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The Archaeology Channel Newsletter |  |
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Welcome to the Vol. 1, Issue 3, of The Archaeology Channel Newsletter!
If this is just a dream, somebody pinch me quick! We were really happy with our TAC traffic in 2004, when we counted 7 million hits and about 670,000 sessions. But the January-March 2005 period set an entirely new standard with 3.2 million hits and 370,000 sessions, equivalent to an annual rate of 12.7 million hits and 1.5 million sessions. March set an all-time monthly record with nearly 1.5 million hits. But then by April 15 we had nearly that much traffic already! If we can maintain momentum, our traffic for 2005 will more than double that for 2004. It's really gratifying to see this kind of popularity for TAC after five years of hard work (so forgive me for crowing about it!), but more important than the personal satisfaction is what it means for our financial situation. Underwriting prospects are taking us VERY seriously now that they realize how many people visit our pages. At the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Salt Lake City at the beginning of April I spent three solid days talking with potential sponsors. I got some very positive feedback-some of these prospects are likely to become supporting underwriters of TAC. We are working to make that happen. Our content keeps growing. In early April we put up our 54th video (a video interview with rock art specialist Dr. Jean Clottes of France). But the news from the first quarter was not all good: our workhorse production computer, affectionately known as Caesar, finally gave up the ghost after two years. Our production facility was down for a week and we had to spend precious dollars to buy parts to build a new machine. Many thanks to Board Treasurer John Waters for volunteering his time and expertise to put Caesar back together! So Caesar lives again, but we depleted operational funds to resurrect him. So when you get those annoying e-mail reminders about renewing your TAC Membership, please take them seriously. With your help, TAC can grow to bring you much more of the kind and quality of programming you want. The future looks bright and we know how to get there, but it still will take an investment of resources and more hard work to realize our vision. Many thanks to Cris Hicks and Woodeene Koenig- Bricker for editing this edition of TAC Newsletter!
Rick Pettigrew
By Laura Kelley Being the voice of the Audio News is, I'm assuming, a lot like being a radio host. I go into a room with the recording equipment. I sit there alone, microphone at hand, and do my job. It's virtually impossible for me to imagine all of the people out there listening to me, although I know they - you - are out there. In fact, they are all around the world. That is something about which your local radio host can't boast! What really put things into perspective for me early on is when we got a response from a teacher in South Korea who listens to the Audio News. It became clear to me that I'm not just sitting in a room by myself. Everyone who listens is there with me. One of the best parts of hosting this particular news program is that all of the stories are fascinating and exciting, rather than the sad and sometimes disturbing stories often on the evening news. When we do speak of war or death, it happened centuries ago, as a historical event. So rather than dealing with tragedy, it's considered an amazing find that often casts a new and exciting perspective on events from a time and place long past. Audio News acknowledges all of the hard work and accomplishments of archaeologists the world over, bringing their stories and discoveries to life. Without their efforts, human history would be much more of a mystery. With their efforts, we have the privilege of enlightening a world full of interested and curious minds. I enjoy reading stories on the Audio News not only because of what I learn from them, but also because, in reading them, I am able to share with the world fascinating nuggets of discovery that stimulate and intrigue so many. Thank you for listening! Photo: Laura Kelley, voice of the Audio News
By Pam Wheat, TAS Executive Director The Texas Archeological Society (TAS) offers a wide range of opportunities for those interested in Texas heritage. The mission of the Society is to promote study, preservation and awareness of Texas archeology. A recent strategic plan calls for the Society to create training opportunities for students, enhance and expand programs, increase and diversify membership, inform the community of their archeological heritage and cultivate and preserve resources. In 2004, membership numbered around 1500. The Society calendar begins in October with the Annual Meeting, an event that has taken place since 1929. Archeologists, professional and avocational, get together as the founders of the Society did to share information in research sessions and to hear about the latest research from luncheon and banquet speakers. A popular evening on Friday is the public forum with high profile speakers and artifact identification. In 2005, the meeting will be in Austin October 28-30. Each spring TAS offers sessions of the Texas Archeology Academy. Topics in this series of workshops include Archeology 101 (including a field day); Ceramics: The Stories Pottery Tells; and Lithics: Reading Stone Tools. Each Academy features PowerPoint presentations, a manual and hands-on activities to reinforce concepts presented. In 2005, sessions were held in Bastrop, San Angelo, Tyler and Victoria. Surveys at the close of sessions reveal that participants greatly value the information imparted during the workshop and the camaraderie of fellow students. The summer brings a field school that offers an opportunity for folks to contribute to research about Texas archeology. The principal investigator is supported by staff and experienced volunteers. Newcomers appreciate an orientation session before joining crews in the field. Survey and lab sessions provide other venues for people who want to learn more about the archeological process. The field school in 2005 will be near Paris on property owned by Gene Stallings. We will offer scholarships to selected Native American tribes, including the Caddo in whose ancestral territory we will work. A youth program instructs around 75 students each year. The work done by almost 450 people attending the 2004 session at the Presidio San Saba greatly contributed to the work initiated by Texas Tech directed by principal investigator Tamra Walters. Publications of the Society include a journal, the Bulletin of the TAS, a quarterly newsletter and two web sites. The first, www.txarch.org, is the organizational web site that relates current programs and opportunities. The second web site, www.texa sbeyondhistory.net, is a creative venue that offers information in the form of multi-level exhibits. TAS has been a supporting partner of TBH since its inception. For more information about TAS see www.txarch.org or call 800 377-7240. Photo: Texas Archaeological Society members with pots they made themselves
