Archaeology Course

Pass. From the look of it (and in true OU short course fashion the feedback is blah) I am very good at ethical considerations, good at arithmetic, graphical methods, knowledge of archaeological processes and analysing scientific information. Seems that my descriptions could use some work and expressing things in my own way.

This course is half science and half arts. All the science stuff I'm good at, descriptive artsy waffle I'm not good at. I'm turning into a science student and abandoning the arts. This is not a bad thing.

No more arts courses.

S369 is next up. Is it February yet?

Mineral Meme

(I need to keep that genius level...)

Pinched from Lounge of the Lab Lemming

Use bold to indicate minerals you’ve seen in the wild. Italics is for those seen in laboratories, museums, stores, or other non field locations. Ex pet nerds may use underlining to indicate those that they’ve grown with their own two hands. And I won’t bother with stuff you intend on seeing- if you didn’t want to see all these minerals yourself, you’d be spending your precious lunch hour on a physics or biomedical blog.

50 minerals everyone should see:

Andalusite
Apatite
Barite
Beryl
Biotite
Chromite
Chrysotile
Cordierite
Corundum
Diamond
Dolomite
Florencite - (never even heard of that one!)
Galena
Garnet
Graphite
Gypsum
Halite
Hematite
Hornblende
Illite
Illmenite
Kaolinite - (possibly, it's in Lizardite, which I have seen in situ)
Kyanite
Lepidolite
Limonite
Magnetite
Molybdenite
Monazite
Nepheline
Olivine
Omphacite
Opal
Perovskite
Plagioclase
Pyrite
Quartz
Rutile
Sanidine
Sillimanite
Silver (native)
Sphalerite
Staurolite
Sulphur (native)
Talc
Tourmaline
Tremolite
Turquoise
Vermiculite
Willemite
Zeolite
Zircon

I wonder how many of these I've seen without realising it? Maybe I should start making a note of the minerals I see. Ticky book!

EDIT: ticked a few more off after paying attention at a couple of Geo Museums!

So funny!

It looks as if my Blog Reading Level has gone up!

Movie Reviews

This amuses me greatly!

EDIT NOV 09: Looks like the site might be down or stopped working. Still, this result was "Genius" and therefore amusing.

Of Fossils & Chocolate...

I've been watching the Fossil Detectives on BBC4, which is quite interesting and definitely pitched by the Beeb/OU at Level 1, but I also ordered the Field Guide that accompanies the series and it's full of brilliant diagrams and helpful timelines. Perfect for revision.

Still reading the extremely cute blog by "Tym the Trilobite"

The market is still selling trilobites, but they're getting pricier. Lots of phacops, no more calymene (I don't have one of those) and only one with a gorgeous headshield (paradoxidies again, I'm guessing). He's about three inches long and has perfectly preserved detailing. They didn't know what he was thogh, which is a shame and would put me off buying him. Well, that and the fact that he cost £50! Still, I had just spent £50 in Boots... maybe I should straighten out my priorities and spend my hard-earned monies on fossils instead.

I did find a fabulous ammonite today. Yummy milk chocolatey goodness in Hotel Chocolat.

Tym the Trilobite!

Awesome content from the BBC this week, Fossil Detectives featuring a blog by Tym the Trilobite. It looks like he's supposed to be a Paradoxides davidis, which is the one I was after at the local market last year. Damn, I wish I'd bought him now.

Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

This isn't anything to do with my Adventures in Science, BUT does feature Neil Patrick Harris of Doogie Howser fame playing another Doctor - which is scientific! Besides, Joss Whedon told us to link to it anywhere we could - so I am. Who am I to refuse the Great Joss Whedon?



* Part 1 - Tuesday July 15
* Part 2 - Thursday July 17
* Part 3 - Saturday July 19

The Harris Matrix & Nudibranchs

Yesterday a link on my new course forum directed us to download Principles of Archaelogical Stratigraphy by Dr Edward Harris, which has been out of print for ages and was expensive when it was in print. The author decided that it should be freely available to anyone who wanted it. I'm not sure I'm going to read a book entirely about archaeological stratigraphy, but it does have a short chapter on geological stratigraphy, so that, at least, should be interesting.

You have to fill in a box saying exactly why you want it, but I assumed it was one of those online forms that nobody ever reads. However, this morning I find an email from Dr Harris wishing me luck on my course, hoping I'll enjoy his book and sending a bunch of pictures. One of him and his book, one of the first stratigraphic sequence ever done in archaeology and the view from his house - he lives in Bermuda, so his view is pretty special. Very bizarre.

Although not as bizarre as one of the links I had on my Google Reader today. The National Geographic seems to think that I need to start my day with Nudibranchs. In case you've never seen a Nudibranch before here's a pair:



Nudibranch Gallery. I think my favourite is probably Chromodoris annae, so cute and blue and stripey. Although the expression on the face of Bornella anguilla is adorable and just asking to be made into a LOLnudibranch!