a day we won’t long forget.  We got to hang out with trainers Gary Stute (Papa Clem) and Tim Ice (Summer Bird).  I was interviewed by “Monmouth Park Insider” Mike Curci prior to the Haskell (though evidently I just missed meeting my friend and horse racing icon Ron Correll of TrackSideView), and of course was granted access to the paddock to see all of the horses, including Rachel Alexandra.  Then, we managed to run into Steve Asmussen and Calvin Borel as we prepared to leave.  To top things off, we also ran into Todd and Simon from TVG, who stopped for a quick chat and some photos.

I can’t say enough about any of these folks.  Gary Stute and Tim Ice were amazing.  Gary strikes me as the kind of guy that it must be fun to be around 24/7.  He just seemed full of smiles and in genuinely high spirits.  I suspect he’s a bit like that friend all of us has – the one that whenever you’re with you wind up having a good time no matter what it is you do?  He’s like a big kid, and incredibly friendly.  He even let us get up close to Papa Clem and pet him, which was especially thrilling for our 5-year-old.  I also found out that the lady in his entourage on Preakness Day who spotted my trademark ‘Bama hat and began yelling “ROLL TIDE” was his girlfriend.

Then there’s Tim Ice.  Talk about an impressive dude?  He turned 35 on the day that Summer Bird won the Belmont.  This is exactly the type of guy you want to root for as a racing fan.  He’s a bit intimidating due to his enormous stature (seriously…I’m used to being considered a bigger guy, but Tim TOWERS over me…if this horse racing thing doesn’t work out for him, I’m sure the Steelers could always use another outside linebacker or defensive end….if the dude ever played football, I’m certain he was a monster on the field), but he’s so down to earth and personable that at times you forget you’re talking to a guy who just won the Belmont!

After the race as he was walking back to the paddock, you could tell he was disappointed that his horse hadn’t won (Summer Bird had run his heart out for 2nd).  We caught eyes with him and he again came over to speak with us.  A fan standing nearby asked him for an autograph, and when he learned through the small talk that accompanies such situations that her son was serving in Iraq as a Marine, he stepped back, had a tremendously serious look come over his face (where before had been the disappointment of defeat) and remarked “people like him….they are the reason we’re able to enjoy things like this.” 

It was one of those moments that I think humbled everyone around.  Suddenly, for a brief moment, he had taken the spotlight off of him, and had the gathering crowd’s attention focused on this woman and the sacrifice that her son was making for all of us.  Suffice to say, given my background, we’re total Tim Ice fans now.  There won’t be another horse he sends to post that I don’t cheer my guts out for.  Amy felt rather fulfilled given that she picked Summer Bird in the Belmont and now knows what an awesome guy Tim is. 

If you ever get the chance to see Summer Bird in person,  I strongly recommend doing so as he’s one of the most fantastic looking colts I’ve had the chance to see close up. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in running 6 lengths behind Rachel.  Most runners wind up 20+ lengths back from her.  In recent memory, only Mine That Bird has been closer, and Summer Bird’s already defeated him in the Belmont.  Plus, Mine That Bird got some benefit in terms of softening up Rachel for the stretch by virtue of her outside (13) post position for the Preakness and the fact that she was on the gas from her first step out of the gate (not to mention that she was running on just 2 weeks rest for that race).  He’s an awesome colt in his own right and I one I hope to see him again in the Travers, The Classic, or who knows, maybe even the Goodwood?

The folks at Monmouth Park (and in particular, Sophia Mangalee, who’s husband Navin rode longshot My Dream Tomorrow into the money for show in the 3rd race of the day) really rolled out the red carpet treatment.   From early in the morning right on through the feature race itself.  I don’t think we’ll ever be able to thank them enough, apart from praying that Monmouth gets another shot at the Breeders’ Cup in the near future and gets some cooperation from the weather gods when their chance comes again.

Speaking of the weather…did it strike anyone else as ironic that the horrific storms subsided just in time for Rachel the Great to make her appearance on the track?  I do believe the sun even managed to stick it’s head through the clouds just before she arrived.  Fitting, I suppose, for in many ways Rachel’s magnificence has been a parting of the clouds for the sport itself.  While the weather may have dwindled down the hoped for attendance figures at Monmouth, there was still a helluva strong showing their to suppor her.  Coming hot on the heels of the Barabaro and Eight Belles disasters, the triumphs of Rachel Alexandra have had a unifying, healing, and pacifying effect on the entire sport, and have gone quite a ways towards rectifying the game’s image in the eyes of the public.

