Git: How not to learn it
There are some things that are great in theory. In practice, though…
It’s actually cool, too. I just need to learn how to use it.
Programme is out!
On the 12th and 13th of October, the Archaeological Department of the University of Cologne is hosting a two-day symposium. The preparations are in full swing and we now released a preliminary programme.
Series: Teaching Statistics with Cartoons 2/?: Data
This is my series on how to teach statistics with the help of cartoons. I want to share my fun, but there are too many for just one blog post, therefore I created a series. On to implementation numero 2: Cartoons on Data (more…)
The future of archaeological scanning?
Recently, I watched a Jackie Chan movie called “Dragon Blade”. Usually, this blog is not for movie reviews, but one scene of that movie in particular sparked my interest: Two “archaeologists” scan a roman-chinese (sic!) city with a scanning and reconstruction system, that I would love to have.
Series: Teaching Statistics with Cartoons – digression: Teaching Archaeology!
You may know my series on teaching statistics using cartoons. Now imagine my surprise when I found someone, who wants to teach archaeology using comics! (more…)
Virtual Reality in the classroom
In my class “3D modelling and reconstruction in Archaeology”, my students created a Virtual Reality experience, from the initial research to the final portation to a game engine. Besides some advice, the students did archieve the end result all by themselves.
Long term storage of things digital
“Digitalisation” is a buzzword in the humanities, closely connected to the Digital Humanities, to open access, reproducibility, sharing heritage and so forth. I believe it is a very important step to a better and more open science. There is one point though, that is important to me: I’ve worked with books 115 years old. How can we make sure people will be able to read our digital output in another 115 years?
Videos Games in the classroom – Innovation or a waste of time?
The new Assassin’s Creed game takes place in Ancient Egypt. Beside the usual gameplay, where you have to follow a story, collect items and explore the world, you can experience the game totally free from that as a kind of observer in order to learn something about Ancient Egypt. Is this concept ready for the classroom?
Series: Teaching Statistics with Cartoons 1/?: General
There are quite a number of cartoons out there, which feature jokes on statistics and which I use in my quantitative methods for archaeologists class. I want to share my fun, but there are too many for just one blog post, therefore: Let a new series be born!
I’ll begin the series with more general statistical topics in cartoons. (more…)
Documentation: manual or digital?
It is 2018! Time to document our archaeological digs digitally, wouldn’t you say? We have it all: CAD to draw plans; GIS for maps; photogrammetry / structure from motion for 3D models and rectified photos; databases to connect all this with feature description… why use paper at all?
Well… (more…)
Archaeogaming Series: What can an archaeologist learn from a computer game?
In this series of posts, I want to test in what capacity a AAA-game in a historical setting can actually teach me – as an aracheologist – something I don’t know about history. I have studied Near Eastern Archaeology, Prehistory and Assyriology, but never Egyptology, what would be the perfect branch of study for this game. Nevertheless I still can learn and by playing Assissins Creed Orgins and researching the scientific facts behind it, I want to find out if the game is well researched and document what I learned from it. Spoilers ahead!
Burial Chamber of Köln-Weiden: Busts
For a long time, I did not post anything about the progress of the visualisation project in Cologne-Weiden. Now, we are actually almost finished and I will try to recap some of the steps we were going through. Today’s post topic are the Structure from Motion models of the busts in Cologne-Weiden.
The University of Cologne will host a symposium!
On the 12th to the 13th of October 2018, we will host a symposium at our institute. The symposium (that means there will be wine!) is called “Communicating the Past in the Digital Age – Digital methods for teaching and learning in Archaeology” and the actual Call for Papers is out!
We were at the CAA in Tübingen
Sebastian and I joined the international community of nerds in archaeology at the conference for Computer Applications & Quantitative Methods in Archaeology in Tübingen, which we advertised here. (more…)
Statistics in Archaeology: Why oh why?!
Why use such complicated stuff, which is concerned with numbers, probability, density, tests, and all that which we hated in school? Why oh why?!
Fact is, archaeologists produce huge amounts of data.