Nothing Important, Really

SOLD

2009-12-20T17:27:00.003-06:00

After 10 years, it is time to say good bye to the Austin house. We had many good times there and worked so hard to fix it up. I'll never forget the deck that we built and all the fun parties we had every Spring.

Good bye front yard and the native Texas plants and wildflowers:

Good bye back deck and the numerous parties with Austin friends that we had on that deck:

Good bye Little Walnut Creek and the spring flash flooding in Texas:

Onward to Arkansas, y'all

A Geography of the Unemployed

2009-12-16T19:34:00.006-06:00

"more than 31 Million"

Exaggerations can exist in percentages. Nonetheless, this animated map presents some interesting an alarming results of the change in unemployment history since January 2007.

Interesting Areas of Higher Unemployment:
Southwest South Dakota - Pine Ridge & Rosebud Reservations
North-central South Dakota - Standing Rock Reservation
Michigan- Auto.

Interesting Areas of Lower Unemployment:
Travis County, Texas - Austin
Washington D.C. Metroplex
New Orleans - Rebuilding? Low Populations?
Most of New Hampshire?
Northern Alaska - Oil.

How Americans Spend Their Day...

2009-09-07T15:45:00.003-05:00

Which Americans? While the NY Times presents a nifty little interactive table showing how Americans spend their day, they don't specify where polling took place. While likely a random poll, the vast socio-economic differences across the US make me skeptical... although the results seem fairly typical.

At 9 p.m., nearly two-fifths of people are in front of the television. But at almost any hour of the day, a larger share of unemployed people are watching television or movies.

Only one in six unemployed people looks for work on an average day. Those who do spend about three hours on activities like filling out applications or researching jobs.

For every hour Americans over age 15 spend in class for a degree, they spend about 35 minutes on homework.

Life of a Graduate Student

2009-04-23T12:57:00.005-05:00

... captured in two pictures.

Well, I must admit, the beer filled refrigerator is a little exaggerated since this was when friends were in town over New Year. Unfortunately, the empty refrigerator is a reality and was taken this afternoon as I debated on what to have for lunch - will it be toasted english muffin or toasted bread?

George Herbert Walker Bush

2009-04-09T22:33:00.004-05:00

Former President Bush (the older one) came to lecture at the University of Arkansas campus last Monday evening. At first, I wasn't going to go. I was never a fan of Bush Sr. policies. So much so, I used to drive around with shoe polish on my back window that said in big bold letters, "NO WAR!". That seems so long ago, but interestingly, we are still at war... but that is for a different post.

At the last minute I decided to go hear Bush speak simply because it is not often that one has an opportunity to see a former president speak, regardless of his policies and political affiliations. I had high hopes for a message of motivation, you know, how most distinguished guest speakers lecture. Instead, I watched a very old man ask people to do their part with community service (in a not so motivating way) mixed in with painfully boring quirky anecdotes about him and Barbara. Overall, it was narcissistic and boring. The whole lecture felt like he didn't even want to be there. There was no motivational epiphany. Almost half way through (in about 5-7 min. - he only spoke for 20 min.) I was thinking, damn, why did I sit in the middle of this row? I knew I should have sat on the end of the row. Now, I'm trapped here.

Red River of the North

2009-04-09T22:21:00.003-05:00

Well.. this is a little late. I had hoped on posting this two weeks ago when the Red River was cresting but just didn't get around to it. Interestingly, any news of the outcome of homes and businesses that were damaged by the river flooding is no longer headline news. Basically, as with most disaster related news, the event happens and gets full coverage but after its' climax news coverage just "dwindles away". It's like it didn't even happen to the world outside of the area of devastation. I wonder what happened in Fargo/Moorhead after the waters receded. How much damage?

Anyway, I'll post these now because I need to get them off my desktop.

Before is the left image. During is the right image.

Inauguration Day Crowds in Washington, D.C.

2009-02-10T00:52:00.003-06:00

A friend sent this link to me several weeks ago and I am just now getting around to posting here. I've seen this image on various websites but the Earth Observatory site has the full resolution image.

"Despite the blustery weather, more than a million people gathered in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2009, to witness and celebrate the inauguration of the forty-fourth president of the United States. The commercial satellite GeoEye-1 captured this high-resolution view of the crowds that morning."

Click here for a link to the NASA Earth Observatory site with the full resolution image. Humans as ants... even with millions gathered... how small we really are.

Ice Storm '09

2009-01-30T01:08:00.017-06:00

Our Backyard. August 2006.

The storm became visible Monday afternoon with ice starting to accumulate on cars. By late Monday night the weather seemed to be progressing like any other winter storm we've had since our arrival in Arkansas - speculation of intensity; a teaser. Turns out it was a creeper.

Early Tuesday morning (5:30AM early), I was awoken by my annoying vibrating phone announcing an incoming email, text, call or some other digital leash. I got a text followed by a voice mail followed by an email - sure, in that order. This was a first in getting notifications from the university via my phone. They all informed of a campus-wide closure on Tuesday.

It rained heavily Tuesday morning, then by early afternoon the precipitation had turned to freezing rain, then heavy freezing rain. By Tuesday evening, the weather moved on to sleet. Snow was to follow overnight. With at least 1/2 inch of ice accumulation on trees by Tuesday evening, the over-stressed trees synchronously (it seemed) began to bend until ultimately limbs began cracking, snapping and crashing down with a bang - mostly in the yard, but every 30 minutes or so a loud thud on the roof could be heard, alerting us to pause the movie and inspect. During one such inspection we discovered that one of the loud bangs was a felled tree in our backyard.

