Citizen scientist

The above link is a blog post about why science is complicated, why non-experts like politicians shouldn't be trusted to relay scientific information accurately, and moreover what research really means. Translating scholarly work into a publicly accessible format as well as finding reliable sources of those translations continues to be an issue and a need. It is a real and crucial issue, since, as I mentioned, numerous versions of scholarly knowledge - some closer to the original facts than others - get used for a multitude of political, social, and economic initiatives every day. As voting citizens and as initiators, targets and recipients of these initiatives, we would do well to do what we can to bridge that gap from our end. I believe that the academic community also has a responsibility to shoulder its part of the bridge-building, and that educational systems and institutions, government ones included, fall somewhere in the middle. Learning more about what, and how, we all understand, citizens and scientists alike, can only help.

Archaeologists can be the social butterflies of academia

At the best of times, I see professional archaeology as, among other things, a form of diplomacy between the research community and the public. Just now, working at the museum store, I had a couple of guests ask me about the work I'd be doing towards my degree, and one of them remarked, "You get back to where we all began." I told her I thought that was one of the most important things archaeology could do, and I smiled as I said it. Interactions like that remind me why I am getting my PhD.

On a somewhat similar note, this morning I came across (via @alun, a British archaeologist I follow on Twitter) several blogs written by archaeologists for the public (although I suspect they are mainly read by fellow archys). I would like to share some of them with you:
Finds and Features: This is the link to which @alun referred. Neat stuff if you are interested in ancient technology, etc.
Archaeoporn: Dedicated (mostly) to exposing problematic, albeit sexy, treatments of archaeology in the media (think Indiana Jones). Entertaining and informative, though unfortunately it hasn't been updated in months.
Girl with Trowel: This one is a "day in the life of" a PhD student. Nice window into what we actually do. AND check out the picture of her mammoth dissertation. (I. Never. Want. To. Write. Anything. That. LONG!)
Got Medieval: Like Archaeoporn, but for portrayals of the middle ages in movies, news, etc. (I haven't looked to see if they touch on the kind of re-enactment I do.) Be sure to check out the definition of "medieval" featured on the right of the homepage.

On a closing note, a thought from classmate and archaeologist Terry Brock (@brockter on Twitter): "archaeology bloggers: best way to improve blog traffic: write about something else."

Love in the Time of Mononucleosis

I'd meant to write earlier about the edifying fun I had last weekend traveling to, in, and from Milwaukee. But I never got around to it; sitting down and composing a blog entry seemed like just too much work. In fact, everything seemed like too much work, including work. On Wednesday I went to see the doctor for a sore throat that wouldn't go away, and on Thursday I got the news that I have mononucleosis. So I no longer feel quite so guilty for not having the energy to do, well, hardly anything. Since then I've been sleeping like it's going out of style and loading up on fruits, veggies, and immune-boosting supplements. It suddenly feels like I have about ten mothers, since everyone's been telling me to take it easy, except for my actual mother, but that's just because I haven't told her about the mono yet, knowing she'll freak out more than all my pseudo-moms combined. She says it's her job.

Well, I've been trying to take it easy as everyone's been recommending, but a small part of me - curiously, one I inherited from my mother - still feels guilty about being so inactive. So here I am, blogging when I should be getting ready for bed (yes, it's about 8 PM). I'll make it brief.


Really, all I really wanted to comment upon was how the wonderfulness of the weekend - eating dinner with Milwaukee friends Friday night, lazing around and then partying at the wedding with more friends, including ones I'd not spent significant amounts of time with in years, breakfast with friends AND family Sunday morning, and finally a 6-hour drive chock full of delightful conversation with my carpool buddies (we talked about the origins of the silk industry, the history of religion, and so many other things) - all of these things sort of melted together into a broad flow of satisfaction that it's rare to experience. Nearing the end of the trip home, I felt the need simply to sit back and let these things run through me, as if I were only a vessel or a vehicle through which the best stuff of the universe pours. I don't know where it goes when it overflows; I just know that at times like this I feel rich and loved and thankful. It's people, the people I know, and the things we share between us that bring out these feelings in me. I just wanted to write it down in order not to forget. Times like that are anchors.

Of course, it could have been the mono-riffic fatigue rearing its head. If so, hey, at least there's some benefit to this virus.