The 86th Anniversary

Okay, I know I said I wouldn’t write another blog, but I forgot to mention the other day that Howard Carter opened Tutankhamen’s tomb 86 years ago last Wednesday. I won’t say anymore though because after about fifty words that actually becomes a blog and before you know it I’ve started delving into procrastination again.

….oops, I Fail.

Hiatus

In the vain hope that people actually read this little blog, I feel that I should tell you that things are going to be a bit quiet over the next five weeks or so.
Yes, a hiatus in blogging.
Why?
Well, I am a crazy person, and what do crazy people do?
That’s right! They enrol in intensive university courses over summer semester a.k.a. the Christmas holidays.
But it’s Human Evolution?! How could I pass up that opportunity?
I get to spend hours in the lab examining all sorts of fossils! eeeeek!
I think I’m hyperventilating.
So, I’m banning myself from all forms of procrastination, including blogging! If you see me even so much as thinking about writing a blog, write me a comment starting with the words “Procrastination leads to….” And then invent a disease or something that will scare the pants off me and force me back to the study books.
I’m glad we’ve reached this point in our relationship.
Soon we’ll be sending each other bonbons…and banana shoes…and origami scientists…

Popcorn: Quantum of Solace

Okay, I admit it, I’m a bit of a James Bond fan, so when Quantum of Solace was released I was a tiny bit excited. In accordance with the David Attenborough Accord (Don’t ask, I just love him), I went to see the new Bond flick with my lovely family. It was during this exercise that I realised two things;
1) Going to see a movie at the local cinema is quite expensive.
2) Going to see a movie at the local cinema is bloody expensive actually!

Anyway, back to the point, Daniel Craig.
I was a little harsh when it was announced that new Bond would be a Blonde (haha alliteration)…in fact I believe that exact phrase was something along the lines of “What?! What a load of [insert 4 letter word here]!” - Yes that’s right people, I’m keeping this site PG.

But Mr. Craig surprised me…he was pretty good in Casino Royale, so I had high expectations for Quantum of Solace. First though, I think it’s important to note that this film is a continuation of the Casino Royale storyline. I don’t think many people realised this when they went to see it, partly because the only recognisable continuity in past Bond films was the characters professional occupation, alcoholic beverage of choice and the fact that he was a bit of a man-whore….oops! I just violated my PG rating. Apologies.

Craig puts on another epic performance as Bond, he’s cold, surly and as tough as nails. The action sequences have been stepped up a notch, probably in response to the Bourne films. However, at times, it is very hard to follow what is actually happening in the scene but this is compensated by the rush you feel while actually watching it. Although I do think that some sequences are a bit far fetched, I particularly object to the jumping out of the plane incident, as if they wouldn’t have sustained some serious injuries there! But it was still good!

I think I appreciate this film, and Casino Royale far more than past films because of the performance Craig delivers. He does actually get hurt and bleed and yes, I am looking at you Brosnan! There is a far more human element to the Bond character with Craig at the reins, and not just this superficial and egotistical idea of masculinity.

But what about the Bond Girls? Well I rather liked Camille/Olga Kurylenko, but really didn’t like Strawberry Fields/Gemma Arterton…I don’t know what it was but Ms. Fields just annoyed me and I didn’t feel sad that she…..oops, sorry I’ll try not to spoil anything else for you if you haven’t seen the film yet.

The storyline reflects contemporary issues and what terrorism could eventually lead to. In that sense it was a bit confronting and scary to think about really, but overall I liked the film. And ultimately, it serves its purpose; it provided entertainment and left you with more questions that will lead viewers to the box office again for the next instalment.

'Death = Weird' Revisited

Recently I published a blog titled ‘Death=Weird’ in which I, perhaps a little to intensely, ranted about my aversion of the article title ‘Top Ten Weird Ways to Deal with the Dead’.
First of all, On Being Unexceptional is just a place for me to get the crazy talk out of my system so my head doesn’t explode. Given that I was particularly surprised to see that someone, and let’s be honest, other than close friends and family, actually made a reference to my blog!
Just to refresh your memories, I argued that using the word “weird” to refer to mortuary practices of different cultures across the world wasn’t exactly appropriate (In my opinion anyway).

A blog which featured on Remote Central does however raise some interesting points about the ‘Top Ten’ article. In the 'Dead=Weird' blog, I stated that:

“To call the article Top 10 WEIRD ways to deal with the dead, implies blatant disrespect for practices of non-western communities. In this day and age, you’d think we’d all be able to respect the beliefs and values of other cultures!”