She’s the kind of horse people drive across half the country to see.  She’s the kind of horse parents bring their small children to see.  She’s the kind of horse that adults bring their now elderly parents back to the track to see, just as they had done for them years ago when they were little. She’s the kind of horse that reduces even the most proud of would-be horse racing authors to expressions like “wow!!!” and “OMG” on Twitter.  She reminds us what it was that we found so magical about this game when we first paid attention.  She reminds us why it is we follow along with the sport in every maiden race we can possibly feast our eyes upon, always searching for the next great one. 

So how do we measure a horse’s greatness? 

I thought Calvin Borel made a poignant remark following the race when asked whether we had seen her best yet.  I don’t recall the exact words, but he replied something to the effect that he wouldn’t truly know how great she was until another horse pulled even with her in the stretch and looked her dead in the eye.  That is, after all, the ultimate test of will.

In the immediate future their are two other distinct possibilities;  defeat older fillies and mares, and then defeat older boys.  If she can pull off both of those feats, than I think she’d be revered for the ages in a fashion similar to Ruffian.  Heck, she may already be there in the eyes of some, having become the first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness, and only the 2nd filly in 42 years to win the Haskell.

As if that’s not enough – consider what might be up next; The Travers.  No filly has even run in the Travers since Davona Dale in 1979, and no filly has won the Travers since Lady Rotha in 1915.  

Nineteen fifteen??? Are you kidding me? 

Austro-Hungary was still an “empire” in 1915.  The U.S. Army didn’t yet own a single tank in their armed forces.  Battleships still ruled the high seas.   The “Red Baron”, Manfred von Richtofen, had only begun pilot training in August of that year, and had not yet begun to terrorize allied airmen in the skies.  The Germans were bombing English cities using zeppelins!  Shoeless Joe Jackson and the Chicago freakin’ BlackSox were still 4 years away!  Thousands of American Civil War veterans were still collecting pensions.  The first stone in the Lincoln memorial was just being laid!

Does that put it properly in perspective? 

Even if she doesn’t go to the Travers, the point I’m making is that we’re witnessing right here and now the kind of thing that folks who are passionate about horse racing are likely to be talking about for decades to come.  

I know there are some who can’t stand the attention she receives.  This happens with every great runner.  We call these people “haters” these days, and they abound no matter what the sport or what the occassion.  There’s always someone waiting to rain on the parade the first opportunity they’re given.  I’ve never quite understood this.  I can understand folks having “favorites” and longing for certain connections to win over others, but I’ve never understood the folks who hope and wish for something to go wrong.  Hoping for a horse to lose?  Makes no sense to me.

We saw this a bit with Curlin in ‘07 and (more specifically) in ‘08.  No matter what he did, it wasn’t good enough.  No mater wich race he ran in (is their a single race he can ever be accused of “dodging?”) either the field was a joke or their was some other reason for the “haters” to dismiss – but only after they had warned us for weeks leading up to each and every race that “this” was the moment he was “going down.”  It’s rather morbid, if you ask me – and yes, there are folks out there who feel this way about Rachel today.

Thankfully, history seldom remembers the runners who pull the brief upset, and instead rewards consistent greatness with long term reverance and awe.  A microcosm of this was experienced on Sunday as we had SEVERAL conversations with very astute horse racing fans, none of which could remember the name of the longshot (Soul Warrior) who had just defeated Mine That Bird and Big Drama in the West Viriginia Derby the day before.  I should point out that one of the folks we spoke with was a relative of Dale Beckner, the jockey who rode Sould Warrior to victory.

My point is this, and hopefully it ties back into my previous ramblings about how we measure greatness…

History will remember that Rachel was the first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness.  It will remember that she was the 2nd filly in 42 years to win the Haskell.  If all goes as planned, it may remember her as the first filly in 94 years to win the Travers.  More importantly though, she will be remembered in name and cirucmstance across the expanse of time.  A decade from now, we’ll be comparing 3-year-old fillies to her.  Count on it.

