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Martin Rundkvist's blog. Archaeology, skepticism, Sweden. And books and music and stuff.
Dr. Martin Rundkvist is a Swedish archaeologist, journal editor, public speaker, chairman of the Swedish Skeptics Society, atheist, lefty liberal, bookworm, and father of two.
June 30, 2008
Category: Books
Since some time in the early 80s I've laboured delightedly and intermittently to catch up with Ursula K. LeGuins oeuvre. I've covered her collections of short fiction and essays, and I will soon have her novels done, leaving the poetry...
Posted by Martin R at 4:58 AM • 6 Comments •
June 28, 2008
Category: Archaeology
An evening of live classical music, wine and food under the Tuscan sky.
Posted by Martin R at 6:07 AM • 1 Comments •
June 26, 2008
Category: Photography
Got up early this morning, six thirty, and slipped out for an hour's walk. The sun was already pretty high but still veiled in mist. I walked past vineyards and olive groves toward a farmhouse until yapping guard dogs made...
Posted by Martin R at 4:58 PM • 8 Comments •
June 25, 2008
Category: Children
"Daddy, I want ice cream!"
Posted by Martin R at 12:21 PM • 14 Comments •
June 24, 2008
Category: Biology
The beavers are rallying in Sweden, multiplying and repossessing old habitat.
Posted by Martin R at 7:54 AM • 4 Comments •
June 23, 2008
Category: Humour
Over at Podcastle, I just heard an amazing reading/performance of an amazing surrealist love story, "Fourteen Experiments in Postal Delivery". It was written by John Schoffstall, first published as text two years ago, and read by Heather Lindsley at Random...
Posted by Martin R at 1:32 PM • 1 Comments •
June 22, 2008
Category: Skepticism
The European Council of Skeptical Organizations (ECSO) has set up an on-line forum. Explains ECSO chairman Amardeo Sarma,"The purpose of this forum is to promote discussion with ECSO and other Skeptics Organisations. So if you have some question or a...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 0 Comments •
June 21, 2008
Category: Archaeology
The forty-third Four Stone Hearth blog carnival is on-line at Paddy K's Swedish Extravaganza. Archaeology and anthropology, and all regulated by the rota system! The Rota System, from the Old Church Slavic word for "ladder" or "staircase", was a system...
Posted by Martin R at 1:50 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: Humour
Looking closer at this cover of a Chinese pirate edition of Disney's 1937 animated feature Snow White, we find a couple of fine Engrish phrases. "Latinum Edition" is pretty good. But wouldn't you agree that "Still the Fairest of...
Posted by Martin R at 12:45 PM • 8 Comments •
June 19, 2008
Category: Blogging
It's been almost a year since the last de-lurk. Aard currently has over 150 returning visitors daily (out of about 800 uniques). Since not everyone checks in every day, this translates to several hundred -- possibly a thousand -- regulars...
Posted by Martin R at 4:30 PM • 74 Comments •
Category: Archaeology
One tree house had an interesting piece of furniture: a gynaecologist's examination chair!?
Posted by Martin R at 3:32 PM • 2 Comments •
June 17, 2008
Category: Archaeology
Working in the woods was weird because of the outlandish sounds from a colony of grey herons.
Posted by Martin R at 4:00 PM • 5 Comments •
Category: Archaeology
What those ancient archers are likely to have done is make good-enough arrowheads.
Posted by Martin R at 2:10 PM • 35 Comments •
Category: History
The names that dot the landscape once meant something about those places.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 10 Comments •
June 16, 2008
Category: Blogging
Asked a reader, "There are many, many academic bloggers out there feverishly blogging about their areas of interest. Still, there are many, many more academics who don't. So, why do you blog ..." As I've noted before, I blog because...
Posted by Martin R at 11:31 AM • 3 Comments •
June 15, 2008
Category: Gaming
Played a fun card game with a somewhat off-colour name today: Spank the Monkey from 2003. The object of the game is literally to catch a monkey and whack its little hairy behind. Why? Because all the players are employees...