As media delivery technology on the Internet improves, we will be able to bring you video programming at much higher bandwidths than we do a present. In perhaps five or ten years, even HD- quality video in real time (without downloading) will be accessible. Here at ALI we are getting ready for this revolution by experimenting with higher- bandwidth encoding, to explore how we can bring you better images and sound today. As an experiment, we have encoded A Journey through Time: Archaeology at St. Johns (our first in- house video that went up on TAC earlier this year) at a bandwidth of 700 kbps, which is more than double the bandwidth of our normal broadband videos. Those of you with fast Internet connections can try to view the video at this speed to find out how well it works. For those with T1 or other super-fast connections, this should be no problem. Those with dail-up connections should not even try. But those with cable and DSL connections may or may not have an enjoyable experience, depending on how fast your connection really is. Lately, Comcast has publicized an expansion in available bandwidth for their cable modem lines, so here is a chance to find out if the "pipes" are big enough for this step up. And we'd like to know! So tell us whether or not the video comes to you smoothly and without interruption and viewable at full screen. Give us your review by e-mailing rick@archaeologychannel.org. If enough people report that it works well, we might consider adding a super-broadband option to our TAC videos. Select your player (remember, you must already have it installed before it will play!) below to view the video at 700k.
By Amy Suzanne Diaz, Volunteer Correspondent In 1998, paleoanthropologists traveled to the Indonesian island of Flores, located east of Bali between Asia and Australia. They were there again in September 2004 to investigate 800,000-year-old tools initially attributed to Homo erectus. What they eventually found was - and continues to be - a shock to the world of anthropology. Initially, paleoanthropologists believed the first, tiny, nearly complete female skeleton they found was a child. Estimates placed her size at about 55 pounds and just over 3 feet tall, about the size of a pre- teen. Imagine their surprise when further examination revealed she was 30 years old at the time of her death, about 18,000 years ago. Since her discovery, the remains of seven more individuals have been unearthed. The find has been given a new species name, Homo floresiensis. More affectionately, they have been nicknamed simply "hobbits." Where did Flores Man come from? With remains dating to 18,000 years ago, Flores Man coexisted with modern Homo sapiens for thousands of years. Therefore, he was not our ancestor. Flores Man could be a dwarfed version of Homo erectus, evolving to a more petite stature owing to environmental conditions. However, no remains of large-bodied Homo erectus have yet been found on Flores, suggesting that Flores Man arrived on the island in this dwarfed form. Another debate swirling around Flores Man involves artifacts found with the remains: stone tools suitable for killing and butchering large game and the hearths used for cooking the meat. These tools may have belonged to modern man. With a brain structure different from modern man, and a one-third the size (comparable to a chimpanzee), Flores Man also had no chin (an attribute of modern humans) but had a prominent brow ridge and other features considered primitive, as if like a tiny version of Homo erectus. Could Flores Man have been intelligent enough to make tools and organize hunting parties? While debate continues, it's clear that Flores Man is a fascinating and important find. We may learn more when DNA retrieved from hair and bone is fully examined. In the meantime, excitement is high about the "hobbits" who co-existed with our ancestors for thousands of years. Photo: Artist's reconstruction of Flores Man
by Guy Prouty, Underwriting Coordinator We have had a very busy time recently, contacting archaeological field schools and other organizations to bolster our underwriting program. The Archaeology Channel has experienced phenomenal growth over the past year with over 7 million hits and 700,000 sessions in 2004 and we expect that number to grow. By the end of 2005, we hope to have well over 10 million hits, which will continue to enhance our standing as one of the top ten archaeology websites in the world! Our goal of reaching a world-wide audience with quality video and audio programming has met with optimal success and we are proud to continue with this trend-setting avenue of educating the general public as well as professional archaeologists. Our strategy for success has involved a lot of hard work finding people to contact, creating databases, and calling (thanks to our volunteers for helping with this). Often this is a grueling business: for perhaps every 100 contacts, only a few end up underwriting, but as our traffic continues to grow, we expect these steps to become easier and to see potential underwriters to contacting us on their own. In fact, a few already have! One of the best ways we have discovered to obtain underwriting support is to create video productions for companies. For instance, the film I produced, A Journey Through Time: Archaeology at St. Johns, the story of a late prehistoric Chinookan village near Portland, Oregon, was done for CH2M Hill who provided partial funding for the excavations conducted by Dr. Rick Pettigrew and Cascadia Archaeology. To date, they have become our largest underwriter because they know that an effective underwriting message will positively enhance their cultural resources management program; in other words, it creates wonderful public relations for the company, it helps The Archaeology Channel to be financially self-sustaining, and it conveys an interesting story about Oregon prehistory to a world-wide audience. We look forward to an even better year in the months ahead. Photo: The Archaeology Channel traffic growth over the years