Tuesday evening. The first tree goes down.

Considering the neighborhood-wide cacophony of falling branches and trees, I rightly assumed that I would get another 5:30AM call announcing the closure of the university a second day. Sure enough, the text, voice mail, email barrage came on time and campus was closed on Wednesday. By this time, the storm had passed and we were left with destruction.

Wednesday morning. Two felled trees, two split trees.
"A Tree Graveyard"

The temperature on Wednesday hovered around 25F and kept things iced over throughout the day and overnight into Thursday morning. Surely, I thought, the university will be open on Thursday. Not so. The Thursday morning digital combination announced that the university will be closed on both Thursday and Friday.

By around 2PM, when the sun had warmed the temperature above freezing, I realized why the campus was closed for two more days. All the ice that was now packed in the trees, dangling on wires, or hanging around building edges had been formed into dangerous "ice daggers" waiting to fall on unsuspecting pedestrians. Throughout the day tree branches were still continuing to break, but now, with the weight of melting ice, 1 inch think sheets of ice were also smashing to the ground with the branches.

Thursday afternoon. The ice melts revealing lots of work and a new backyard.

Internet went down quick, around Tuesday afternoon and came back up Thursday afternoon, then was down again until Saturday evening. Power was out variously citywide. No roof damage and no car damage. Just a foreseeable giant bonfire and a new, less shady, backyard.

More photos at flickr.

Living The Map

2009-01-19T23:04:00.008-06:00

Last week we had a guest at the survey who wanted to be an archaeologist for the week. Evidently, his week at the survey was part of a larger 50 jobs, 50 states, in 50 weeks project. I don't watch TV so I was not aware of the national coverage our guest had been getting or the previous jobs he had already done. I really didn't care, actually.

His project is called Living The Map and he has a website where one can read his (brief) journal along with some selected photographs of his experiences at his weekly jobs.

www.livingthemap.com

Well, he showed up last Monday (12th) to start his week as an archaeologist and spent the week "doing archaeology". On Wednesday some of us took him out to a Civil War site to do a little research. A nice enough kid and frankly I wish I was doing the same thing - traveling across the country, meeting people, learning about people and our vernacular America. Hopefully, through his experience, he will see the United States and the people that occupy it (in all their various idiosyncrasies) in a new light.

Anyway, he took several pictures and uploaded two to his website that include me so I figured I would post them here. His journal entry for his week of archaeological work only includes one day. I'm not sure if he plans to contribute additional entries.

A group photo of students in our Monday night Cultural Resource Management class. You can't miss me, I'm the tall dude in the back with the scruffy face.

A photo taken in the field at the end of our day. It was a little chilly that day, although not too bad for an northwest Arkansas winter day - probably in the 20s, maybe low 30s. The kid with the camera remote is Daniel, our guest. The others are all archaeologists at the survey. I, of course, am the one with the snazzy hat and matching windbreaker. I'm about average height in this photo!

Powers of Ten

2009-01-07T23:04:00.006-06:00

My Netflix account is filled with stuff. So much so, that often when movies/documentaries show up, I usually don't remember putting them on my list. It's nice this way because I never really know what to expect when I put the DVD in the player.

Such is the case with a recent DVD arrival: "The Films of Charles & Ray Eames #1". When did I choose this, I thought... and what is it. So, I put in the DVD and began watching the first chapter, "Powers of Ten". I then realized (remembered) why I put this on my Netflix list. It's only 9 minutes long but really is interesting and makes one think about the relative size of space (not outer space but simply *space*) and the human existence in this space, both at the macro and micro level that we tend to take for granted. I vaguely remember watching it in a science class in high school.

I burned a copy of it, of course, but was able to find an original on YouTube to post here. Oddly, there are some parodies and other versions with new soundtracks and narrators, but the 1977 original is just perfect. More so, during my YouTube search, I realized the the outgoing part to "Men in Black" (where the alien are playing a game of marbles with our galaxy) is based on "Powers of Ten" where our galaxy is but one galaxy in a realm of an endless cosmos filled with matter and gas.

So simple in delivery but deeply provoking in metaphysical reflection. Pretty cool, I thought (no pun intended, although it works).

Enjoy.

Christmas Day - Hiking at Devil's Den

2008-12-26T15:42:00.010-06:00

Some pictures from a Christmas Day hike out to Yellow Rock in Devil's Den with some fine examples of erosional forces, exacerbated by trail use.

left - Upper trail as it exits onto Yellow Rock.
right - Looking SE from atop Yellow Rock, Lee Creek at base

Lower trail as it exits onto Yellow Rock.

Winter Break

2008-12-12T11:20:00.008-06:00

So, this winter break I was offered a job doing some site re-evaluations in the Boston Mountains west of Mountainburg, Arkansas in the lower Ozarks. Perfect, I thought... make some extra money over the winter break and get to hike around in the mountains for a couple weeks. I start this Sunday so I figured I would check the weather for the next several days, since I'll be outside the entire time.

Unfortunately, the forecast isn't what I was hoping for. It looks like a cold front is coming in on the exact day I start.