There will always be Ruffian at the top, and of course there are countless other fillies and mares who have accomplished stunning success (some that even rival the success Rachel has achieved) -  including victories over older males – but because she did so on one of our biggest stages (the Preakness), and because she carries the iconic status of the “underdog” by virtue of being a girl running amongst boys (even when saddled with 1/5  favoritism at the beting windows), Rachel’s memory will burn bright for years to come.  And with each passing victory, her legend continues to grow.  I think that’s the thing to really take hold of.  When you watch Rachel run, realize that you are watching, in all likelihood, a living legend in the making.  How darned lucky we are to be alive to see it!

And of course, on a personal level, that hole in my heart that has existed since Curlin’s retirement was announced following the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic?  It’s been filled.  Or, as a buddy on Facebook responded, it’s been “fillied.”

As for Rachel…

She came, she saw, she conquered.

This is another test of the new bookmarking script I’m working on. It it works then it should collect links during the week and then compile them into one post on a Sunday.

Many excluded from opportunity to get tickets for Michael Jackson memorial services – Crooked Timber
An view of how mumble mumble mumble’s memorial highlights the digital divide in America.

The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Ltd: GGAT pioneer the use of new mobile phone technology at Community Excavation
The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust have been introducing QR Codes at their public excavation. As camera phones and internet connections become more mundane, these will become more common.

Conceptual Trends and Current Topics
Here’s an interesting publishing model combining sales of a limited number of hard copies with free PDF access. I’m not sure about this I think I prefer Print-On-Demand, but the limited edition nature of the publication could be a good marketing ploy.

What Helps YOU Be a Better Writer?
Commentators leave their tips on what help you write.

A small example of how our economy went terribly wrong – Philobiblon
Now I thought feeding the birds was a good thing. Natalie Bennett on why you might want to rethink that.

This is another test of the new bookmarking script I’m working on. It it works then it should collect links during the week and then compile them into one post on a Sunday.

Eugenie Scott Powerfully Makes the Case for Science-Religion Compatibility | The Intersection | Discover Magazine
This is an oddity. As far as I can tell Scott says that if Science and Religion clash, you take the scientific explanation. It’s the God of the Gaps argument. That would seem an peculiar use of the word compatible to me.

Svante Pbo on Religion Afarensis: Anthropology, Evolution, and Science
Afarenis asks an incisive question: “Why is it alwas phrased in terms of science fighting religion as if science is the aggressor and religion is the null hypothesis?”

normblog: I’d have baked one
Norm on why critics of religion get it wrong when they criticise belief. It’s about practice. Which is based on belief. Umm… no that can’t be right. Also on how you can’t have your cake and eat it.

This is a test of the new bookmarking script I’m working on. It it works then it should collect links during the week and then compile them into one post on a Friday.

Mike Pitts – Digging Deeper
Mike Pitts, author of Hengeworld, editor of British Archaeology and all-round archaeological whirlwind is now blogging. His site is definitely something you’d want to add to your RSS reader.

Ancient boat reveals shipbuilding skills of Java’s seafarers | The Jakarta Post
This is deeply cool. The problem with a lot of marine archaeology is that it’s either out at sea where it’s hard to find, or else it rots. The Yogyakarta Archaeology Center has been working on a largely intact boat found in Indonesia dating from the 6th or 7th century.

Durango Herald News, Chimney Rock: Chaco or not?
(via David Meadow’s Explorator, the same person who runs Roge Classicism) There’s new exacavations at Chimney Rock. It’s an important site in Southwestern US archaeoastronomy, but is it tied to the Chaco culture?

Governor eliminates Michigan Dept. of History, Arts and Libraries – Crain’s Detroit Business
It’s looks like Michigan will be feeling the effects of this recession for a long while yet. There’s not just the loss of services in this cut. If there’s big savings to be made, then there’ll be a big start-up cost if the department is revived when the economy can support it.

Abnormal Interests: Have A Snake Problem? Try Prayer
A translation of a Babylonian text may have implications for interpretation of the Bible.

AWOL – The Ancient World Online: Open Access Journal: Illinois Classical Studies
Illinois Classical Studies is now open with a moving wall. It makes it an attracive journal to publish in. I’d point at some articles but I haven’t had time to browse it this week.

Frog in a Well – The Japan History Group Blog
Frog in a Well, which comes in three flavours, continues to show that history of east Asia is at an exciting place at the moment.

