#165 Lagomarsino Petroglyph Site

(Note: If you're reading this somewhere other than on the actual page I highly recommend clicking through to the actual page. There is a slideshow of over 80 petroglyph pictures from the site that might not show up on some readers.)​

On Sunday my wife and I treked out to the Lagomarsino petroglyph site in northern Nevada. We went with the aid of some friends that have a large 4WD vehicle because the site is incredibly inaccessible. It took over an hour, mostly in 4WD Low just to go the last five miles or so. The parking area, however, is right at the base of the 1/4 mile long site.

The site contains 2,229 rock art panels and is one of eight rock art sites in Nevada that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The petroglyphs are pecked into fine-grained basalt cliff faces and an associate talus slope and boulder field. ​

Many of the large glyphs are up on the basalt wall, however, there are smaller panels and single petroglyphs dispersed throughout the boulder field. The signage at the site says the petroglyphs date to at least 10,000 years but that seems like a generalized date based on the prehistoric occupation of the area. It seems likely that the petroglyphs fall in a date range that spans several millennia at least due to the various states of patina on some of them. There are petroglyphs that look like they could have been created yesterday and some that were clearly made many centuries ago.

This site is very difficult to get to but I highly recommend the trip if you are able.​

Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the field!​

#164 Podcast Episode 4: Interview with Tom King

The next episode, Episode 004, of the CRM Archaeology Podcast is up! On this episode we discuss our plans for recording during the SAAs in Hawaii, talk about an industrial expansion about to take place on the ancient site of Star Carr in Scotland, and we have a fun interview with noted regulatory expert, archaeologist, and writer Tom King.​

Thanks for listening and we'll see you in the field!​

#163 ArchaeoTech: A Present For Your Boss

Presenting the Fujitsu GPS Cane!

​Boss coming out to visit your site? Is it a bit of a walk from the vehicle over rough terrain? Get him/her the new Fujitsu GPS Cane!

All kidding aside this prototype could have some real potential way down the road. When I say way down the road, I mean way down the road. I don’t want angry comments from old timers saying how this will never work. I think outside the box and I’m thinking this “cane” has some potential. Bear with me.

Imagine that the GPS sensor in the cane knows how long the cane is and where the tip of the cane is in relation to the sensor. Now imagine that there was a small pressure tip or something at the end of the cane. You might be able to go around a site and simply tap artifacts or site boundary points with the cane and have the information transmit to a tablet or base station.

Of course, I’m just hypothesizing and trying to jam this prototype into archaeological reality. You can't even buy this cane and it may never be available. It's fun to speculate, though. I’m an early adopter and proud of it. I like trying new things and making them work in new ways. Maybe we can start a fund where people give me money to try fun new tech! Right. 

What uses can you see for this crazy tech? Do you think you'd use it to pick your way out to a site when you're a grizzled old salt? You go ahead-I'll be flying in on my jet pack.​

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field!

#162 Chumash Cemetery Unearthed in Los Osos

​Los Osos is at the "A" pin.

Read the article here.

The Chumash community in Los Osos, California, located northwest of Los Angeles, is having a sewer collection system constructed. Far Western Anthropological Research Group was given $898,105 to complete the cultural resources phase of the project.

Ground was broken on the sewer project on October 8 of last year and the first two burials were found on March 11. Another was found on March 12 and another on March 13. Back in 2004 an intact burial was discovered and reburied only 10 ft from the current burials.

The Chumash community wants the excavation halted until the size of the cemetery can be determined and options can be presented.

As is usual for this sort of project an archaeologist and “most likely descendants” are always on site. However, according to Cavanaugh, a Chumash on the site, the “most likely descendants" are Far Western employees and the archaeologist is married to one of the principals. Sounds like a conflict of interest to me.

Chumash Rock Art

Cavanaugh claims “they were shoveling dirt with human remains on the street and then picking up skull fragments and grave items off the street”. Pat Nicolson, a project manager at Far Western declined to comment.

Far Western decided to do a rapid reburial of the remains after the discovery. According to the article, Far Western plans to dig below the level of the sewage piplines and rebury the remains. The Chumash community voiced strong opposition at this plan.

Members of the Chumash community said they don’t want decisions made about their ancestors by several descendants with a financial stake in the decision.

What do you think is the proper course of action? Does Far Western have a conflict of interest on this project? Should they have agreed to do it? Should they have found other “likely descendants” other than ones that work for the company? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field!