It's going to be a cold one.

We're not in Kansas anymore.

2008-10-21T19:00:00.007-05:00

I don't think I'd wear one, although "field shirt" does come to mind. I'd go as far as a bumper sticker. My inner dorkness shouldn't let it go to waste. It is important to advertise the survival of a NAD shift. They can be dangerous.

http://www.gisnuts.com/

Deer and the Dog

2008-10-20T07:49:00.008-05:00

This morning, as usually, we let Jenny out to do her thing before we depart for our daily ritual. When I opened the door to call her into the house, four white-tailed deer were grazing in the backyard. Having deer in our yard is not uncommon so I always find it funny when Jenny just sits there wondering what do to. The deer were cautiously eating away, probably at the pecans on the ground, only 40 meters or so away. I finally, spooked them... only then did Jenny run to investigate.

Taken with my iPhone (which has no zoom) standing on the back door stairs. A forth deer is behind the tree.
Jenny (lower left hand corner) simply sitting wondering what to do about these visitors only a few meters away (upper right hand corner).

The Toadies - In Fayetteville

2008-10-17T10:13:00.018-05:00

So, The Toadies are technically from Ft. Worth but I've seen them so many times in Austin, I consider them part of the Austin music scene (what is left of it). Toadies shows in Austin always attract a huge crowd and, as a result, a level of intimacy with the band is difficult to obtain (such as getting up real close to the band without having to deal with idiots). Actually, ones ability to immerse themselves with a band during a performance, on a somewhat personal level, was lost all together with the destruction of Liberty Lunch - but that is an entirely different topic.

A nice thing about Fayetteville is that it is small. Clubs are small, crowds are small and the ability to get up close to the band is easily facilitated with little or no hassle. When "Austin" bands come into Fayetteville (which there are many) I try to make time to see them. It is like going back in time seeing these bands at the small clubs back in Austin, when they existed and when these bands were unknown enough to be able to play them. The Toadies in Fayetteville (George's Majestic to be specific) was one of those occasions and I offer some photos:

From the back of the club at the bar. Pretty small and intimate, huh?
Stage right. Up close with no effort - I didn't even spill my PBR.

Left: Sharon enjoying the front row; Right: Toad Lewis working the guitar
After the show. A blurry, PBR induced photograph of Sharon showing off the guitar pick that was handed to her by Todd Lewis - only achievable in a small venue.

Bikes, Blues, BBQ

2008-09-28T17:43:00.021-05:00

Every year Fayetteville hosts the Bikes Blues and BBQ motorcycle rally. During the rally 350,000 bikers overtake the city of Fayetteville (pop. 65,000) and turn the city into one large rumble of bikes and people. Most students that I know here hate it and some even make plans to leave town. I'm just the opposite. I enjoy it. Sure, it is loud but it really is a great example of an American sub-culture in action. Another reason why I enjoy it, is because I used to (if owning a bike is a criteria) be a member. Although it is always a blast to do some serious people watching down on Dickson street, I am reminded of the Heritage softail that we had to sell in order for me to come to graduate school. Graduate school is full of sacrifices and selling the bike was one of them.
Riding around the Austin Hill Country was always a blast and the miles put on that bike will always be remembered. It would have been nice to keep to ride around the Ozark Mountains but such is life. I'm sure another bike purchase is not far away and maybe even when living in Fayetteville. Until then, Bikes, Blues and BBQ will have to be enjoyed from the sidewalk.

Arrrrruuuuu!

2008-08-16T16:31:00.005-05:00

This is what it looks like when fire engines go zipping by our house. Sorry, no sound but one can easily imagine the cacophony of howling hound dogs.

Only In Austin...

2008-07-09T17:56:00.010-05:00

Tom Hughes Park on Lake Travis, formally (and always to me) known as Marshall Ford. After a day of floating in the lake drinking cerveza Tecáte and enjoying the Austin heat, I was no longer white... simply red - and I'm not talking about Red Hucknall and the boys.

It was a great July 4th, 2008.

Hope, Arkansas

2008-06-23T16:09:00.018-05:00

Airport hangers? Construction storage? Rail yard? Nope. Discarded FEMA trailers.

The Google image is missing several more in a field SE of the airport deposited after the above image was taken but can be seen in the oblique image below.

While driving to visit Historic Washington State Park just outside of Hope, Arkansas our group passed the Hope Airport and were witness to a field of FEMA trailers. These trailers are surplus from Hurricane Katrina and number in the ten thousands. Much debate exists regarding re-deployment, economic stimulus to Hope (rent), and their potential dangers with possible formaldehyde contamination.

I lived in one for two weeks while working in Bismarck, ND... they weren't so bad... well... for two weeks.

FEMA Trailers Sit Empty in Hope
FEMA Trailers 'Toxic Tin Cans'?

Currently, they are available for auction but I have a feeling the majority are not going anywhere anytime soon.

FEMA Auctions Trailers at Hope Airport
FEMA auctioning off trailers at fire-sale prices

A smaller storage in Selma, Alabama:
Madison, IN:

Shiloh Indian Mounds

2008-06-14T16:13:00.012-05:00

So after a week of geophysical work at Etowah Indian Mounds in Cartersville, Georgia, I decided on my drive back to Fayetteville to make a detour along southern Tennessee and visit the Shiloh Military Park which also contains the Shiloh Indian Mounds. Of course, I was excited to visit the military park but I was just as excited to visit the mounds.

