Comments for Assemblages

Comment on LOL Hosts Civilization | LOL by Adam Smith

Adam Smith — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 20:50:43 +0000

It depends on the quality of the play and the critique!

Comment on LOL Hosts Civilization | LOL by Aaron

Aaron — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 18:40:20 +0000

Very interesting. Will any of the students’ work make it up onto the blog?

Comment on Indo-European Origins, Recomputed by Maureen Marshall

Maureen Marshall — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 04:16:11 +0000

On a parallel note (and based on very limited research): Renfrew seems to be the source for geneticists’ imaginings of linguistic histories. In their 1994 magnum opus, The History and Geography of Human Genes, Cavalli-Sforza et al. relied heavily on Renfrew’s work. However, in Cavalli-Sforza’s more recent popular book, he advocated a Gimbutas + Renfrew model. Again, he does not work through any archaeological analyses, but in a “comparison” of “results” finds the linguistic model that best matches his own genetic model. Also interesting are the underlying perceptions of archaeology by other “scientists,” archaeology does not seem to be a theoretical, analytic, or methodological approach, but prehistory.

Comment on Oldest Examples of Caucasian Languages by Adrienne Mayor

Adrienne Mayor — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:02:09 +0000

Please note, this is a Working Paper–we welcome constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement as we revise and refine the paper

Comment on Gobeckli Tepe by Dr Bernard Mooney

Dr Bernard Mooney — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:35:30 +0000

Fascinated by story of Gobeckli Tepe. trying to find discussion started on GT where someone was suggesting that all languages had a common source, but was being dismissed by the chat group as unintelligible. I wanted to follow the argument, but lost the website. Any one know it please?

Comment on Lost Technologies by Adam Smith

Adam Smith — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:25:31 +0000

I would agree. Context of technological production matters. So a modern flint knapper working with stone tools to understand how they were made is simply not the same context as someone making stone tools to hunt for their next meal. In this case then, technology isn’t the object, it’s the social relationship between object and human communities. Which interestingly is what Wired magazine is really all about. So it was surprising that Kelly tok a narrower definition.

Comment on Lost Technologies by Kathryn O'Neil Weber

Kathryn O'Neil Weber — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:41:05 +0000

I think a key point here, is Kelly’s initial phrase “species of technology.” The examples given in the paragraph also suggest that he’s thinking of technologies as not individual tools, but categories of tools? For example, the water clock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_clock#Modern_water_clock_designs) may no longer be actually utilized to tell time, but time-telling technologies are still around. On the other hand, if this is the kind of example that Kelly’s thinking of… there are some people who still construct water clocks (according to wikipedia), but they are doing it for artistic purposes. Which raises the same question as the Acheulean hand axes… If it’s the same object, but it serves a completely different purpose, is it still the same technology?

Comment on UPDATE: Say it ain’t so Vladimir! by Adam Smith

Adam Smith — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:42:57 +0000

I was thinking of the Dos Equis guy too when the image of Putin with two amphorae in his hands came out. Wasn’t one of the tag lines once that the most interesting man in the world could speak Russian in French? But it is a sign of remarkable confidence that they could set this scene up, then admit it was a set up. Putin is the real Teflon President.

Comment on UPDATE: Say it ain’t so Vladimir! by Kathryn Weber

Kathryn Weber — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:27:51 +0000

As entertaining as the article is, some of the highly recommended comments made me laugh out loud. There’s something great about our collective ability to find Putin mesmerizing… Yes, it’s a show, but everyone’s in on that knowledge, which makes encountering the latest episode feel like hearing a Chuck Norris joke, or watching a Dos Equis commercial (both of which are mentioned among said comments).

Comment on New Discoveries at Areni Cave, Armenia by Adam

Adam — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:30:43 +0000

Good question. Cayonu in Turkey long held prominence as the site with the oldest cloth remains (whether skirt or other garment is probably hard to tell): http://www.sciencealert.com.au/features/20080109-17884.html. But far older evidence for cloth comes from Georgia where fibers were dated to 34,000 years BP: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2009/09/10/archeology-cloth-fibres-georgia.html?ref=rss. If any one knows of anything older or in between, post it here.