Dr Matt Law
@mlaw.bsky.social
Environmental archaeologist and geographer. Senior Lecturer at Bath Spa University, UK. Editor of Open Quaternary
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
1776: Black snails are still about, tho' the shell-snails have withdrawn for some time. Slugs keep-out all the winter in mild weather. It seems strange that naked snails should be more hardy than those that have houses to their backs.
October 20, 2025 at 6:00 AM
1776: Black snails are still about, tho' the shell-snails have withdrawn for some time. Slugs keep-out all the winter in mild weather. It seems strange that naked snails should be more hardy than those that have houses to their backs.
Can anybody recommend an open geospatial dataset that might contain errors that my students can look at to assess data quality? I've got police crime data but I'm looking for more
October 15, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Can anybody recommend an open geospatial dataset that might contain errors that my students can look at to assess data quality? I've got police crime data but I'm looking for more
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
How awful. There’s been a break in at the St Fagans Museum of History in west Cardiff. Artefacts have been taken including Bronze Age jewellery. I hope they are caught quickly. #heritagecrime
October 6, 2025 at 4:09 PM
How awful. There’s been a break in at the St Fagans Museum of History in west Cardiff. Artefacts have been taken including Bronze Age jewellery. I hope they are caught quickly. #heritagecrime
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
📣 Calling all #ESHE2025 participants and hashtag followers!
Open Quaternary is looking to appoint a new Editor-in-Chief as @mlaw.bsky.social, @suziebirch.bsky.social and I step down after 10 years of shared service.
Apply here: openquaternary.com/announcements
Open Quaternary is looking to appoint a new Editor-in-Chief as @mlaw.bsky.social, @suziebirch.bsky.social and I step down after 10 years of shared service.
Apply here: openquaternary.com/announcements
Announcements | Open Quaternary
openquaternary.com
September 25, 2025 at 9:47 AM
📣 Calling all #ESHE2025 participants and hashtag followers!
Open Quaternary is looking to appoint a new Editor-in-Chief as @mlaw.bsky.social, @suziebirch.bsky.social and I step down after 10 years of shared service.
Apply here: openquaternary.com/announcements
Open Quaternary is looking to appoint a new Editor-in-Chief as @mlaw.bsky.social, @suziebirch.bsky.social and I step down after 10 years of shared service.
Apply here: openquaternary.com/announcements
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
Simply astonishing. Maybe Lecturer A should not have to mark over 100 essays in a two-week window in the first place? Invest in qualified staff and reduce impossible workloads FFS www.kcl.ac.uk/about/strate...
September 17, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Simply astonishing. Maybe Lecturer A should not have to mark over 100 essays in a two-week window in the first place? Invest in qualified staff and reduce impossible workloads FFS www.kcl.ac.uk/about/strate...
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
A lovely review article (and my first dissertation citation🍾) on Scottish archaeological mollusc exploitation from @jenniferbones.bsky.social & @mlaw.bsky.social. Makes the point that culture ("taste" if you like) may be just as important as economic considerations www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/8/...
www.mdpi.com
September 15, 2025 at 8:25 PM
A lovely review article (and my first dissertation citation🍾) on Scottish archaeological mollusc exploitation from @jenniferbones.bsky.social & @mlaw.bsky.social. Makes the point that culture ("taste" if you like) may be just as important as economic considerations www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/8/...
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
As Chair, here is our cross-party joint statement from the Parliamentary Black Caucus, regarding the rising threat of racism and violence from the far-right.👇🏾
September 14, 2025 at 12:31 PM
As Chair, here is our cross-party joint statement from the Parliamentary Black Caucus, regarding the rising threat of racism and violence from the far-right.👇🏾
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
Elon Musk openly called for violence on our streets yesterday.
I hope politicians from all parties come together to condemn his deeply dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric.
Britain must stand united against this clear attempt to undermine our democracy.
I hope politicians from all parties come together to condemn his deeply dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric.
Britain must stand united against this clear attempt to undermine our democracy.
September 14, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Elon Musk openly called for violence on our streets yesterday.
I hope politicians from all parties come together to condemn his deeply dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric.
Britain must stand united against this clear attempt to undermine our democracy.
I hope politicians from all parties come together to condemn his deeply dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric.
Britain must stand united against this clear attempt to undermine our democracy.
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
This is, I believe, the first official word from the Government on what happened yesterday in London. Not only inaction in the face of violence and hate, but a celebration of it. I passed through London twice yesterday with my two kids & what Labour seem to be missing is that people aren't just...