When I checked into the visitor center, I was told that the road leading to the Shiloh Indian Mounds was closed for construction. Bummer, I thought. Once I got around to the closed off road, I realized that I could easily walk back to the mounds. So after a call to the wife stating that if she doesn't hear from me in an hour (being arrested for trespassing on federal property), I started walking across the open field toward the Tennessee River and the Indian mounds.

National Cemetery entrance at Shiloh

Cannons and monuments are throughout the 4,000 acre park

"Area Closed". That didn't stop me. I was going to see the mounds.

I cut across this field...

.. to get to the closed road.

The machinery blocking the road didn't faze me.

Continuing down the closed road toward the river it became very hot and sticky (no breeze) but I was finally able to see the mounds in the distance. Mound F can be seen through the trees.

Mound A as seen through the unmanaged part of the park. This area really needs some work clearing out dead trees and brush.

A sweaty explorer with Mound A in the background. Mound E is to the left.

Fate, Faith or Coincidence?

2008-05-20T11:34:00.010-05:00

So, I spent last week in San Marcos, Texas coordinating the Mississippian Iconography Conference that I do every year. My eight hour drive home yesterday was fairly uneventful until I got into eastern Oklahoma. As I pulled off the highway to indulge myself in an order of Sonic tater-tots, some interesting events unfolded.

Approx. 7:45PM
My stomach begins to rumble and I see a Sonic sign on Interstate 40 at Sallisaw. I exit and head into town.

Approx. 7:50PM
I finish eating my order of tater-tots covered in cheese, put on my seat belt and turn the key to start my jeep. When turning the key, I am greeted with a cacophonous BANG from under my hood, followed by the instrument dials in the dash moving back and forth in a "not so normal" way. As I wonder, "what was that!", I begin to see smoke billowing out from under the engine hood. My only thought... "shit. why did I stop for tater-tots in Sallisaw, Oklahoma." (BTW, Sallisaw is where the Joad family turned west out of the dusty Oklahoma poverty in attempt to find a better life in "prosperous" California.)

I get out of the car, open the hood to discover that my battery shorted out and the loud bang was the battery acid covers being blasted off the battery into the underside of the engine hood. My thoughts changed.. "I'm screwed."

Thinking I'll need to hitch a ride, call a tow truck or something else to fix this, I looked up in amazement.. Next door to the Sonic was an AutoZone. My thoughts now moved to.. "Wow." I walked over to AutoZone and purchased a battery.

7:54PM
I asked the clerk at the AutoZone what time they close in case the new battery does not fix the issue. "We close at 8PM", he stated. I looked at my phone. It was 7:54. They close in 6 minutes. My thoughts.. "isn't this just the most interesting set of events?" I walked back to Sonic and installed the battery.

8:10PM
Battery installed, I turned the ignition key. My jeep started like nothing even happened. I loaded the old battery into the back of the jeep and drove out of Sonic. The ice in my cherry-lime aid hadn't even had time to dissolve and water down my drink. My thoughts returned to "Wow." I got back to Fayetteville with only a 30 minute delay.

Five minutes later, I would have been in a much worse situation (both in time and money). The last hour of my drive was consumed with wondering whether this set of circumstances were the result of fate, faith or simply coincidence. I'm leaning toward simple coincidence... and a little luck.

Signs, Signs, Signs

2008-03-18T20:26:00.012-05:00

I had a recent urge to post some pictures taken in various places. I think it was the marque at the Quality Inn in San Marcos that got me to go back and look at some pictures I took of signs. It was tough to narrow my selection down to these few. Anomalous, mostly interesting and often informative signs are everywhere and I, oddly, take pictures of them.
Our luxury hotel in Manchester, TN while conducting a geophysical survey at Old Stone Fort State Park. I ate the breakfast, it certainly was not blessed.

Heading northeast toward the Bitterroot Mountains and into Missoula. Leaving Nez Perce Indian Reservation - Kooskia, ID

Five days of hot, windy, muggy and sweaty of geophysical survey work at Ft. Pierre-Chouteau Historical Site - Pierre, SD

The Big Drive Summer '07 - Milage accumulated at that point while parked at the Larson site in North Dakota. Left to go -> 4,000

Spiffy Biffs. He was a life saver. It was very clean and, of course, spiffy. - Bismarck, ND

Not what you think, unfortunately. - Regina, SK

This place rocked! - Saskatoon, SK

"We dig Arkansas". I also dig Arkansas, but in smaller amounts. - Wilson, AR

Toad Suck Park in Conway, AR. I'm tempted.

The intersection in downtown Natchitoches, LA

Los Adaes State Historical Site - Robeline, LA

Perfect, I thought, because I speak English most of the time. San Marcos, TX

Now this one doesn't make sense to me. I get the issue but not the proposed solution. Fayetteville, AR

Sightseeing with Google Maps

2008-02-20T13:14:00.003-06:00

OK, now this is pretty cool.

Clicking around looking for some satellite images for my thesis, I happened across this website that has tons and tons of links to interesting Google Earth satellite images from around the world. They advertise having over 12,000 "destinations" and one can easily waste an hour or two (or more) clicking around and seeing the world from above.