In retrospect, I think blogging and six cups of coffee really don’t mix. Anyway, Remote Central responded to my caffeinated rant with:

“It might be argued that it is precisely this modern day and age which has done more to destroy, eradicate and oppress the beliefs and values of other cultures…”

In some ways I agree, but I believe it’s important to remember how academia has developed in regard to the interpretations of other cultures. While we do have the big black “Darwinism” and “Cultural Evolutionism” clouds hovering over us, many have tried to examine cultures within their own context, rather than providing another stereotypical account of the ‘exotic’ and ‘primitive’, which was the dominant theme presented in past research.

The author also noted that the title itself was a commercial ploy to grab the attention of the reader. I agree with this wholeheartedly. I would also like to reiterate that it is precisely this kind of commercial ploy that is supporting the parochial mind-set of modern society.

Despite the fact that I felt like a bit of a twit after reading the Remote Central blog, I do stick by my original argument. I feel that using ‘weird’ to elements of different cultures leads to alienation and misconceptions. And yes, I guess I was being a little too pro-extreme-political-correctness, but everyone is entitled to an opinion I say, and this one just happens to be mine.

UNDERWORLD COUNTDOWN

I know what I’m about to do is frowned upon by many in the archaeological community…but I’m going to do it anyway! Look at me man! I’m a hardcore rebel!

Three words for you ladies and gents…and no, it is not “World of Warcraft”…

It’s TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD!!!

Eeeeekkk! Tomb raider tomb raider tomb raider eeeekkkk!


Okay, so I may be a little bit excited about the new Tomb Raider game, which is set for release on the 21st of November 2008...or if you are a bit of a fan of the action-adventure game genre…its only 8 more sleeps!

Now I think I should explain why I’m getting so worked up over this release.
1) The original Tomb Raider game was genius!
2) The Angel of Darkness game really tainted the series image for a while there…it was like tomb raider fathered a freaky love child with CSI, as Lara stalked the streets of Paris searching for a serial killer, broke into the Louvre and shot at the Mona Lisa…okay maybe that last bit was just me.
3) Archaeology is NEVER this much fun!
4) Archaeologists are never this fantastically hot or amazingly skilled in combat.


Yes, unfortunately Archaeology, despite how it has been portrayed in popular culture, hardly ever involves re-animated corpses trying to bite your arms off or explosive gun battles in art museums. In fact, most archaeological work is done in the lab, yes the lab.
We dress ourselves in those ridiculous white coats and look at stuff under microscopes…and for the record, stuff is a technological term in the archaeological discipline.

So the reason I’m so excitable over this game is because, and let’s face it, Archaeology can be tedious and boring at times. It’s not that I want to be Lara Croft…I mean the only thing we have in common is cup size…and no I’m not referring to a schooner or middy.

And unlike me, Lara never wears a lab coat, which means she’s never had that awkward moment where she realises that having substantial breast tissue gets in the way of the second button, so you have to leave that one open and try to ignore the fact that the dorky asthmatic nincompoop sitting across from you is drooling all over his microscopic specimen as he catches glimpses of your cleavage…all because the stupid lab coats don’t fit! I wonder whose idea that was!….anyway, moving on…

It’s not that I don’t find archaeology exciting and fun; in fact it’s the opposite! I was doing volunteer work and nearly wet myself when I found a fossilised fish scale in the sample I was sorting! But I do wish that once I finally get my degree, my life will have a Lara Croft/Tomb Raider-esque action-adventure feel to it.
You know, travel around the world, uncovering ancient ruins and saving the world from certain doom at the hands of an evil and twisted ex-espionage/military gent with an unfortunate looking scar across his balding head and “Mummy? Why don’t you love me?” issues…Dream big I say.

The game is supposed to be going back to its roots, with more of a focus on outdoorsy adventuring through archaeological sites across the world, giant spiders and octopi, Norse mythology, heaps of explosions, great graphics and a character who can juggle whilst contorting herself into a pretzel.

So if you were a fan of Tomb Raider: Legend, strap yourselves in because Underworld is said to blow ones mind!

Eeeeekkk! Tomb raider tomb raider tomb raider eeeekkkk!

I myself may be a little bit biased toward this type of game because I'm one of those people who looks at a mysterious lever protruding from an ancient monument and thinks "I wonder what happens when i pull this?" without evaluating the cost/benefits first! WOO! Step back! I'm a Wild Child!