The Archaeology of the Mediterranean World: Reflecting on Academic Blogging at 500 Posts
“[T]he arrival of academic blogging does provide a kind of stable, middle ground between the open seminar (or the half-baked conference paper) and the journal article.” I think academic blogs as perpetual conferences would be an interesting model.

The history in historical archaeology Campus Archaeology Program
Why historical archaeologists aren’t historians.

Pop Classics: Carry On Cleo (dir. Gerald Thomas 1964)
The classic, possibly even definitive, screen treatment of Cleopatra is examined at Pop Classics. British Classicists are a lot more intelligible after seeing this historical epic.

Dear editor Mike Pitts – Digging Deeper
Editing a letters page for a magazine can be frustrating.

Past Preservers: Do you want to appear on a major new TV show with Dr Zahi Hawass?
I considered applying for this a while back. I decided not to, because it would break my TV boycott, but it does look tempting.

Illicit Cultural Property: Francesco Rutelli on the Euphronios Krater
The krater has been repatriated, but is that a win for studying history?

Interview: Mark Parker-Pearson on The Stonehenge Riverside Project Discoveries | Heritage Key
An interview with the Head Honcho of the Stonehenge Riverside Project, Mike Parker Pearson. Heritage Key is definitely a site worth keeping an eye on.

Looting matters: Antiquities from Iraq continue to surface
There are some antiquities dealers who are pointing out the illicit material, but there’s still a lot appearing. Is it a problem with unscrupulous dealers, or is the problem with honest people working in a systemically flawed market?

This is a test of the new bookmarking script I’m working on. This one does the science posts and should run on Tuesdays around 7pm.

Correlation, Causation, and Coincidence One Astronomer’s Noise
Nicole tries to claim there’s a difference between correlation and causation in a bid to dodge the blame for the USA’s failure to win the Confedrations Cup.

SNAIL’S TALES: Another well hidden tree frog
Snail’s Tales is an interesting read, but you could just follow it for the photos.

the quackometer: What Next for the British Chiropractic Association?
It looked like the British Chiropractic Association would successfully sue Simon Singh for defamation, despite their claims being nonsense. A recent article in the BMJ now suggests it’s possible their only hope of winning is by claiming to be a bunch of incompetent numbskulls.

Disappearing The Science News | The Loom
Catch the news in Science before it disappears! The Daily Telegraph’s attempt at writing up a student’s research on rape as an entertaining piece has backfired.

Asking for it – Bad Science
Related to the link above, here’s Ben Goldacre on how the news story in the Telegraph was not about women asking to be raped.

Times Higher Education – NHS trust chief accuses Edinburgh professor of speaking out of turn
Edinburgh defends its academics right to be curious. It should be normal practice, but that doesn’t stop it being laudable.

Epigenetics: It’s All in the Packaging | Newsweek Science
(via BoraZ) A description of epigenetics, another strand of inheritance which operates alongside genetics. Biology is not all in your DNA, which is going to complicate Star Trek plots massively.

Ashes cricketers could be caught out by climate change | guardian.co.uk
It’s not just shameless time-wasting which is ending the golden age of cricket. Climate change could lead to the Australians humiliating England on a number of similar pitches. It’s a disheartening prospect for those England fans who like to see their team humiliated on a number of pitches each with their own character.

A tale from the trenches of science journalism : Pharyngula
This makes a nice change from the science journalist = evil villain trope that I’ve seen in a few places recently. It’s handy to know there’s frustration on the journalists’ side too. It suggests cooperation would be more useful than conflict.

Advanced Fellowships In the Dark
This is depressing. The STFC, the funing body for UK astronomy, continuing to cut down astronomical research in the UK to a more manageable level.

The Strange case of Epsilon Aurigae EIU Astro
Epsilon Aurigae would seem to be a very large star with a companion. Things get really strange when you look at its light curve. It seems to get dimmer for around two years at a time. That would suggest it’s being orbited by something bigger, but we can’t see it. It’s too dim to be a star, so what is it?

The first Earthling to journey to Mars – Conan the Bacterium | The Observer
Bacteria have been shown to be viable after being left on the Moon, so it’s possible terrestrial bacteria can travel to Mars. It’s even possible that they have in the past, hitching a lift on meteorites. There’s also a tardigrade going. I’d be willing to bet a large amount of money that it will come back alive.

