#258 Passion and Dedication

 

I had called this the Passion of Christ(opher) originally. However, I realized that I shouldn't draw parallels to the son of a god when I am, in fact, a god myself. Ha!

I can be pretty intense. Some people that know me would say I'm a passionless robot and others would say I'm hot-headed and intense. There isn't really an in-between with me. Such is life. I'm working on swinging more to the middle, but, it's apparently not in my nature.

Recently, I had an interaction with a good friend that demonstrated just how clueless I am to my particular personality quirks. In most relationships I have (friendly and otherwise) I'm either all or nothing. I'm like that with much of what I do. I don't do much of anything half-assed. I either do it, or, I don't. So, when I meet someone that I really click with and am on the same page with on a lot of topics I want to keep that interaction going. It's difficult to find, actually. However, my version of friendship can be, as I said above, too intense and some people simply aren't prepared for it.

Why am I putting this on the blog? Because I need a couple people with me right now that are the same way. I've got some projects that I want to do that simply don't have funding. They are necessary and needed in the field of archaeology (and beyond in some cases) but they are difficult to set up and I just don't have the money. I also don't have the time or ability to do it on my own. 

What I need is one, maybe two, people that have similar drive and passion for these projects and can see the future potential and possibilities. What I need are people that don't tell me, "I don't have time", or, "I had something else to do, I'll get to it later". I need people that put aside other things to get these things done. I need people that see this as one of the big things they do in their lives and are more concerned with how many people will be helped by what we produce than what happens on Game of Thrones.

Are you that person? What sorts of qualities does this person have? First, they probably watch little TV. They're way too engaged with the world and their own projects to afford too much TV-watching time. This person also has a thirst and passion for knowledge. Are you constantly reading journals or online articles? Do you repost IFLS on Facebook all the time, but, actually READ the articles and not just the headlines? Do you know what PLOS even stands for? Finally, this person has a passion for communicating archaeology and improving working conditions across the board for archaeologists.

This is a tall order, I know. I've really only ever met two people like this in my life. One I'm not in touch with anymore and the other, well, has other things on their mind and might not be ready for something like this. Not sure yet.

Oh, and this person, or people, has at least an MA/MS or is in a graduate program. I know a graduate degree doesn't make you smarter but in this case it tells me a lot about you. It says to me that you believe in the field enough to want todo something drastic to move up and make a difference. It tells me that you follow through with your ambitions rather than saying, "next year I'll go to grad school" and never actually going. That's what I'm looking for. Honestly, even if you dropped out of your program for reasons relating to the fit or goals of the program, then that's OK. I respect people that can back out of a bid decisions rather than continue in something that's just not right and will lead to nothing.

If you want to know more and actually meet the qualifications above and are willing to put in a lot of hard work for very little early return but a high long term return, let me know. If you'd rather skate through life and let others do the hard work, then, this message will self-destruct in five seconds. Good day to you.

Sorry to be harsh and abrasive, but, I'm tired of dancing around these projects and I want to see at least one thing go live by the start of the next field season.

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

#257 Tub Water

installing-a-good-bathtub-sample-of-a-dirty-bathtub.jpg

How many projects have you been on where the project manager or the crew chief filled your crew water jug with water from the bathtub in the hotel room? It's certainly a cheap way to get water for your crew, that's for sure. But, do you like drinking tub water? How much would it cost to get good, filtered, water every day? What does it say about the crew chief when they make sacrifices like that? What does it say about the company? How does it make you feel as a field technician. Let's dive into this.

The Cost of Filtered Water

In many areas of the country there are water machines where you can get filtered water. They're often in grocery stores. I've seen a gallon cost anywhere from 39 to 45 cents. Let's just say it's 50 cents to cover all the possibilities. If you have a crew of four people they might drink five gallons in about three days. Often, crew members will start the day with their own water and fill up during the day. if they drink the 5 gallons in three days, then, on a 10-day session you'll fill the water jug three, maybe four, times. Let's say four. That would be 20 gallons (5 gal x 4 times). At 50 cents a gallon, that's $10 per rotation for water for a four-person crew. 

A field season could last 9 months (18, 10-day rotations). That would mean you'd spend $360 per field season for a four person crew. If you are running large projects and have maybe four crews, that's $1,440 per year. Really??  CRM firms waste that much money just thinking about starting a project.

Considering it another way, a $150,000 project (the kind that might have four crews) would use only 0.96% of the budget IF they went nine months. A project of that size with four crews would probably only last a few months, dropping the percentage even lower.

