Well, it doesn’t seem like a whole month has passed since FOSS4G. but it’s nearly halloween so I guess it must have done. Here in Lancaster things have been mighty hectic, with office moves and related changes (I now know a lot more about VOIP phone systems than I ever wanted to). It’s only this last week where I feel like I’m actually back in the saddle and doing real work again.

Tomorrow (Thursday 6th September) is Archaeogeek’s 1st Birthday! Hooray! I won’t be able to post tomorrow as I will be in deepest darkest North Wales learning how to roll my kayak using the power of my mind alone, or something like that. I hope to get a better posting rhythm soon- things are a little fraught at the moment because of things happening in my personal life (my parents and Grandparents have sold their houses in Kent- 300 miles from us, and moved to one big house in Kendal- 18 miles from us), and my work life (our company is also moving offices at the end of September).

Five years after warnings that the war in Iraq would damage some of the world’s most important archaeological finds, the Guardian reports that the Americans have come up with a sure-fire way of protecting the monuments. The most powerful military in the world has issued another set of playing cards, with such exhortations as “Drive around, not over, archaeological sites” (Five of Clubs) Good work guys. That will do the trick.

A simple test: Find a copy of Microsoft Excel Format the fist column as a date Type 18/12/1901 in the first cell. Excel will recognise that as 18 Dec 1901 Type 18/12/1564 in the next cell down. Excel will think this is a string and leave it as it is Go figure… Luckily, Open Office realises that history goes back further than 1900.

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in the UK has recently decided to withdraw funding from the Arts and Humanities Data Service (AHDS). The AHDS has been fundamental in developing best practices for the storage and preservation of digital data for use by researchers in the humanities over the last eleven years. Not only that, but the AHRC appears to have taken no steps at all to ensure the long term preservation of the AHDS data.

I’m sure everyone has been to some kind of social function, often an extended family gathering, where the first few lines of conversation with someone you’ve not met before invariably include the following: name, relationship to instigator of gathering, relationship to other attendees, and so on. I’ve often thought that some sort of heads-up-display would come in handy, providing you with this vital information, to avoid those awkward first few minutes of a meeting.

There are a few blogs that I follow daily that I try and take advice from. Some I read to, well, try and make myself into a better person in general, and some to try and learn how to be a good manager. One that is particularly useful, nay inspirational at the moment is Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project.I am consistently amazed about her ability to be honest about her failures and faults, and the fact that she maintains such an optimistic and constructive outlook.