SNAIL’S TALES: Darwin was a malacologist!
And if you don’t know what a malacologist is then you need to visit Snail’s Tales. The ‘mal’ always makes me think ‘bad’. But it’s not.

Galactic Interactions: How much Dark Matter do you hold in your hands?
Rob Knop is able to put a figure on how much Dark Matter is likely to be around you. It’s quite a small figure.

LookUP Widget | Astronomy Blog
Can you help test the LookUP widget? If not, then use it. It’s a nifty tool.

This is another test of the new bookmarking script I’m working on. It it works then it should collect links during the week and then compile them into one post on a Sunday.

Mr Deity and the Virgin
Everyone’s favourite holy being is back for a new series on YouTube.

Abnormal Interests: I’m Not Sure What I Think About This
Duane Smith explains his concerns about the compatability of science and religion in a post which makes a refreshing change in the accomodationism debate. If you’re looking for a post shouting about what they think someone else has said, you’d be better off looking elsewhere.

Almost-live report: Daniel Dennett at the Cambridge Darwin-and-faith bash Why Evolution Is True
Bah! My forthcoming post on theology would look prescient if it had come out last week. Now it’ll look like I’m plagiarising Dennett. Nonetheless it’s a good write up of the question “What does Theology bring to an interdisciplinary study?”

This is a test of the new bookmarking script I’m working on. It it works then it should collect links during the week and then compile them into one post on a Friday.

Resting place of choice – Le Monde diplomatique – English edition
Roger Gaess gives a tour of sights found at the dead centre of London.

Time Team America: Fort Raleigh
K. Kris Hirst is eager to see more of Time Team America. My fingers are crossed. Done well it could be a great series about the archaeological process, but there’s an awful lot of British TV series which have been mutilated by American television.

Fort Raleigh | Time Team America | PBS
Here’s information from PBS about their programme on Fort Raleigh in North Carolina. Readers from the eastern side of the Atlantic might be interested as it’s the earliest English colony in North America.

Abnormal Interests: Epigraphy By The Numbers
Duane Smith follows up on the paper “Automatic Writer Identification of Ancient Greek Inscriptions” with a discussion of the method. I’m not sure if this is going to make epigraphists more or less scary.

History Blog Origins of the Royal Color Purple
Why is the colour purple for royalty? Charlotte Gardner finds an answer that smells so bad that even the Romans couldn’t stand it.

Roman Times: Romans capture most slots on 10 most extravagant emperors list
Mary Harrsch questions whether it’s the Emperors or sometime their public images which got them on the list.

mental_floss Blog Science in the Field: Human Migration in the Ancient Southwest
An introduction to the recent revival of the Chaco Meridian idea. I’d have to read the book to see how it differs from ley-lines.

The Archaeology of Modern Prison Resistance Prison Photography
A photography project which has relevance to contemporary and historical archaeologists. The archaeology of confinement was one of the sessions at WAC last year.

2009 Interactive Dig Johnson’s Island – Unlocking a Civil War Prison
Meanwhile, Archaeology Magazine has an ongoing excavation of an American Civil War museum.

Got Medieval: What’s So Funny about Knights and Snails?
Everyone knows about George and the dragon, but how to you start training to fight one? It’s possible they started with slightly easier opposition.

The History Blog No Etruscans left in Tuscany?
There’s been a few stories on this, but the History Blog entry caught my eye. I’m sceptical about this. I think DNA does have information about the past, but I’m wary of how genetics and history are integrated. That’s another blog post I’ve been meaning to write for a year or more.

The Archaeology of the Mediterranean World: The Varieties of Archaeological Experience
Bill Caraher blogs aboiut the different ways of approaching an archaeological site. How do you put them all together?

Through the eye of the Geodimeter Testimony of the spade
Magnus Reuterdahl has news and some nice photos from a prehistoric dig in Sweden.

Ohio Archaeology Blog: Rare Guilty Pleas Are Obtained In Southwest Artifacts Sting
I’ve seen this listed on several sites, but Bill Pickard adds a bit of commentary from his perspective in Ohio.

DigiPast: Do You Really Want To Question Sylvia Allen’s Crazy Arizona Math?
DigiPast gives archaeological news with attitude. In this case the attitude is “Huh?” as there’s a lot less archaeology in Arizona than you might have thought.

A Geophysics View into Hamline History Old Dirt – New Thoughts
If you’re excited by Geofizz on Time Team America, then you’ll love the radar results on show here. New technology is cutting down the amount of time spent digging in the wrong place.

