Tim,

OK, maybe I'm in a bad mood today ...

Let me be very clear, I thoroughly enjoyed the TT America 
presentations on Topper and Jamestown, which are perhaps the only 
ones that I have seen ... They provided strong presentations that 
covered a lot of topics quite well ...

But I stand by my very personal "opinion" about the imposition of the 
"three-day rule" to these shows. I think you would be hard pressed to 
infer that this artifice "improved" these shows in any substantial 
way, and frankly, without putting too fine a point on it, it is just 
another example of the dumbing-down of science to the public that 
will eventually bite us in the nether regions.  Using your own logic, 
the public may have been led to believe that Topper or Jamestown was 
in immediate jeopardy of being destroyed, which was certainly not the 
case.

Now, don't get me started on Zawi Hawass ...

Regards, Mark




>I think many of you are being unfair to Time Team / TT America. 
>These people are professional colleagues, many of whom are readers 
>of HISTARCH.
>
>It is a TV formula that works for that media type.  They promote a 
>strong preservation ethic- it isn't about digging stuff up. They 
>constantly connect the three-day scavenger hunt format to the long 
>term research and management plans at the sites.
>
>If anyone else has a magical and mystical source for funding and a 
>pipeline connection to millions of viewers, please share it with the 
>rest of us.  I'd love to know.
>
>Concerning the three-day imposed time limit, how hard would it be 
>for me to find an archaeologist with a story about "we have three 
>days before the bulldozers come through!"  Or how about "We've got 
>this GPR unit for five hours and then the funding runs out."  Please 
>spare me the idea that you all have unlimited funds and time.  We 
>all constantly make cost-benefit decisions about working within 
>budgets and timelines and to pretend otherwise is insincere and 
>borderline dishonest.
>
>On the whole, I often catch myself saying, "The students in my 
>lecture just don't understand how important this is"  instead of 
>"Why doesn't my audience get the message I am trying to send them? 
>How can I deliver this message better?"
>
>We all begin to like the critics who complained about Margaret Mead 
>writing for Redbook Magazine.
>
>Cheers,
>Tim
>
>
>On Mar 11, 2010, at 3:21 PM, Mark Branstner wrote:
>
>>I strongly agree with Barbara ...
>>
>>The phoney time limits that have been the "standard" device for all 
>>cable TV reality shows has ruined most of them for me ...  We only 
>>have a week to strip down this whole car and rebuild it!  We only 
>>have a month to build this hot rod from the ground up!  We only 
>>have three days to sort out the entire Topper site ... Please, what 
>>a pretentious, and seriously bogus load of crap ...
>>
>>The real danger is that although "we" know how bad these 
>>presentations are -- and what is being either glossed over or even 
>>misrepresented -- the public certainly does not!
>>
>>Very, very slippery slope ... for the sake of "info-tainment"
>>
>>Mark
>>--
>>
>>Mark C. Branstner, RPA
>>Historic Archaeologist
>>
>>Illinois State Archaeological Survey
>>Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability
>>University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
>>209 Nuclear Physics Lab, MC-571
>>23 East Stadium Drive
>>Champaign, IL 61820
>>
>>Phone: 217.244.0892
>>Fax: 217.244.7458
>>Cell: 517.927.4556
>>[log in to unmask]
>>
>>
>>"There's absolutely nothing wrong with Marxism, so long as you stop 
>>at "A Day At The Races." If you keep on with "At the Circus," etc., 
>>suddenly, Marxism doesn't seem all that interesting and you start 
>>to look for something a bit more competent, like Chaplinism or 
>>Stoogeism"  - Anonymous
>>
>>"I hope there's pudding" - Luna Lovegood (HP5)


-- 

Mark C. Branstner, RPA
Historic Archaeologist

Illinois State Archaeological Survey
Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
209 Nuclear Physics Lab, MC-571
23 East Stadium Drive
Champaign, IL 61820

Phone: 217.244.0892
Fax: 217.244.7458
Cell: 517.927.4556
[log in to unmask]


"There's absolutely nothing wrong with Marxism, so long as you stop 
at "A Day At The Races." If you keep on with "At the Circus," etc., 
suddenly, Marxism doesn't seem all that interesting and you start to 
look for something a bit more competent, like Chaplinism or 
Stoogeism"  - Anonymous

"I hope there's pudding" - Luna Lovegood (HP5)