#161 ArchaeoTech - Teleconferencing

I spend a lot of time writing about the uses of advanced technology in archaeological survey. Admittedly, there are few companies ready to take this leap into the 21st century. However, absolutely every company has to deal with communicating with employees over long distances. Frequently, Crew Chiefs and Project Managers call in, sometimes on a daily basis, to report on the day’s activities. Some companies ship employees across several states to work on projects with other offices which also means that communication is a necessity.

We live in a time where just about every hotel has internet, and if they don’t, you should be working for a company that provides you with either tethering from your smart phone or portable wifi devices. If you don’t, that’s a conversation for another time. Since you should have internet access why settle for a simple voice connection when you could do so much more? What follows are some well known teleconferencing options and a few options you can only support if you win the archaeology lottery and find a hoard of gold coins that no one can lay claim to.

Traditional Teleconferencing Options

Skype

Everyone knows what Skype is. Skype’s basic functions are accessible to everyone free of charge as long as you are making a computer to computer call. These days you can think of that as a Skype to Skype call because Skype works on smart phones and tablets too.

A basic, free, Skype account gets you free video and voice calls between Skype accounts, low rates on calls to phones, audio conference calls, and instant messaging (Microsoft bought Skype and MSN Messenger was rolled into the Skype App). With a premium account at $4.99 per month you get all the free options plus video conference calls, group screen sharing, no advertising within the Skype application, live customer support for when it all goes to hell, and unlimited calls to a country of your choice.

Skype is the industry standard in video communication. It’s been around for a long time and just about everyone has at least heard of it. You can use Skype on a smart phone, tablet, or on the web. And, all three device types can talk to any of the other device types. The biggest limitation to the free account is that they recently took away screen sharing. That wasn’t a good idea because the next option still has it. And it’s still free, too.

Skype Business. If you want to go all out you can contact the good people at Skype and get a business account. There are no prices since I’m sure they tailor your billing to your situation. There are some interesting benefits from Skype business that you don’t get with the standard accounts. For example, you can allocate credit and features to different people on your account. You can also make Skype calls on your office phone system. You could pick up the phone on your desk and make a Skype call straight to your people in the field.

Google Hangout

Google Hangouts are free. You need a Google account to use it and you need to be on Google+. Also, you can add telephone members to Hangouts once they are started. Up to 10 people can be in a hangout at once. Screen sharing is still free on Google Hangouts and can really come in handy.

Google Hangouts are not very secure. Anyone currently in a hangout can invite anyone else into a hangout. If you’re not paying attention you could have others in on the conversation that you didn’t intend. You can block or ignore others in the hangout but that doesn’t stop them from joining in in the first place.

GoToMeeting

Go To Meeting is for people that are really serious about having frequent online meetings and online training seminars. There are actually three products from the GoTo Meeting people. The other two are GoToWebinar and GoToTraining.

For most companies GoTo Meeting will be sufficient. The other two are for larger companies and massive training sessions. They are also way more expensive. The basic GoTo Meeting, which allows up to 25 meeting attendees, is $49 a month or $468 a year. Sharing of screens, applications, mouse, and keyboard controls are all options included with the lowest account level.

Uses

There are companies that have employees meet them in the field on the first day of the session. They then have a, sometimes lengthy, meeting about the project and what is expected of everyone there. Why not have this meeting prior to fieldwork with all the employees so people that want to can prepare for the fieldwork. I always tried to get as much information from future employers as I could about the next project I was going to be on so I could learn about what I’d be finding and what I should be looking for. Why not make it policy to give that information ahead of time through interactive screen sharing and video conferencing? Join the 21st century and check out some of these awesome programs.

If you really want to go crazy and have other offices to keep in touch with, check out the video below. If it doesn't load check it out here.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field!

#160 ArchaeoTech: Smart Gloves

It’s still winter time in much of the country (except the South where it hasn't been winter since the Younger Dryas - people sit around the swimming pool in January whispering, “winter is coming” to each other. Trust me. It’s true.). In this digital age there is a need for gloves to be much smarter than they ever have been before.

Ever been in the field recording a site in freezing temperatures with a high, cold, wind blowing everything around? What always happens right when you are at your coldest? The boss calls. You’ve got to, both, take off your gloves and then dig out your phone from where ever you have it stashed. Wouldn’t it be nice to leave them on? Or, maybe you’re working for one of those forward thinking companies that record with tablets and smart cameras in the field - ahem…- and you don’t want to take your gloves off to type on the screen. Good thing it’s 2013 and you have options.