The History Blog Libya’s ancient sites ravaged by looters
The opening up of Libya means that many major sites from the Roman Empire are now accessible. Unfortunately there’s a healthy market for illegally excavated material.

Theoretical Structural Archaeology: Primitive Rituals
I could be theatrically grumpy about this. Geoff Carter has a go at archaeologists who talk about cosmology and ritual. If I can organise my thoughts I’ll blog more about this. I disagree with some of what he says, I’m more smiley about ethnography. However, ritual is a label, not an explanation. If you get miffed by archaeologists simply saying something is ‘ritual’ and acting as if that’s an answer you’ll like this.

Ancient Games: “Rome” movie to offer decent series wrapup
Mary Harrsch has what I hope is the second best news of the week.* Rome is to return as a film. Just don’t try and work out how old Pullo will be for the era it’s set in.
This is being typed the day before I get my latest set of cancer results.

Musings On Writing – Gospel of Judas and Quarrelsome Academics (What? NO … academics quarreling … ?!)
Min’s Musings is a new blog (to me). This is a good examination of what happens when politics muscles into your archaeology.

Undead Naked Archaeology: Photo-Assault!
I could write a description here, but with a title like that you’re going to click anyway aren’t you?

Pagans for Archaeology: Arthur’s protest
I like Yvonne Aburrow’s blogging a lot. There’s plenty of intelligent pagans, but Yvonne reliably hits a balance between spiritual belief and non-pagan society when she writes. Here she notes that not only is Arthur Pendragon making a claim on ancient bones, but he’s also laying what pagans should believe. That’s sly politics more often found with fundamentalists claiming the label ‘Christian’.

remote central: Basketry Of The Present And Prehistory – Video Short
Tim Jones shows that when you start seriously thinking about it, basketry reveals an awful lot about human cognition. It also shows how all sorts of thought processes are enmeshed with each other.

The Grail Diary Electric Archaeology: Digital Media for Learning and Research
Shawn Graham reveals an essential help to finding the Holy Grail. Yes, the one in the Indiana Jones film.

Memorabilia Antonina: Readers (if there are any left) forgive me, for I have sinned …
I’ve got the early scraps of a blog post (tied in with the tool for making these link posts) and Memorabilia Antonina’s passing was going to be something to lament. Except it’s not dead yet. Sometimes it’s nice to be wrong.

UNL | Turkey Trip Blog | Charles W. Durham School of Architectural Engineering
Here’s another new blog to me. It’s a class taking a trip to Turkey from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. As part of the trip they’re scanning some ancient sites.

An interesting turn Archaeology at Signal Hill, Newfoundland, Canada
Why would you want to conduct an archaeological dig when you already have the historical records? Here’s an answer from another blog that’s new to me.

Latvian History
This is a new English language blog on the history of the middle Baltic state. It covers archaeology as well as history. It could be a very useful blog as while there’s good research coming out of the Baltic states, I can’t recall any other Baltic bloggers.

Digging the Past in Laverstock Across the Bourne
Wayne D. Morris gives his impressions of seeing his first archaeological dig at Across the Bourne.

Il circuito femminile è messo così male che una Marion “Ballo di San Vito” Bartoli può fare finale a Wimbledon, una Jankovic può diventare numero 1 (oppure la Safina…) e una Wozniacki – quasi sempre una Diversamente Errani – venga vista come la Salvatrice della Wta solo perché ha il faccino da Heidi.

La sua è stata settimana perfetta, che ha prolungato gli sprazzi (duraturi) di gran tennis a Marbella, dove si era dovuta fermare in quarti al tie del terzo con la noiosissima Jelena “Weird Al” Jankovic.

Prima di lei, Robertina ha sconfitto Parmentier, Flavia Pennetta (2 del seeding e 15 del mondo), Yakimova e, in semifinale, la compagna di doppio Schiavone (perdendo il primo 6-0).

Dritto (nettamente migliorato) ad aprirsi il gioco, rovescio quasi sempre in back (quello coperto non fa parte del suo bagaglio), discreta prima – fondamentale per il suo gioco – e uno strepitoso gioco di volo.

Fonte:
http://www.lastampa.it/cmstp/rubriche/girata.asp?ID_articolo=119&ID_blog=241&ID_sezione=523

This is a test of the new bookmarking script I’m working on. This one does the science posts and should run on Tuesdays around 7pm.

