Sorry Listserve,

The last message was obviously a mistake, did not mean to send it out to
the list serve.  The message was only meant for Dan L., so everybody else
please ignore.  I thought I was replying to Dan's last email to me and not
to Dan's email on the conference issue.

Thank you,

Rolando


On Wed, May 15, 2013 at 5:16 PM, Lauterbur, Dan (MDOT) <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I believe that there are great new technologies like Skype, Facetime, etc
> that can enhance our professional interaction, and I am all for developing
> them and utilizing them where appropriate.  But, as has been said
> previously and more eloquently, for many of us there is no substitute for
> direct human interaction with colleagues and other like-minded individuals.
>  I rarely make it to conferences not within driving distance, but take
> every opportunity to interact with other archaeologists.  Students new to
> the field can get really excited meeting with leaders and others in the
> field, and I don't think that they would be equally jazzed by a net
> meeting. Additionally, technology can be great, but it certainly has its
> pitfalls.  For instance, how many professional archaeologists have spent
> portions of their day today following or participating in this extended
> discussion thread, taking time away from excavating shovel tests,
> interpreting features, completing site forms, teaching s
>  tudents, writing reports, or any number of professional activities that
> clients and taxpayers pay us to do?
>
> Sure, on occasion, I have been on projects where senior staff left to go
> to the SAAs, or some other meeting - but it never inhibited the work; there
> were always others of us available to take over during their absence.  If
> these gatherings are truly archaic and obsolete as you seem to believe,
> they will atrophy and die off anyway. So go ahead, develop robust
> technological tools to help us do our jobs and interact - but simply
> boycott conferences rather than evangelize the need to abolish them.
>
> Dan Lauterbur
> Archaeologist
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of sent
> Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 4:57PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Why YOU should come to SHA Quebec 2014
>
> Again sacrificing jobs and research for the feel good of human contact I
> cant see why this justifies such sacrifice.
> As you point out the job can be done with electronic communication
>
> We owe the public the most inexpensive solution and it has been
> demonstrated that  traditional conferencing is the  most  expensive
> solution for doing the same thing- communicating and discussing.
>
> If you want face to face discover free  good and easy  skype
>
> If you want to exhange papers and even co author  them use google docs
>
> for recreation and travel- well use your own money- or volunteer to do
> archeology in a nice setting
>
> Easy
>
> Conrad Bladey
> Archeologist
> Peasant
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 4:50 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Why YOU should come to SHA Quebec 2014
>
> I really have to weigh in here.  I know what it was like to attend
> virtually no conferences early in my career and what it is like to do at
> least  two per year now (ACRA and SHA, sometimes SAA).  Both my business
> and my company's work has improved dramatically, with a lot of that due to
> face to face interaction with people in the field.  I have picked up many
> innovative ideas, made many changes in the way that I do work and just
> became more enthused  with archaeology on a regular basis by attending and
> participating (an important  component - giving papers, participating in
> symposia, doing posters, serving the  organizations on committees and as
> officers, etc. - I was chair of the 1999 SHA  Conference in Salt Lake City).
>
> While I have not expected to generate new work from these attendances, it
> has happened over the years. I also have, no doubt, that there have  been
> projects we have done that have been the result of farther flung
> connections made at conferences that I have no idea came from there.
>
> Electronic communication is wonderful and a great way to share specific
> information and keep in touch, but humans are humans.  There is no
> substitute for person to person interaction, body language, interacting
> with  multiple people at once, experiencing the book room, personally
> interacting with people who create posters, the venue and city in which the
> conference is held. Getting to know archaeologists, historians,
> architectural historians and others over the years has enhanced my
> understanding of and joy in the profession, made my work better, and
> generated friendships for my wife (also an
> archaeologist) and myself  that I would not trade for all of  the
> electronic communications available, hands down.
>
> Mike Polk
> Sagebrush Consultants, L.L.C.
> Ogden, Utah
>
>
> In a message dated 5/15/2013 2:05:07 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> Exactly  it is black and white that is why it is so important. We have
> more ways to  promote interaction other than conferencing than ever in
> history-why are  we using this expensive method which takes jobs and
> detracts from our  ability to address the research?
>
> Communication is communication-  all the things you mention can be
> generated by electronic  communication-its easy-
>
> It is like people are insisting that we put our  postal mail back on
> horses and stage coaches because it feels better-  terrible foundation for
> the
> argument for   communication!
>
>
> Conrad  Bladey
> Archeologist
> Peasant
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:  Kimberly Wooten
> Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 2:36 PM
> To:  [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Why YOU should come to SHA Quebec  2014
>
> That's your black and white argument. I think the flip side being  that
> attendance at conferences generates new ideas, enthusiasm, and professional
> contacts, all of which lead to funding and preservation  opportunities, and
> if I enjoy myself, regardless of the personal finical  decisions I make to
> attend a conference (locally or internationally), so  much the better. VTCs
> are another option, happen frequently where I work,  and are often employed
> in conjunction with professional meetings. The  point of my message was to
> be supportive of a peer charged with the task  of promoting an important
> conference. Kimberly
>
>
>
> > Date:  Wed, 15 May 2013 14:10:36 -0400
> > From: [log in to unmask]
> >  Subject: Re: Why YOU should come to SHA Quebec 2014
> > To:  [log in to unmask]
> >
> > So the fun and travel is worth limiting  funding, employment and
> necessary
> > conservation and  fieldwork?
> >
> > Look into the many ways you can do really clear  visual and audio
> > conferencing-free
> >
> >  Conrad
> >
> > Thank you in advance for your prompt  response!
> >
> >
> > On May 15, 2013, at 1:48 PM, Kimberly Wooten
> > <[log in to unmask]>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Let me  try this again... As archaeologists, it is almost a given
> > > that  most of us are not living the high life. I admit it can be a
> > > financial
>
> > > strain on my family to attend a conference, but we choose to do
> > > this;
> we
> > > can't always attend annually and are careful with those  meetings we
> > > do attend. The SHA meetings in York, England,  several years ago
> > > were wonderful and nothing can compare to  meeting people
> > > face-to-face,
> having
> > > my enthusiasm for my chosen  field renewed by this contact and some
> > > excellent presentations,  all wrapped in the bonus visiting
> > > beautiful places. Technology  has its important uses, but its limits
> > > as well. I
> for
> > > one, will  be happy to attend the meetings in Quebec City. Kimberly
> > >
> >  >
> > >> Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 01:17:50 +0000
> > >>  From: [log in to unmask]
> > >> Subject: Why YOU should  come to SHA Quebec 2014
> > >> To: [log in to unmask]
> >  >>
> > >> See the Society for Historical Archaeology’s latest  blog, “Why YOU
> > >> should come to Quebec in 2014”
> >  >>
>
> http://www.sha.org/blog/index.php/2013/05/why-you-should-come-to-quebec-in-2014/
> >  >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> William  Moss
> > >> Conference Chair / 47th Conference on Historic and  Underwater
> > >> Archaeology Président du Comité  organisateur / 47e Colloque sur
> > >> l'archéologie historique et  subaquatique
> > >> www.sha2014.com<http://www.sha2014.com/>
> >  >
>



-- 
Rolando L. Garza
Archeologist/Chief of Resource Management
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
1623 Central Blvd., Rm 213
Brownsville, Texas 78520
(956) 541-2785 ext. 331
cell (956) 466-5490
fax (956) 541-6356