Posted by Martin R at 11:04 AM • 3 Comments •
Category: Blogging
The 43rd instalment of the Four Stone Hearth anthro & archaeo blogging carnival will come on-line at Paddy K's Swedish Extravaganza on Wednesday 18 June. Send links to good recent anthroblogging to him! It needn't be your own stuff: submit...
Posted by Martin R at 8:02 AM • 0 Comments •
June 13, 2008
Category: Archaeology
Larsson borrowed a horse trailer from a relative and crammed the entire Skateholm fieldwork equipment into it.
Posted by Martin R at 5:14 PM • 6 Comments •
June 12, 2008
Category: Gaming
Lately I've been playing more board games, thanks to gaming friends moving to my area, and also to my son and his buddies reaching an age where they can understand and enjoy games. I have a number of good board...
Posted by Martin R at 5:49 PM • 13 Comments •
Category: Archaeology
"...might not the sense of smell guide people or animals in the search for [buried] money?"
Posted by Martin R at 1:57 PM • 6 Comments •
June 10, 2008
Category: Books
[More blog entries about fiction, timetravel, sf, sciencefiction; sf, sciencefiction, tidsresor, litteratur, novell]Alvin Gavel just graduated from high school. (He's the son of Aard regular Kai who keeps the bilingual Pointless Anecdotes blog.) This young man has to my knowledge...
Posted by Martin R at 2:01 PM • 2 Comments •
June 9, 2008
Category: Tech
The micro-SD flash memory chip that came with my new smartphone has some interesting issues with data integrity. I mostly use it to store sound files in the mp3 format, both pop songs of a few MB each and podcasts...
Posted by Martin R at 3:11 PM • 1 Comments •
June 8, 2008
Category: Children
Good news from Egypt: the country's parliament has passed a new child protection law that, among other wise measures, criminalises female genital mutilation and raises the legal age of marriage to 18 for both men and women. Daily News of...
Posted by Martin R at 2:00 AM • 4 Comments •
June 7, 2008
Category: Space
Here's an ace animated film clip showing how the Phoenix Lander manoeuvered its camera/digger arm to take a picture of the surface under its own belly a few days ago. Gives you a good sense of how the thing looks...
Posted by Martin R at 7:59 AM • 2 Comments •
Category: Books
Greenblatt's method is to paint a rich and solid historical background to Shakespeare's life and professional activity.
Posted by Martin R at 6:19 AM • 1 Comments •
June 6, 2008
Category: Photography
74 snaps from my recent visit to Orkney.
Posted by Martin R at 3:24 PM • 5 Comments •
Category: Archaeology
The forty-second Four Stone Hearth blog carnival is on-line at Neuroanthropology. Archaeology and anthropology, and all related to the song "If You Should Try To Kiss Her" by Dressy Bessy. The next open hosting slot is on 16 July. All...
Posted by Martin R at 3:59 AM • 0 Comments •
June 4, 2008
Category: Archaeology
After yesterday's paper session and civic reception in the church hall, I've had an amazing bus excursion today. The weather's been perfect, sunny and with little wind, and I've been shown great sites by some very knowledgeable people. And the...
Posted by Martin R at 1:40 PM • 3 Comments •
June 2, 2008
Category: Food
I'm in the Bangladeshi restaurant Dil Se having a nice chicken achari. I tried to get Orkney mutton, but it was only available on advance order. Seems fitting to have a curry even in this storm-swept outpost of the British...
Posted by Martin R at 4:40 PM • 6 Comments •
June 1, 2008
Category: Archaeology
Began the day with a solid English breakfast, then a walk to the conference venue, heard ten paper presentations, did one myself, had dinner with colleagues, walked up the hill west of Kirkwall, logged a geocache, walked back to B&B....
Posted by Martin R at 5:20 PM • 7 Comments •