Popularization Is Its Own Reward?
Chad Orzel asks what can be done to improve public outreach in academia. It might feed into what I’m thinking about the media in general for a post in the future.

Kentucky Space: 110th Carnival of Space – the Phobos-Grunt, Liberty and Pants-on-Fire edition
Kentucky Space gathers together Astronomy blogging from the past week.

In praise of partial explanation (and flowcharts) Neuroanthropology
This is well worth reading if you’re trying to fit a few ideas together. A flowchart isn’t a theory, but it can help clarify how things connect.

What Can Singing Mice Teach Us about Language?: Scientific American
Singing mice sound like a joke. However it could be relevant in understanding the evolution of language.

This is a test of the new bookmarking script I’m working on. It it works then it should collect links during the week and then compile them into one post on a Friday.
The Archaeology of the Mediterranean World: The Houses of Lakka Skoutara
Bill Caraher has plans and photos of houses he’s examined whilst out on fieldwork at Lakka Skoutara.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Monte Alb of Mexico in 3D CyArk
The hugely exciting CyArk project has been scanning Monte Alb, a Zapotec site in Mexico. If, like me, you lose track of which Mexican cultures are which, Monte Alb was founded after 500BC and abandoned after AD1000. That would put them around the same time as the Mayans, but before the Aztecs.

A Don’s Life by Mary Beard – Times Online – WBLG: Was Alexander the Great a Slav?
Mary Beard comments on the Miller letter that’s been doing the rounds. She’s not convinced it’s good history.

Macedonians, Slavs, and Greeks
N.S. Gill at About.com is also discussing the ethnicity of the ancient Macedonians.

Got Medieval: Stonhenge Hidden in Windows 7 (from Americans, anyway)
Carl Pyrdum has found a secret Stonehenge in Windows 7. That must surely almost make up for the embarrasment of being outed as a user of Windows.

human rights archaeology: cultural heritage and community: Goosed by UNICRI
A paper presented by the Director of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) bears a staggering resemblance to lots of other papers, books and blog posts written on crime and the antiquities trade recently. The extent of copying is astonishing.

Visit Western Sahara SAND AND DUST
There’s an opportunity to dig where no-one has dug before. I know all archaeology is supposed to be like that, but I did once spend two weeks digging a barn and finding nothing, till the local Museum admitted they’d lost the paperwork and umm… actually they remembered digging that. However, the Western Sahara is particularly undug and it looks like a great opportunity.

Abnormal Interests: It Looks Like I Joined the Wrong Club
Duane Smith explains why it’s not always a good idea to be an ancient historian if you want to keep up with ancient history.

Airminded – Web log beg: travel 2
Brett Holman want you to tell him where to go. In England and Wales, as he’ll be over for a short while.

John J. Dwyer’s Black Confederates
Another post from Civil War Memory on Black confederates. I’ve no ideological axe to grind on this. It would surprise me if there were many, if any, Black confederates – but then people do do surprising things. What dissuades me is that most of the arguments I’ve seen for Black confederates ignore what the reality of slavery was in the South. You have to smile at arguments like:
“They loved the South and were delighted to be identified with its cause, which they understood to be freedom. They viewed the North as a bully seeking to force its will on others who wished to live as they pleased.”

I use so many bookmarking tools like friendfeed.com, delicious.com, tumblr.com, (and thousand more..) However, I always google these bookmarks again. As I think bookmarking is also a kind of mapping on web. As James Corner wrote in the ‘The Agency of Mapping(pdf),’ mapping is not just tracing, then my bookmarking services should be more like mapping of finding, not just tracing facts or data. That is, with the bookmarks or my account of each service should show me something.

However, I still cannot find any better mapping than this.

Detective Crews’ room in ‘Life’, from Books, TV, etc

David Hockney also said that his research tools are ‘photoshop and color laserjet’

I want my Tumblr to be a ‘image bookmarking’ inspiring me, but it does not work either. If there’s no web service for bookmark mapping, then FREE ‘three 32′cinema displays’ service will be OK.

Al Gore’s office from Time

There’s a new edition of Four Stone Hearth live at Afarensis. He’s done a great job with it, and he’s found plenty that I’ve missed.

