CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-07 00:20:36 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Wroe, S., Field, J. H., Archer, M., Grayson, D. K., Price, G. J., Louys, J., Faith, J. Tyler. Webb, Gregory E., Davidson, Iain, Mooney, S. D. (2013). Climate change frames debate over the extinction of megafauna in Sahul (Pleistocene Australia-New Guinea). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1302698110

Just published in early view

2013-04-13 04:05:22 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I have just uploaded a final manuscript of an encyclopedia entry to academia.edu. I have just corrected galley proofs so the publication should not be delayed too long.
Davidson, I. (2013 (in press)). Cognitive Evolution and Origins of Language and Speech. In C. Smith (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. New York: Springer.

2013-04-01 19:44:54 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

3 new pics on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/8611346584/in/photostream/

2013-03-25 05:53:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Three new pics on Flickr.  Autumn in Armidale.

2013-01-10 07:52:34 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

At last, the volume of Quaternary INternational on the colonixation of the last new worlds has appeared. Thanks to all the authors for their patience.
http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.une.edu.au/science/journal/10406182/285

2012-12-06 23:06:53 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

For those interested in the University of Colorado Colorado Springs online courses on Cognitive Archaeology, the syllabi are now online. I am not sure these are likely to be MOOCs, more SOOCs.
There are also email addresses for those who wish to enrol or ask more questions.
http://www.uccs.edu/cca/courses.html

2012-11-11 04:04:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Of interest to some in my circles, a set of integrated course on cognitive evolution offered by the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

2012-08-10 06:35:38 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I have just uploaded my first paper from the 2010 Foix conference on Pleistocene art. It arrived today.

Iain's status on Academia.edu
Just uploaded: Davidson, I. 2012. Symbolism and becoming a hunter-gatherer. L’art pléistocène dans le monde / Pleistocene art of the world / Arte pleistoceno en el mundo, N° spécial de Préhistoire, Art et Sociétés, Bulletin de la Société Préhistorique Ariège-Pyrénées LXV-LXVI:Book: p. 292-293, CD: p. 168

2012-07-21 05:39:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

xmas in July in Armidale

2012-07-18 06:39:57 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Two wide view photos of early morning in Armidale posted to Flickr

2012-07-16 01:15:20 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I just posted 5 photos of UNE on Flickr

Here are the roof lines of the Pat O'Shane Health building and the IT building

2012-07-15 05:13:10 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Our Sunday walk took us to the UNE campus to take photos of the tree.  I'll post those later.  But first some of the other "nature" photos.  I tried to convince my wife that mushrooms might be my signature photos because i am a fun guy, but she was not convinced.

On Flickr

2012-07-09 05:21:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

3 more pix

2012-07-07 09:13:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

A beautiful walk in the bush today--inn the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park at Wollomombi. It is part of the Gondwana World Heritage area.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/

2012-06-24 20:49:04 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 2 +1s)

Dipping my toe into online journalism
https://theconversation.edu.au/the-art-of-loving-neandertals-theyre-like-us-but-different-7741

I did not choose the pictures for this.

2012-06-24 06:15:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Here is the pic of the zombie flowers that the previous comment referred to.

2012-06-24 06:14:18 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Going to over do this diptych thing if I am not careful.
I had no idea that seed heads as apparently old and dead as this would actually go through the opening and closing routine of much more alive plants.

2012-06-22 01:10:50 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I have just uploaded my first diptych using the simple open source software Dipstych

2012-06-20 00:08:03 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

A beautiful frosty morning in Armidale
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/

2012-06-15 01:32:58 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Anna Saleh did quite a good job for the ABC on the Spanish dates
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/06/15/3523654.htm?topic=ancient

2012-06-15 01:28:22 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

For those interested in today's publication of old dates for cave art in northern Spain
http://www.sciencemag.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/content/336/6087/1409.full.pdf

My view is that the paper suffers from really bad scholarship in a number of places. Particularly at the end where they pluck from nowhere the idea of "gradual" change in art during the Upper Palaeolithic without giving that claim any context or support. Then the neandertals are thrown in as an afterthought in the last lines. Problems abound. First, they are completely wedded to the notion that the Aurignacian exists and represents the earliest moderns. Evidence for this is slight, but the Kent's Cavern dating last year might have been mentioned. We should not forget that the idea that the Mousterian equals Neandertals and the Aurignacians equals moderns was established in the 19th century and aspects of... more »

2012-06-12 08:03:35 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

4 New photos of the long weekend at the coast
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/

2012-05-26 23:18:04 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

3 new pics from Armidale
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/

2012-05-16 03:15:18 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

15 new pics from US trip. San Antonio and Poverty Point. That is all for this trip
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/

2012-05-09 07:30:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

26 New photos, mostly New Orleans
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/

2012-04-29 06:09:33 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

I posted some new pics on Flickr, but the announcement of that has got lost here. You know where my Flickr site is.

