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!

The Blog Readability Test

I did this back in February and it came back as "Elementary School". I must have used a few bigger words since then!

Movie Reviews

Archaeology

New course. Doesn't actually start officially until Saturday, but the books arrived last Tuesday so I've been stuck in for a week. Started my ECA yesterday as well, go me and my enthusiasm.

The course is based round three excavation sites. One is Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, which is a bugger to pronounce and one is "Wetwang Woman", which is far too amusing. Still, so far so good.

It's also a course that will count towards the GeoScience degree, so it's nice to be doing something 'proper' again after all that Leonardo da Vinci crap.

Leonardo is all Over

Assignment... *insert Gordon Ramsey back hand slap* ...DONE!

However, as it's not due until Friday week I'm not going to send it off yet. There's a BBC4 program on tomorrow night called Inside the Medieval Mind, which may have a startling insight / useful bibliography-expanding quote that I could use. Perhaps something fresh will come to me as I stare out of train windows on Friday and Monday. It would be rather annoying to submit it and then have a moment of revalation. If nothing is revealed to me, then I'm happy to submit what I have and happily turn my back on him once and for all.

I'll have a couple of weeks then before Archaeology: The Science of Investiagtion starts (unless the books arrive early) and I can read some of those yummy Earth Sciencey books I have.

Is it 2009 yet?

I want to start S369. It's not that I dislike Leonardo himself, I just dislike the TMAs, my tutor, the conference, the fact that it isn't what I hoped it would be... I did spend a little time on the conferences today, hoping to glean some valuable insights for the TMA, but no. Just lots of people moaning the same complaints that I have. The ALs barely comment on the discussions. Bizarre when I think back to the Planets short course when they were all over the place, especially David "superstar" Rothery. Fuck the Arts.

Have decided not to bother with Ancient and Medieval Cities and today signed up to Archaeology: the Science of Investigation, which is a named course on the GeoScience degree. How bad can it be?

I have discovered OpenLearn though. That means I can look at part of SXR339s course text. Dodgy Arts course v Remnants of Archaean crust? No contest!

Suppose I should get the TMA done though. Meh.