Enjoy!
Sightseeing with Google Satellite Maps

Why Vegetarian?

2008-02-17T19:36:00.006-06:00

A question I am asked periodically. More specifically, "What made you "turn" vegetarian?" Well, as I always explain, my original reason morphed into several important motivations for maintaining a vegetarian diet specific to both myself as an individual and the well-being of the environment.

About five years ago, I asked myself if I had the willpower to stop eating beef, chicken, pork and fish. This was after watching the movie Go Further at the 2003 SXSW Film Festival in Austin. It was a motivating movie in many regards (I have the DVD, if anyone wants to see it). The movie gave me motivation to choose a real New Years Eve resolution: stop eating meat and become a vegetarian. Could I do it? I was basically raised on meat and potatoes. I grew up in Texas! How does one become a vegetarian in a world of hamburgers and chicken sandwiches easily available at your favorite fast food restaurant on every corner, ordered, paid for and eaten in 5 quick minutes?

Well, apart from a few departures from the diet - most as a result of traveling to other countries and a desire (or requirement) to eat local cuisine (Llama in Bolivia - yes!), a couple instances of absolutely nothing to eat on the menu, and a few "cheats" - I was, and am, able to maintain a vegetarian diet. I've got some odd stories such as eating beans and rice EVERYDAY for 5 weeks in Belize, eating avocado after avocado during my two months in Mexico and spending the summer working and traveling the US Great Plains - regional beef producing capital - and eating basically potato and lettuce the entire time.

After five years, I enjoy tastes and food combinations that I never would have tried before. At first, I lost around 25 pounds and people were concerned. I looked like that skinny kid in eighth grade again - except I was 31. However, after much studying and reading about what to eat and the various nutritional secrets that food holds, meat is not needed.

Often (sadly), I see a news story that reemphasizes my decision to abstain from meat and have become the motivations to continue to maintain a vegetarian diet. The below link and the reason for this post is no exception - in fact it is disgusting.

A little Google querying had me discover that 143 million pounds of beef is roughly 300,000 cattle. Yes, that is a lot of cattle not to mention a lot of destroyed food.

How many acres were destroyed to raise these 300,000 cattle? How much grain was grown to feed these cattle (verses how much could have been fed to humans)? How much of the economy was squandered in processing these cattle? How much gas was used to process and transport the beef across the United States? How could corporations deliberately mistreat animals, contaminate their food, and endanger millions of customers all for a little extra profit?

How long will it take for people to forget it happened and eat another burger at their favorite fast food chain?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/02/17/usdabeef.recall.ap/index.html

A Day of Snow

2008-02-02T11:26:00.000-06:00

Living in Fayetteville has changed our relationship with the seasons. In Austin, we got only two seasons - hot and warm. Around here, we get a nice mix of all four seasons. Our first introduction to this was last winter where I remember on several occasions the thermostat in my car measuring 10 degrees on my way to class. That certainly was a shock to our central Texas bio-systems. However, as we roll into our second winter season in Fayetteville, we are enjoying our first snowfall and expecting a few more to visit us before the winter season turns to a perfect spring.

Where the city of Austin would have shut down completely, things happened as usual around here with not much of a stir. Sharon headed into work the next day and I went into the field. It was quite nice for me being down along the Mulberry River working in a picturesque setting - albeit for very violent reasons - listening to the river move downstream interspersed with a subtle cacophony of remote sensing equipment beeping and investigators qualms about informant details. Odd, I know, but something different...a major benefit of field work.

Bubba and Jenny explored the fresh snow but not for very long.
Our eerie backyard filled with wintery ghosts and ghouls.
Sharon heading out to work. Same routine, different colors.
My drive into the Ozark National Forest to work in the morning.
Not many people drive down this road, regardless of the season.

Mud, Cow Poo and Geophysics

2008-01-27T19:38:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am again doing more surveying at Battle Mound for my thesis. This Caddo mound site is enormous and it seems endless but I'm getting good results. This past week has been one of the oddest, in terms of weather. The first day was spent discovering that the cows had completely destroyed the grid that was left from last November. It was expected that some of the PVC corner pipes would be missing, but out of 160 or so, only three remained. The rest were scattered about, often far from where they were placed. With help from Jamie Brandon and Clay Newton, we were able to reorient ourselves and this time we set the datum within the fenced area at the north base of the mound. After taking care of that situation, we were ready to head out the next day and start collecting data.

One problem. An ice storm in Magnolia hit that night and going out to the site was made impossible - not to mention very cold. So, it was a day spent at the Arkansas Archeological Survey working on getting the details worked out with the Trimble GeoXT that I am testing. Did I mention that ice storms in SW Arkansas are rare?

Anyway, the next day we headed out late because it was still wet and cold out. We were concerned about getting to the site with all the wet weather but with a little high school 4x4 knowledge, I drove the big Dodge survey truck out to the site with no problems. The site was very muddy and after slushing around a bit, the first set of grids were set up to start collecting. I collected 19 grids that day - spaced at .5 meter transects - over an area that had previously resulted in high daub concentrations during surface collections.