2012-04-29 06:05:51 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Some recent pics from Texas

2012-04-16 23:41:01 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Cypress swamp near Jackson, MS.

2012-03-20 12:52:35 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

After the storm, near Cape Lambert, WA. March 2012

2012-03-03 03:24:12 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

My first blog post:
http://thesubversivearchaeologist.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/iain-davidson-guest-comment-seafaring.html

2012-02-28 21:47:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

The last day of summer. The brilliant pink hydrangeas have faded (more on Flickr)

2012-02-25 00:14:29 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

A new dawn
and other things
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/

2012-02-20 19:46:24 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Quick dash to Brisbane to see the cricket. Our apartment had amazing glass walls around it which reflected brilliant light in all directions.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/

2012-02-12 04:09:36 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

At last a sunny day to take some photos. There are more on my Flickr page, and more to come. Here is a sample: a heritage cottage, a waterfall and a detail of the waterfall

2012-02-06 19:20:12 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Two photos in opposite directions from last night's dramatic sunset

2012-02-06 19:20:03 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

2012-02-02 22:50:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

For those of us who have been arguing for the importance in human evolution of prolonged infancy and prolonged learning, this seems to be pretty important
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/02/human-brains-wire-up-slowly-but-.html?ref=em

2012-01-30 22:53:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

2012-01-15 00:34:12 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Can anyone help? There was a recent paper about the analysis of a collection of central European skeletons of well documented people which had interesting things to say about variation and inheritance. I cannot now find the reference. Can anyone help. Or point me to similar (presumably there is some Smithfield stuff?)??
Many thanks.

2012-01-08 01:28:51 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

It really is worth going out to take photos in the early morning light. Some fantastic things to see on the way to Dangar's Falls this morning. Keen followers will see some interesting differences from the photos I took in December.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/

2012-01-02 10:45:40 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I think I am about to lose patience with G+. It just uploaded photos from my tablet without telling me it would and then made it difficult to delete them. Aaaaaaaaaaaagh.

2012-01-02 04:19:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

The great apricot heist

2012-01-01 03:49:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

New Year's Day in the garden
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/

2011-12-28 02:43:58 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Before and after of the Branxton Bikini tree.
The only way I could have produced such similar photos was for one of them to be photoshopped. I took (I think it was me) the photo with the bikini. I photoshopped it out to show that it is not quite as obviously human in shape when you do not have the bikini there. Unfortunately neither the original photo nor the photoshopped version are quite good enough to publish, so I really want to find someone who has a good photo of the tree with the bikini painted on. I have found a photo from this year on Flickr without the bikini, and asked permission to use it, but I do not have access to a good photo with the bikini. Some of the other photos on flickr are considerably more tacky. This one works well for the point I want to make.

2011-12-27 05:30:19 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Serious question here. In the old days the New England Highway went past a tree near Maitland which had some of its curved features enhanced by the painting of a bikini onto it. The road does not go past there any more and I have heard that the tree was cut when the road was updated.
I have an old photograph of it, but I want to publish a picture and need one of higher resolution than the one I have. Does anyone have a good photograph of it that I could have permission to reproduce?
My email address is in my profile
Many thanks
Iain

2011-12-26 03:49:22 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

Glorious morning, finally felt like summer. We left (slightly) early to take photographs at Dangars Falls. The fall itself was not as spectacular, but because the water had dropped a little, we could cross Salisbury Waters and take photos of the rapids above the fall. Wonderful. And first a black snake ran away from us (no photo I am afraid), then there was a shag on a rock, and lots of butterflies (really difficult to photograph as these pictures show).
Enjoy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/

2011-12-21 03:58:25 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

That is great
I have now set the slider to 0 for all my streams except family. That way I make a choice about whether to see people in any particular stream. It works the way I want it to. Except that I stll get What's hot on Google. But today, for the first time, I feel I might be able to manage G+ and want to stay. Yay.

2011-12-19 23:09:58 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Series of cockatoo photographs. The Black Cockatoos visit our garden each year to feast on the pine tree. One also found the only apricot this year too.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/

2011-12-17 03:42:47 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I just posted this on a Facebook group but it might be of interest here too.

There is a nice piece of interest to the readership of this group in the latest Science about cause and effect in biology, celebrating Ernst Mayr's famous paper of 50 years ago.

Mayr, E. 1961. Cause and effect in biology. Science 134: 1501-6.

It is a nice paper:

Laland, Kevin N., Kim Sterelny, John Odling-Smee, William Hoppitt, and Tobias Uller. 2011. Cause and Effect in Biology Revisited: Is Mayr’s Proximate-Ultimate Dichotomy Still Useful? Science 334 (6062): 1512-1516.

My question is about the slight unease I have that neither of the two papers cites Tinbergen who used the same four part classification of cause and effect in biology in 1951. How could this be?

Tinbergen, N. 1951. The study of instinct. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

It is the sort oft... more »

2011-12-17 00:18:02 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Just uploaded the last lot of Spanish photos. 27 this time.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23766603@N07/