But if you’re a bit of a Tomb Raider/Action-Adventure gaming fan…or you just dream of Lara Croft’s hot body lathered in white chocolate, contorted into a pretzel and juggling on your dining table, then check out the website for all sorts of gaming goodies!!!

Eeeeekkk! Tomb raider tomb raider tomb raider eeeekkkk!

BLAST YOU SCAVENGER SCUM!

In a story a wee bit closer to home…I believe that the Western Australian Museum is with me when I say “BLAST YOU MARITIME SCAVENGERS!” Documented artefacts have been disturbed and stolen from maritime historical sites in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Museum acting chief executive Diana Jones said Long Jetty was declared an historic site in 1988 and was protected under the WA Maritime Archaeology Act 1973.“Long Jetty was recognised as a site of historical significance after the museum’s maritime archaeologists surveyed the area and found a wealth of objects dating as far back as the 1840s,” Ms Jones said.Thousands of bottles and jars, cutlery, lumps of coal, sheep bones and other items were surveyed and documented. Among the personal belongings recovered were watches, toys, shoes, costume jewellery and coins.

Essentially I’m reporting this for two reasons:
1) To promote awareness of the site and the need to protect the local history it represents
2) Provide me with an excuse to say “blast you maritime scavengers” and rant on about bottle collectors.

Bottle collectors essentially go around and dig up archaeological sites to find different types of glass bottles. Fair enough, we all need a hobby...however, from an archaeological perspective, can i just say:

PICK ANOTHER FREAKEN HOBBY! LEAVE THE BOTTLES ALONE!!!

I don’t care how valuable the bottles are, they are a part of the archaeological record and as such reveal a heap of information about past human cultures and activity. AND we can date sites by using bottles, that’s pretty cool right?!

Now I’m hoping you, lovely readers, will all be able to connect the dots and understand what I mean when I say it’s extremely irritating and infuriating when you find that bottle collectors have been active at your site!

They’re basically taking away potential information you can gather from the site! GRRRRRRRR!

Please excuse me while I count backwards from 100.

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,27574,24615274-2761,00.html

The Artemis Project

To build or not to build, that is the question.

Now, I just want to clear the air now and state that I for one, as a student of archaeology, am not a fan of rebuilding or reconstructing Ancient monuments.

WAIT!

I know that most of you reading this are thinking “Boo! What a buzz kill! They should call you Ebenezer ‘parochial traditionalist’ scrooge!


So I’d just like to take this moment to say, NO! I’m not partial to reconstruction of Ancient Monuments for a few reasons:

1) They are usually done really, really badly! I love in situ monuments and am grateful that they have survived through time and stand as these undeniable tangible manifestations of past events. But I do not like to visit sites where you can see modern materials tacked onto ancient monuments. That really does just spoil the whole experience, for me anyway.

2) The art and stylistic features of the ancient remains can be quite different in modern reconstructions.

3) The chauvinism of the selected artists and architects employed to reconstruct the damn thing…talk about god complexes!

Anyway, the Selçuk Artemis Culture, Arts, and Education Foundation in conjunction with the University of Vienna announced plans to rebuild the Temple of Artemis.

I can only a assume that this was a massively complicated decision to make, what with archaeological ethics, the global financial crisis, the fact that the temple was formally one of the seven ancient wonders of the world…

WHAT?!
Yes that’s right! The temple of Artemis was once one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World.
And it is now set for reconstruction!

Personal biases aside, the project should hopefully be done well if the process for selecting the sculptors is anything to go by:

To find the best sculptures to adorn the restored temple, a lottery will be held to form a selection committee chosen from representatives of 196 U.N. member countries.
Each selected representative will then select two sculptors from the nation they represent. The selected sculptors will then take part in workshops run by the Artemis Culture, Arts and Education Foundation.
The sculptors will first begin work on the cubic bases for the columns, with sculptures to be inspired by either of two sayings attributed to Heracleitos of Ephesus: “War is the father of everything” and “Everything flows and nothing abides.”
An international jury will then choose two sculptures from all the pieces produced by artists to be featured in the temple. One of the winning sculptures will be displayed on one of the cubic circles and the other will be displayed in the temple's yard.

You can find the rest of the article here

Now…is it just me, or does this project just sound like a very elaborate and very expensive version of Antiques Roadshow with somewhat of a renovation rescue-esque twist?

Just me?...how unusual…I’m just going to go and play with my fossil collection now…

http://www.voicesnewspaper.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2401