Also, while I’m pointing at things, Michael E Smith has a thoughtful post on agency and the problems that happen when archaeologists try talking about it. I’ve found often agent is a synonym of individual. Someone else I know suggested soul. It might sound woolly, but a lot of talk about agency is, because people don’t often define what sort of agency they’re talking about. Smith’s post shows another sort, from the political sciences, which clearly could be have applications in archaeology.

Tidakkah kita bosan mendengar kita sendiri(!) dan teman-teman, kerjanya hanya berkeluh kesah saja soal kegagalan? Ini tidak bisa, itu gagal, pe-er lupa belum dikerjakan, nanti saya selesaikan lagi asyik main game nih, ujian saya hanya dapat 60 atau C (abis soalnya susah sih, yang saya pelajari tidak keluar) … dan lain-lain dengan seribu alasan kekanak-kanakan untuk tidak berbuat atau menundanya. Capek, deh. Pernah memperhatikan mimik wajah teman-teman saat kita berkeluh kesah?

Separuh polos cuek tanpa ekspreksi, separuh lagi menyalahkan, menasihati, dan bersimpati kasihan! Titik, berhenti sampai di situ. Sunyi kembali. (Lalu untuk apa dongeng keluhan tadi, ya?) Kasihan deh elo, eh, kita.

Andai saja kita ganti dengan melenguhkan kesuksesan. (Melenguh adalah suara banteng, atau taurus, dengan rasi bintangnya ada di belahan atas  gambar di atas; istilah saya untuk melawan keluhan.) Horee… saya sudah bisa blog, saya sudah bisa animasi sekarang, ‘nih hasilnya; asyik, hari Minggu lalu ke gunung pagi-pagi, udaranya bersih dan segar, nikmat sekali; 3 hari lalu saya bertemu si Anu, minggu depan diskusi berlanjut ke kontrak; kemarin saya makan enak; hasil ujian lalu saya dapat nilai-C, … dan seterusnya. Perhatikan mimik wajah teman-teman. Sama juga, malah lebih dari separuh sekarang yang polos cuek tanpa ekspreksi, sisanya mulai ada yang memuji dan ingin tahu, ‘gimana sih caranya, apa yang diomongin, dan sebagian lagi ada yang “oh iya?” atau “ah, animasi ‘gitu kok dibilang bagus”. (Suka begitu, deh.)

Nah, nah, nah, topik sama, cara penyampaiannya berbeda, efeknya berbeda. Ternyata!

Saya sudah praktikkan, saya sudah alami. Aneh dan lucu juga perilaku orang-orang itu, ya. Tetapi begitulah cara kesuksesan orang-orang besar dibangun. Lenguhkan bangga telah berbuat sesuatu, lenguhkan syukur dan nikmati kegagalan ( hasil) yang diperoleh, dan linangkan air mata saat berada di atas. (Kali ini tidak melenguh.) Sesungguhnya sindiran, lecehan, hinaan, tekanan, dan kesemua yang negatif itu, adalah energi positif yang kita perlukan membantu mendorong dan mempercepat kita meniti anak tangga ke puncak! Terimakasih, teman-teman. Veni, Vidi, Vici!*

Blog hanya satu contoh kecil tak seberapa; banyak contoh besar lain. Tahukah bahwa sel-sel dalam tubuh kita turut bergolak mengikuti spirit yang ditanamkan. Saya lengkapi cerita ini dalam tulisan mendatang, “Gagal Lagi, Gagal Lagi”.

Saya sekarang sedang belajar melenguh. Ayo, mana kritikanmu. Veni, vidi, vici. Nguuh, nguuh, nguuh.

* “Veni, vidi, vici…!”, “Saya datang, saya lihat, saya menang!”
Ucapan jenderal Romawi Julius Caesar (45 SM) sebagai laporan kepada Senat, atas kemenangannya pada perang Zela di Turki. Ungkapan ini saya pakai untuk menunjukkan semangat yang perlu dibangun di dalam diri kita, yang juga tercermin di blog.

Estaba yo de camino al desayuno de todos los días, pensando: Dios vendice esa tostada de tomate + café con leche a 1,2€ cuando de pronto he visto q el viento ha cambiado de dirección de Este a Oeste… (esas cosas no pasan porque si) eso sólo puede significar una cosa: se acercan las REBAJAS!

Cuando haces Pop, ya no hay stop!