Today I collected an additional 28 grids (again at .5 meter) and my feet are killing me. It was another day of slushing around in the mud either collecting GPS data or collecting Mag data. Unfortunately, my cheap rubber boots DO have a metal shank in them so I was unable to use them during mag survey - which has led to wet feet and mucho blisters while surveying in my non-waterproof tennis shoes. Oh well. This morning at the site was very nice with a low fog. It was still and quiet. Birds could be heard from far away either chirping or banging their beaks on trees. Cows in both distant and near fields could be heard moo'ing and every now and then duck hunters would release a rapid fire of ammo, echoing the air with noise.

Tomorrow is my last day for this visit and I expect to collect an additional 22 grids in some key areas. This puts me shy of almost 70 grids that I had hoped to do but the weather (and my feet) just didn't hold out.

Oh, one other thing. It's amazing how destructive cows are to the environment. Sure, I realized this from various images but I never saw first hand until walking around the site and seeing the areas where the cows have turned areas into a muddy mess, damaged trees with their scratching and rubbing and created deep grass-less trails throughout the site. This doesn't even take into consideration the smell of cow feces that permeates the entire site and is deposited in every imaginable spot. It's too bad. This is an important Caddo site that should be preserved better.

Macs are cool!

2007-12-19T17:58:00.000-06:00

Ah, the things one can do with a new MacBook Pro when one is supposed to be working on drafts for ones thesis...

Our New Addition

2007-12-19T17:23:00.000-06:00

After we lost Zombie back in April, we were thinking of getting another puppy. We visited the local shelter in Fayetteville and were waiting for a breed that we would be comfortable with. Sadly, many of the breeds at the shelter are larger dogs that have more aggressive traits - probably why they are at the shelter to begin with. More so, we were planning a big trip up to New England over Christmas break and certainly didn't want to do that with a new puppy in tow. So, we waited.

Until some friends from Austin called to let us know of a Basset Hound puppy that needed a home. The puppy was living at a workshop in Dallas and the owner couldn't keep the dog. Sharon called the owner and stated we wanted the puppy. The owner stated that he has drivers that go through Fayetteville all the time on their way up to St. Louis and he will send the puppy up with one of the drivers. Sounded easy! Well, "all the time" turned into one week, then two weeks until Sharon decided over the long Thanksgiving break to drive to Dallas (5 hours) and pick her up!

We named her Jenny and she is a bundle of energy! But thankfully all this energy often leads to long naps!

Bubba is taking to her slowly. He's an old cantankerous dog and is not very keen of a puppy running full speed at his face to play! But they are getting to like each other, especially when they are doing the thing they both like the most - sleep.

Square America

2007-11-21T19:36:00.000-06:00

This is what I hope to be doing tomorrow after a full meal of vegetables and tofurkey.. ok, NO tufurkey. Then it's back to work - reading, writing, organizing, planning and learning.

The image of a very comfortable looking man crashed out on the couch, so tired (or perhaps drunk) that both the shoes and tie stayed on, is courtsey of an excellent website Square America with hunderds, if not thousands, of snapshots from the 1950's and 1960's. An occasional 1970's photo is sometimes included in the mix. All are organized to a particular theme or grouping... a nice "find" while clicking around on the old mac machine on a lovely (but becoming increasingly colder) Thankgiving Eve.

Is there a (P) in Remote Sensing?

2007-09-22T20:08:00.000-05:00

Recently I attended a very informative lecture entitled Remote Sensing for the Environment hosted by CAST as part of the AmericaView Annual Conference. It was a pretty standard overview lecture of remote sensing with topics on the history and development, current application and future directions. What made it important was that Dr. John R. Jensen, a pioneer in remote sensing applications, presented it. Sure, some historical applications were presented that I was not aware of that were really interesting. For example, during the US Civil War, men would climb into a balloon and rise up to elevation not to far out of reach of surface weaponry. Their goal was to take aerial photographs of enemy troop infrastructure and offensive battle front lines. Not surprisingly, no aerial photographs from the Civil War exist – the photographers where probably all shot out of the balloon. Sometimes ideas that seem perfect are just not thought through with regard to consequences. We (the human race) still do this kind of “blinders on” planning. But it was not so much the past idiotic and overly daring applications that made me wonder. It was the some of the current applications – and more so the current resolutions – of remote sensing today and projected for tomorrow.
Let me start by saying I’m all for remote sensing. I think when used properly it has amazing benefits for many disciplines – environment, geography, geology, archaeology, etc. It’s no small secret that the development of remote sensing is primarily advanced in military applications until it becomes declassified and cost effective for civilian use. That’s just the way it goes and the way it will continue to proceed. But how far is too much? In the lecture Dr. Jensen was discussing satellites that currently have a resolution of 6 inches. At a resolution of 6 inches one could discern what kind of pizza (a large pizza – enough to get at least four data points) someone is eating from space. One part of me says, sweet.. applications in archaeology will really benefit from this high resolution. The other part says, what about privacy? It’s a tough dilemma. Here’s the topper. Currently, along political borders, a specttrophotometric X-ray that uses gamma rays to penetrate and bounce back based on densities of objects in order to create a 3D X-ray model – similar to ground penetrating radar - is often used. Its application along the border is used for the detection of contraband, of course. Certainly this is an applicable application. Currently, this technology is not airborne but as Dr. Jensen mentioned, developing the technology in an aerial capacity is in development - satellite X-ray to see into houses, buildings and under the ground. As I left the lecture, I am torn, confused and concerned. Seeing into the ground can have excellent applications in archaeology, but it can have serious ramifications to privacy. One could also speculate that if this X-ray technology is being used in a declassified manner (openly along borders), what level of classified developments exist that are currently being used in military applications?