What Kind of Crew Chief Uses Tub Water

I'd be willing to bet that some people reading this have never considered the impact of tub water on crew health and moral. That's understandable. If no one has ever said something to you, then, you might not have thought about it. It's time to think about it.

Crew moral is an easy thing to improve if you're mindful of their needs and are always thinking ahead. You need to be always thinking about the budget too, of course. When the leadership thinks of spending money on water and ice they will often come to the conclusion that it's too expensive. This is while sitting at the gas station with four vehicles and 20 people all getting snacks in the morning. That 30 minute stop for gas doesn't come cheap. Let's assume that the minimum billable rate for a field technician is $55. I've seen it higher and I've seen it lower. If you've got 16 crew members and four crew chiefs at the gas station for 30 minutes then the cost, assuming the crew chiefs are at, let's say $65 per hour, would be $570. You probably stop for gas at least twice in a 10-day session - more if you have a long commute. That's $1,140 just for people standing there! Next time you'll think twice when deciding whether to fill up after work with JUST the crew chiefs.

Don't even get me started on the cost of tire changes versus just buying 10-ply tires.

This MUST be the water Crew Chief's think they're getting you.

This MUST be the water Crew Chief's think they're getting you.

It's the little things, like buying filtered water, that don't cost much but that show the crew that you care about them. That will not only improve moral, but, it could save someone's life too. I know people that won't drink the water in the jugs because they think it's tub water. That could get dangerous really fast.

What Do You Think?

Am I off the rails on this one? Does anyone really care? What brought this on, anyway? I'll tell you.

So, I'm running a large project in the hot SoCal desert right now. The people on my crew are good friends of mine. One of them knows me better than probably 99% of all people I've ever known. We were at the truck for break one day and two of us were filling our water bladders for our backpacks. I don't remember exactly what was said, but, I ask her if she was going to fill up or whether she needed any water. She said something about not wanting tub water and that she doesn't drink the local water. Who does? It's disgusting. I told her it was filtered water and that I fill it almost daily before work. She had no idea! Even though I tend to get the best things I can, she just assumed it was water from the bathtub because that's all she's ever known from a crew chief. That makes me sad.

So, go the extra mile and give your crew some good water. They deserve it and it doesn't cost that much. If your company won't expense it then do it yourself. You owe it to your crew. Also, find another job if the company thinks it's an expense they can't afford.

SAY NO TO TUB WATER!!

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

#256 #SAA2015 Conference Scheduling Hack

Hey all...I was scheduling my week for SAA2015 and found a way to make it a bit easier. I thought I'd make a quick video so others could do it if they please.

Now, this works on Apple iCalendar apps across the iPhone and Mac OS, but, I'm sure there is an Android way to do this using Gmail or some other app. I'm just not well versed in that system.

If you know how to do it on Android, leave a note in the comments.

Thanks for watching and I'll see you at the SAAs!

#255 ArchaeoTech: ZeroLemon 10000mAh Battery

ZeroLemon Field Battery

ZeroLemon Field Battery

This is just a quick post to promote a sale I saw on Stack Social. It's for the 10000 mAh solar portable battery from ZeroLemon. As of the date on this post, you can get this battery for $26!!! First, let me explain the 10000mAh.

For a batter, you have several different measurements. The output is in either 1A or 2A (1 amp or 2 amp). This is like the size of the engine in your car. The bigger the engine, the faster it'll go. The 10000 mAh (milli amp hours) is like the gas tank. A 10000 mAh battery has more juice in it than a 6000 mAh battery. The 20000 mAh battery that I have has twice as much juice as the 10000 mAh one here.

Charge two devices at once!

Charge two devices at once!

How Far Will It Go?

As an example, the iPad Air has an 8,600 mAh battery. That means, if you have a 6000 mAh battery that it will only put a 3/4 charge on a completely dead iPad Air. My 20000 mAh battery will put 2.5 charges on my iPad Air. Most tablets are in this range for batteries, so, this 10,000 mAh battery is perfect for daily use.

The Solar Panel

These batteries come with a solar panel on the outside. Don't place much faith in that panel. If you're stranded in the middle of no where, then, it'll probably come in handy. However, it's too small to really charge the device too quickly and shouldn't be relied on.

Rugged

This device is super rugged. I have no problem throwing it in my pack and getting out in the field. However, if you're working in a wet environment, you might want to bag it. The charging port and USB ports are wide open.

Mostly water resistant and rugged.

