Author Archives: paleololigo

Scientist (Paleontology, Geochemistry, Geology); Writer (Speculative and Science Fiction, plus technical and non-technical Science); Mom to great boy on the Autism spectrum; possessor of too many hobbies.

Cameras, Cameras Everywhere –

…and the one I use most often is the one in my cell phone.

Because the A to Z blogging challenge is starting soon I’ve been thinking a lot about cameras. That’s because I decided that cameras will be the theme I use for the challenge.

Every letter is covered, except for Y and Z.
Every letter is covered, except for Y and Z.

We have a few cameras (by few, I mean about 600), so I figured it would be easy. A greater challenge would be to narrow down the types of cameras.

I decided to go with single lens film cameras. You might ask, what other kinds of cameras are there? Besides digital cameras, of course.

For giggles, I thought I’d present here a little tutorial on the types of cameras out there.Continue reading “Cameras, Cameras Everywhere –”

Sewing Saturday – My New Lab Coat

Yeah, I know. I’m not publishing this on a Saturday. But I did the sewing on Saturday. Last Saturday, in fact.

But I was also slightly (ok, very) sick at the time, so I only took pictures and didn’t do much else (aside from the sewing, of course.)

Truth be told, I actually didn’t sew much that day either, except for four buttonholes and four buttons. What I did instead was paint.

But let’s go back to the title. What’s this about a new lab coat?

I work in a lab. I’m a geochemist. Lab coats are basically obligatory. The problem is, lab coats tend not to fit well. No matter what size you get, they’re ill fitting and you have to roll the sleeves – which can be a problem.

I’ve been known to do a little sewing, so I decided to make a lab coat that was fitted exactly to me. And since I would make my own lab coat, this one would be… special.Continue reading “Sewing Saturday – My New Lab Coat”

Adventures in the Field – Hanna Basin

Field work – what scientists do to study a certain phenomenon in its natural environment. For geology and paleontology, this means going out and crawling over the ground to find the necessary fossils or rocks.

One of the great mysteries of what I do as a paleontologist is the concept of field work. Last summer, I blogged about my field experiences as they were happening. I did this throughout last year’s 25-day field season. You can look at those posts here.

Now, I’d like to summarize ten summers of field work in the Hanna Basin of Wyoming. What it’s like. What we’re trying to learn. This will be mostly through pictures.Continue reading “Adventures in the Field – Hanna Basin”

April’s Blogging from A to Z Theme Reveal

April is among my favorite months for blogging, because of the Blogging from A to Z challenge. The idea is that or each day of the month, exluding weekends, one writes a blog post related to a specific letter of the alphabet. April 1 is A, April 2 is B, etc.

While a theme is not a requirement, it can make blogging a lot more interesting. In this post, I shall reveal to you, my dear reader, what this year’s theme will be for this blog. A lot of blogs are participating in the A to Z challenge and are revealing their themes today, in a the A to Z Theme Reveal Blogfest.

Last year, I blogged about Paleocene mammal species.

This year, my theme will be…Continue reading “April’s Blogging from A to Z Theme Reveal”

#VisThnk – #Autism and Thinking Visually – Join the Conversation

Among the things I find most fascinating about the minds of those with Autism (in particular, I’m thinking of my experiences with my own son) is how thinking actually takes place.

Some people think in words, in complete sentences. Their thoughts are ordered and linear.

Well, ok, maybe they don’t. I don’t know. I only know how I think. Continue reading “#VisThnk – #Autism and Thinking Visually – Join the Conversation”