Fixin to, Is it at, This data, Like

2007-09-19T23:19:00.000-05:00

So, maybe growing up in central Texas didn’t help the fact that I picked up some regional grammatical errors throughout childhood. Like, I’m fixin’ to get the problem with that data where you are at.
Yes, I am constantly checking myself to avoid using phrases such as “fixin” or the ubiquitous use of “like” and those damn dangling prepositions (Where is it at?). Most recently, I am fighting with the proper usage of the word “data” in its correct plural form. Does this make me odd that I am trying to overcome these issues? I’m certainly not odd for having them.
One cannot converse it seems to a person without the reference to a third person as “like doing something” rather than just “doing something”. Or even better, “He was like, ‘I can’t believe it!’” rather than “He said, ‘I can’t believe it!’” The use of “like” I’m sure would make for an interesting linguistic study. Call me old, but I remember its use as a regional slang for a group of rich girls that lived in upscale San Fernando Valley – “Like totally... oh my God!” Popular culture allowed it spread and now 25 years later, it is “like totally” a grammatical virus (well, maybe not the totally part – that’s dated).
The dangling preposition is another often-misused phrasing that also makes me ask why. Is this because we are lazy? Is it easier to say, “Where is it at?” vs. “Where is it located?” Why not just drop it all together and simply ask, “Where is it?” When one says, “Where are you going to?” doesn’t that seem redundant? I don’t get it, but often it gets me and I have to correct myself.
Oh, and what about the use of words that are not words? Irregardless, for example. I remember in a senior level History of Anthropological Theory class where the professor (who typically presented himself as a know-it-all) used irregardless all the time! This is a person who talked constantly about his degree and studies in English/Writing and the numerous books he has written! Maybe he was just saying that to make everyone scared when it came time for us to write our papers.

Why am I thinking about this right now when I should be sleeping or better yet, working on things that are stacked up on my desk? I came across a short article in the recent AAA Anthropology News that discussed regional accents and the social biases that people might make because of a regional perception of “bad English” (not about Bad English, the “like totally” lame 80’s band). In the article was a web link to the Speech Accent Archive. On this site, individuals can submit a recording of themselves reading a common paragraph aloud, in English. Through this, one can realize that the accents are not the result of “bad English” or bad grammar but to understand the systematic linguistic components based on various regional dialects. I thought it was cool… and well, it got me to write this post of where my recent thoughts about grammar exist, at. No! Not him again!

He already has his own Web site.

2007-09-09T17:36:00.000-05:00

It is fairly apparent that technology (the Internet) is changing western views about communication. More so, the rapid increase in digital "life" is challenging questions on privacy, plagiarism and moral conduct. The amazing thing is that much of these debates have only started to come to light in the last few years as tools (blogs, wiki and other forms of digital self expression) become more available and adopted by more people. Some people do not want to have an Internet presence while others have a digital “life” that is full of expression and reflection... for all to see. It could be assumed that others not partaking in this digital “revolution” (Childe, where are you?) could be concerned with privacy. Economics and access to technology surely plays a part in some instances of non-participation – especially when viewed globally. Or maybe people just don’t care. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how adoption to having a digital “life” develops and becomes more a part of western culture. The digital adoption is in motion and it is moving fast. It seems like once a week, someone who swore of creating a profile on Facebook or Myspace has created a profile (given in?) and become a new member of the online communication realm. Is a sudden participation in online communities analogous to the Nancy Reagan definition of a gateway drug? This article on parents choosing their children’s names on the availability of their kids to get a domain is but one salient example of a switch toward a rapid adoption of digital “life” and changes in family values. Are they addicted? I was named after my great grandfather and traditionally most children are named after a family relative to carry on the memories of a particular individual. However, these kids in the article are named because their parents felt it more important to provide them an avenue for a personal digital presence. Not a bad thing, just a change in ideology and it will only compound as these children move into adulthood and have their children with domain names and so on.. and so on.. and so on...

Duncan AND Sharon

2007-08-31T18:52:00.000-05:00

So, I was working on some updates to my webpage today when my wife, Sharon, came home from work. I showed her some of the changes for her comments and suggestions. Something she noticed was that my website is "duncan-centric"! Sharon is not on any of the pages!

Sharon has been my ultimate supporter during my academic challenges. I've dragged her from her comfortable and familar job in Austin to move to Fayetteville. I spend so much time away from the house, it's unbelievable. She takes care of our dog and keeps the home front going.. all while I chase my academic goals. She deserves so much more than just a photo - I'll work on that. But for now, here's a couple good ones of us enjoying our friends wedding in Austin a few years back. The photographer kept taking pictures and I wanted him to go away... so I started playing back with him and making stupid jestures while he shot away. We were in tears laughing.

Busy times to come..

2007-08-12T03:01:00.000-05:00

Here's to starting my second year of graduate school in the next two weeks. I forsee it will be the busiest and most demanding period thus far. It should be a blast as long as organization and motivation equally prevail!

Sleep will be a luxury and coffee will be a new found friend, I'm sure.

12,000 Miles? Who's Counting...