Stack Social

I get emails from Stack Social several times a week. I don't mind because they have AMAZING deals on new and existing tech and software. They're not the quickest for shipping, though. My ZeroLemon battery took about 3 weeks to deliver. However, for the savings, you can't beat it. 

Throw it in your pack and go.

Throw it in your pack and go.

Check out the deal below before it's gone and keep those devices charged!

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

#253 Choosing a Field School

Figure 1. Screening with some help from local volunteers.

Bill White and I are recording a special episode of the CRM Archaeology Podcast all about Field Schools. What should be taught at a field school? What shouldn’t be there? What did you get out of your field school? Should you learn job hunting skills? Why type of field school should you go for?

We’ll be recording on Thursday, March 26, at 5pm PDT. Send an email to chris@archaeologypodcastnetwork.com if you want to call into the podcast and tell us your field school story. If you’re an undergraduate looking for a field school, call in and tell us what you’d like to learn or what you’re looking for. If you don’t know, we’ll try to help.

I’ve told my field school story before on the this blog, in my book, and on the podcast but I’ll talk about it again briefly. The field school was actually an Earthwatch program at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. We were digging trenches in deposits between basalt layers dated from 1.83 to 2.01 mya. Basically, the bottom of the Gorge. It was AWESOME. We dug, screened, identified extinct faunal remains, did a little pedestrian survey, cleaned and tagged artifacts in the onsite lab, and had presentations on the area and the archaeology. We also visited several Masai villages and a market. The experience was one of a kind and fueled my passion for paleoanthopology. Did it prepare me for a career in contract archaeology, though? Not even a little bit.

Choosing the Right School

First, you need to figure out what you want to do with your life. I know, easier said than done. I don’t mean be specific, though. I just mean, do you want to be a paleoanthropologist? Do you want to work in contract archaeology? Even better, do you want to work in a certain part of the country or world? Those are big, mostly easy, questions that you can probably answer right now. The next question, though, is even more difficult.

Attributes of a Field School

Figure 2. This image is NOT from a WCRM project. Just FYI.

Now that you know where you want to go, or at least the region, you have to figure out which school to go to. If they have a website with info, great! If they don’t, contact someone that teaches the school and ask them questions. I’m going to focus on contract archaeology now since that’s what I do.

If you’re interested in contract archaeology you are going to need some specific skills that will set you above your competition. Many people, like me, just fulfilled the basic requirements of a CRM job: a degree and a field school, oh, and a pulse. To set yourself above the rest you want to get some good training in but you have to know what that training is.

Here is a list of things that you should learn at a field school to be more marketable on your first job:

  • Tablet Recording
    • Everyone is going digital, learn it
  • Sub-meter GPS
    • we use these EVERYWHERE
  • Using a compass
    • yes, we still do that
  • Hand drawing a map
    • just a good skill to have
  • Reading a map
    • Know how to read a topographic map. It'll save you from some treacherous hikes in the west
  • Taking notes
    • not as easy as it sounds; you have to be succinct and descriptive all at the same time.
  • Soil description
    • no one told you that you’d need a geology minor, did they? Well, you do.
  • Using a screen
    • see my embarrassing episode on my first dig in my book.
  • Reading a Munsell book
    • colors are important to some people
  • How to find a job in the instructor’s profession
    • they should be training their replacements

This is just a start, but, it’s a fundamental list of what you should look for in a field school. If a field school director is not teaching one of these things, ask them why they aren’t.

The Two Purposes of a Field School

Figure 3. The waste rock and entrance corridor of an adit, a horizontal mine shaft.

Contrary to what some graduate students and professors might think, field school isn’t just for finishing your dissertation or working on that site you’ve been digging for 20 years. It’s for teaching. Chances are the field school has been funded by organizations who demand that you teach. So, teach! I’ve heard of a number of instances of people attending field schools and just moving buckets for the grad students or not being able to use the expensive equipment. Field school students aren’t there to be your grunts. They are there to learn and they are often paying over $6000US for the privilege.

Remember, if you want to tell your story or tell us what you’re looking for in a field school, see the note at the top of this post.

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

#252 SAA and Open Access

#252 SAA and Open Access

The March 2015 issue of the SAA Archaeological Record is out. First, it's a special issue covering archaeology and reality TV with a boader focus on communicating archaeology in the media. I just want to point out that there is ZERO mention of podcasts. Not even in passing. Go ahead, search the document. You won't find it. I guess I need to publish some articles about podcasting for there to be a mention of it.