By Edip Akpinar, Membership Coordinator Enjoying the activities of TAC without being a Member can be fun and very informative. However, it seems to me that spreading the message of TAC by becoming a Member can be more enjoyable. Let me tell you why I think so: It is obvious that TAC is not only a place at which a bunch of antiquity fans are gathering to satisfy their hobbies. It is rather a place at which virtually a new, rich, vivid and diverse human culture is cultivated from the heritage of past thousands years. That is, although the "tools" of TAC are seemingly "buried" in the past or mostly far from daily attention (as with indigenous cultures), this does not mean that TAC is just a static archive or a place at which some collectibles are simply stacked. Instead, by keeping the human heritage alive, TAC builds a mission that has the potential to shape the future. When one becomes a Member, he or she enjoys the direct participation in the efforts that can shape the pillars of prospective human culture and society TAC tries to keep the diverse cultural heritage alive and brings it to the attention of people as viable alternative ways of seeing the universe and enjoying life. We all are in an inescapable process of globalization. Most of you will agree that cultural diversity is a must for human creativity and the joy I can hear that you are saying, "but the members do not have any additional benefits" I agree with you at this moment; however, this is going to change very soon. Although TAC does not offer too many privileges to Members yet, a lot of plans are being made to enhance the Member gateway. Active Member involvement in activities is also part of the plan. Finally, I would like to tell you about what the Membership Team does. It is very simple: we keep the Member information in a database and we update all changes. When a new Member registers or an existing Member renews his or her membership, Rick sends the information to us and we update the records. We also regularly screen the records in order to identify the expired Members and send them reminders. Currently the Membership Team consists of myself and Megan (Tyson). Although she has recently joined the Team, Megan has been doing a great job and Members have already begun to get messages from her. Photo: Edip Akpinar, Membership Coordinator
by Josh Smith, Web Site Development Team Leader For the past 4 - 5 years I have been engaged as a member of The Archaeology Channel Web site design team. Initially, I would have classed myself as a novice developer with more expertise in the design and manufacture of computer systems. However, over the years The Archaeology Channel has thrown up many a river to bridge and challenged me to forgo some of the established practices and find new methods to meet the needs of the site. I enjoy the personal challenges and indeed the experience gained throughout this process. The Archaeology Channel and I have been very fortunate over the years to have had many able and willing volunteers striving to create the most informative archaeology-related site available on the Web, a goal I believe has thus far we have achieved beyond expectations. I certainly hope to see this site develop and grow even further. Beginning from a fairly basic operation and layout, the site has grown substantially, as has the complexity of design and operation. This complexity occurs more behind the scenes (the unseen parts) and is intended to afford a more pleasant experience and to facilitate navigation though ever-expanding masses of information and resources. The information contained in the site is not only educational but entertaining. This seems just brilliant to a kiwi tucked away in the southern reaches of the globe, in a place (New Zealand) distinctly short on archaeological resources and a history that is relatively young and controversial. From a personal perspective, it helps me feel closer to the world and all of the fascinating components that have conspired to bring us to where we are today. At same time, it gives me a great sense of pride to be involved in such a successful project. I certainly hope one day to have the opportunity to visit in person some of the sites we feature. Here is the design process broken down in simplified form: Rick hands me a task including the bulk of information, along with a fairly accurate description of the desired look and operation of the page we are working on. A free hand has always been afforded, as has an open mind, towards alternative suggestions. I or an assigned member of the team will create a draft for review based on this information, and, after a period of fine tuning and testing, the final revision is made public to the world. The testing period varies, owing to team members in various time zones and their availability, since most hold full time positions in a variety of different occupations. I am based alongside a small locally significant archaeological site (Mangere Mountain) in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Southern Hemisphere. My locality puts me around a day ahead of Rick in Oregon, USA. As the Web Site Development Team Leader, I receive all relevant details and content images. This is reviewed and an estimate of the task's scope is made. Depending on its size, I may undertake the task myself or break it apart and assign pieces to other members of the team. Where I undertake the task, I will generally start with any graphical components first, compressing images to keep file sizes down and page loading speeds as fast as possible for the viewers. The page is then laid out, content inserted and uploaded to temporary directories in order to test the speed and functions (audio and video feeds where applicable). Where jobbed out, each member performs his or her task, sending it back to me at various intervals and to be recompiled into the one larger task and uploaded for testing. Once I am essentially happy with it, the first draft remains on the web server and notification and links are sent to Rick for review. Alterations and revisions are passed back and forth until final testing is complete and approval is received. Then the Web site is finally updated. If the change involves the addition of new content, then Rick and other volunteers put out announcement messages to TAC Members, our extensive mailing lists, and an array of listserves. Very soon people all over the world are logging on to see what's new. That's how it's done! Photo: Josh Smith, Web Site Development Team Leader
Please let us know what you think of the newsletter. We welcome any suggestions for improvement. Contact us at: info@archaeologychannel.org
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