2007-08-07T18:05:00.000-05:00

This summer has been the busiest summer since I have been back in school. Without taking an exact account but certainly coming close, I logged around 12,000 miles of United States highways and byways. My summer excursions stretched from Georgia to Idaho and up to Saskatchewan and back down to Arkansas. Temperatures ranged from hot and humid to cold and dry recorded in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. Topology ranged from the eroded mountains of the southern Appalachians to the massive uplifts in the northern Rockies to isolation and endless skies across northern Plains to fields of cotton and corn along the great Mississippi River.

I took so many photos that I decided to manage them a little different and use an online photo portal tool (with exception to Etowah). It was just easier that way and took much less time... something I do not have much of these days.. and also gives the opportunity for people to comment on photos, if they desire.

So, those interested, here are some links to the online photo albums associated with Summer 2007..

Cartersville, Georgia
Etowah Indian Mounds State Park
May 28, 2007 - June 3, 2007

Hells Canyon, Idaho
Nez Perce along the Snake River
June 7-15, 2007

Pierre, South Dakota
Ft. Pierre-Chateau
June 18-23, 2007

Bismarck, North Dakota
Mandan site of Larson
June 26 - July 6, 2007

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Archaeogeophysical workshop & survey at a historic homestead.
July 9-11, 2007

Wilson, Arkansas
3D scanning of Nodena artifacts
July 17 - August 3, 2007

Simpsonize?

2007-08-07T17:44:00.000-05:00

So, after being tempted by jcb to "simpsonize" myself and thus wallow in the giant Simpsons marketing juggernaut , I did so.

It looks, well, nothing like me. However, it was a fun episode of wasting time on the web.

Give it a try...

http://simpsonizeme.com/

Da Flow

2007-04-18T12:28:00.000-05:00

Cultural Chronology
Methods
Data Collection
Processing
Interpretation

oh, yeah..

Random Notes

2007-04-06T17:26:00.000-05:00

So, over the course of a few weeks I've sent myself some random notes that I have been meaning to post up here regarding Battle. I'm finally going through and catching up on emails so now I can delete this one.

A statement of settlement systems taken from Banning 2002: Understanding settlement systems requires that we go beyond the simple documentation of where sites occur and attempt to understand how they may have operated in a settlement system. At a minimum, this usually means gaining some sense of the site's function.

Also, I think I might have mentioned this before but the Red River is highly dynamic and understanding the influence of geomorpholocial processes in the region is imperative. I need to speak with Dr. Guccione.

I made a note to myself to create a 3D elevation model using ArcScene. Not sure how to approach that but I think it would be good to include.

Lastly, a note from Jamie on Battle Mound old aerials - "I seem to have a set on aerial "indexes" which has thumbnail sized pictures of each aerial in my station territory...this would be handy for figuring out which aerial you need, but little else."

All for now.

Trimble R8 GNSS

2007-02-19T16:13:00.000-06:00

More notes...

The Trimble R8 GNSS requires more investigation. Given the possibility of mounds within the plow field, hardly visible when doing a walking survey, it has been suggested that I investigate using Real Time Kinematic (RTK) with accuracies in the mm. Spec sheet is here.

CAST does not have this new roaming unit but does have an earlier RTK unit. A couple places do rent the Trimble R8 GNSS:

Martin Instrument Survey Solutions in Austin.

This requires more research.

Arbitrary Notes

2007-02-14T21:02:00.000-06:00

Well, since I should gravitate toward some aggregated method of jotting down notes regarding thesis thoughts, I figure what better place than this newly adopted blog. It also serves to be accessible anywhere and notes can also be added from anywhere - granted the all important internet connection.

So, here is a cut and paste from an email I keep sending and resending myself of random thoughts and notes regarding thesis methods. I can now delete that email.

- Include aerial imaging.. thematic mapper and LIDAR from CAST

- Chapter on geomorphology of the red river with evidence of meander of the river over time.

- Handbook of Geophysics in Archaeology

- GCD, Tom Jones, Terran Map, Crenshaw, Hatchell. A comparative study looking at intrasite settlement patterns of the Battle Mound site to support or not support the Terran Map observations. Where they out of it? Is GCD and other sites frontier sites with anomolous settlement patterns? Can specific settlement patterns be determined or are they so highly variable (single mound, hamlets, etc. as depicted in the Terran Map) that a pattern cannot be determined. What does this tell us about the Caddo culture and how they might have viewed their instrasite landscape?

Visit to Battle Mound & Crenshaw

2007-02-13T20:43:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend I headed down to Magnolia, Arkansas to take a look at a couple mound sites that I am strongly considering for my thesis - Battle Mound and Crenshaw Mound. I plan on doing a geophysical survey at one (or both) of the sites. Battle Mound is a single mound site (although multiple mounds are to have existed) and Crenshaw has multiple mounds. I was able to meet the land owners at Battle and they are receptive to me doing research on the site. A recent email from Dr. Jamie Brandon brought news that land owners at Crenshaw are also receptive to me doing research there. My plan at this point is to gather as much historical information about both sites and in the coming months, make another visit to do some preliminary geophysical grids to get a better understanding of instrument capabilities and any issues I might encounter. I am concerned about the numerous historical occupations at Battle and the inevitable metal trash that would accompany them. However, I am anxious to get started and have many ideas about how to approach this research project floating about in my head as a result of my productive visit.