In this post I’ll talk about just two of the many glove options out there for using your devices and staying warm at the same time. At the end of the post I’ll show you a product that will make ANY piece of clothing able to interact with your smart devices.

Conductive Screens

First, why do gloves need to be special to work with touch screen devices? There are several different ways to make a touchscreen but most tablets and smartphones use capacitive touchscreens. I’m not going to get into the science of it too much but I will touch on it a bit. Capacitive touchscreens are usually pieces of glass that are then coated with a conductive material. The human body is also conductive and when we touch the conductive surface we distort the screens electrostatic field which is interpreted by the device’s software. So, when you wear gloves you block the conductive properties of your skin. Smart gloves have conductive material in the finger tips so there is a constant connection between your finger and your glove. And, before anyone writes in, you can’t get shocked if you get the gloves wet. That’s just not how electricity works.

Geek Beat Video Review

Geek Beat is a great resource for all sorts of geeky tech and geeky gear reviews. They are in my regular video podcast feed that I watch everyday when I’m working out in the morning. The first part of the video below has the two pairs of gloves I’m going to talk about. You can watch the last half too but it’s not part of this post.

Moshi digits - Touchscreen Gloves, $30

Like I said at the top, there are lots of touchscreen gloves out there. However, many of them only have conductive surfaces on the thumb and first finger, or maybe even the middle finger too. Moshi gloves have conductive fiber on all ten fingers. Most tablets, and certainly the iPad, have the capability of having up to 10 fingers on the surface at one time. Most of the time you won’t need more than four but it’s nice to have options. 

The Moshi gloves also have a grip patter on the surface so you don’t drop your devices. There is a soft microfleece lining for keeping you warm too. The gloves are washable so you can wash the “field” out of them occaisionally.

One thing to remember with any touchscreen gloves is that they need to be snug on your fingers. If there isn’t solid contact from your finger to the inside of the glove to the surface of the device then they won’t work properly.

Hi-Call Bluetooth Talking Glove, $69.99 (Amazon)

These gloves are crazy! Remember when you were a kid (or, since you’re in CRM are likely STILL a kid, just kidding…) and you would pretend answer a phone with your hand? I don’t even have to describe the motion because everyone knows what it looks like. Well, these bluetooth gloves allow you to answer a phone like that except that your phone is still stashed away.

The left glove has a speaker sewn into the thumb and a microphone sewn into the pinkie finger. To answer a call you simple have to put your hand in the familiar configuration and put it up to your head. The call will answer automatically and you can talk while looking like a huge dork. Who am I kidding? I want them! My birthday IS coming up in just a month…

The gloves come in black or gray and have 20 hours of talk time with 10 days of standby time. Some devices even display the charge of the gloves on your screen. The gloves come with an instruction manual and a microUSB to USB cable for charging.

Well, now you can say you’ve seen it all.

Conductive Thread, $4.99 for 5 m (price varies with length)

One last thing. If you already have a pair of gloves you like you can go the cheap route and just buy conductive thread! This thread is hand sewn into any garment you want to make conductive. Just be sure it goes all the way through so it can touch your fingers and your device at the same time. You should be able to use this on the thickest of gloves, although, you’ll likely destroy any waterproofing with the small holes made by the thread.

So, stay warm, stay connected, and remember you only look like a geek. You’re warmer than everyone else!

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the field!

#159 CEQ & ACHP Handbook for Integrating NEPA and Section 106

On March 5, 2013 the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) issued a press release detailing their new handbook that was created with the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The handbook was created assist interested parties in successfully managing NEPA and Section 106 requirements together.

According to the press release the two agencies came together to reduce the regulatory barriers and work more efficiently for the benefit of the American people. The document goes on to say, “This creates a means to ensure statutory requirements of two important laws are met while strengthening the coordination of two similar but separate processes that frequently should proceed in tandem.”

From the press release:

“For example, review of a project under NEPA would include consideration of the broad range of environmental impacts, ranging from wildlife to air and water quality and including historic and cultural resources. Section 106 of the NHPA would require consideration of how the project might affect the historic resources, such as historic buildings and districts, archaeological sites, and cultural landscapes. The handbook is designed to guide users in coordinating the two mandated reviews to improve efficiency and informed decision making.”

Here is a link to the PDF handbook.

Have you read the handbook? Is it helpful? Questions? Concerns? Let me know what you think in the comments.

​Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the field!