September 14, 2025 at 9:48 AM
This is, I believe, the first official word from the Government on what happened yesterday in London. Not only inaction in the face of violence and hate, but a celebration of it. I passed through London twice yesterday with my two kids & what Labour seem to be missing is that people aren't just...
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
Archaeologists Against Apartheid urgent call for action! We are not anonymous. We are members of both the EAA&global archaeological community and more committed than ever to holding our representative organisations to account and anti-democratic influences.
aaaeaastatementseptember3rd.tiiny.site
aaaeaastatementseptember3rd.tiiny.site
September 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Archaeologists Against Apartheid urgent call for action! We are not anonymous. We are members of both the EAA&global archaeological community and more committed than ever to holding our representative organisations to account and anti-democratic influences.
aaaeaastatementseptember3rd.tiiny.site
aaaeaastatementseptember3rd.tiiny.site
Fun idea: the government emergency alert test on your phone, but the alarm sound is a new song by U2
September 3, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Fun idea: the government emergency alert test on your phone, but the alarm sound is a new song by U2
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
😱 and this is the issue with the academy not building/ having the resources to build its own infrastructure…
Since search is dead, how soon do you think Google Scholar is headed for the Google Graveyard? I'm betting it's soon, and academia is NOT prepared
Google Scholar Is Doomed
Academia built entire careers on a free Google service with zero guarantees. What could go wrong?
hannahshelley.neocities.org
August 13, 2025 at 6:12 AM
😱 and this is the issue with the academy not building/ having the resources to build its own infrastructure…
Is anyone with access able to share these chapters with me? doi.org/10.1093/oxfo... and doi.org/10.1093/oxfo...?
The Archaeology and Historical Ecology of the Ryūkyū Archipelago
AbstractThis chapter provides an overview of the archaeology and historical ecology of the Ryūkyū archipelago located between Kyūshū and Taiwan. Geological
doi.org
August 1, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Is anyone with access able to share these chapters with me? doi.org/10.1093/oxfo... and doi.org/10.1093/oxfo...?
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
Amid challenging times for publishers and authors, a new look and a new editorial team, for the important gateway, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society.
A new editorial team for Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society « Archaeology# « Cambridge Core Blog
We are very excited to have been chosen as the new editors for Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society (PPS), the flagship journal of the Prehistoric Society. The journal has a long tradition of publis...
www.cambridge.org
August 1, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Amid challenging times for publishers and authors, a new look and a new editorial team, for the important gateway, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society.
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
Musical satirist Tom Lehrer has died. He once declared: “Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.” Here’s one of my favorite Lehrer tunes
Tom Lehrer - The Vatican Rag - fabulous version - LIVE FILM From Copenhagen in 1967
YouTube video by The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel
m.youtube.com
July 27, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Musical satirist Tom Lehrer has died. He once declared: “Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.” Here’s one of my favorite Lehrer tunes
Forgive the purple grow light, but is this a speckled footman? Or someone else?
July 5, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Forgive the purple grow light, but is this a speckled footman? Or someone else?
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
This is a crucial research resource and repository of open access data.
Foundations: please step up and take over the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL). This is an absolutely essential scanned archive of all of the old journals and books from the 1500s to about 1920. Has been indispensable for my research.
about.biodiversitylibrary.org/call-for-sup...
about.biodiversitylibrary.org/call-for-sup...
Call for Support: – About BHL
about.biodiversitylibrary.org
July 2, 2025 at 6:36 PM
This is a crucial research resource and repository of open access data.
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
so it seems the take away is that if you have a Spotify sub, you’re paying for military technology development?
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek's firm has invested $690 million in AI-powered military startup Helsing.
Helsing builds AI-powered military decision-making software, and is moving to produce its own drones, aircraft, and submarines.
www.thefader.com/2025/06/20/s...
Helsing builds AI-powered military decision-making software, and is moving to produce its own drones, aircraft, and submarines.
www.thefader.com/2025/06/20/s...
Spotify’s Daniel Ek secures €600 million investment in A.I military drone company
Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek is leading a €600 million investment in Helsing, a military A.I company branching out into drones.
www.thefader.com
June 24, 2025 at 6:14 PM
so it seems the take away is that if you have a Spotify sub, you’re paying for military technology development?
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
scale, current towns and cities on the map + csv file with coordinates of all the sites in the supplementary information
June 22, 2025 at 6:53 PM
scale, current towns and cities on the map + csv file with coordinates of all the sites in the supplementary information
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
Don't like: North arrows
June 22, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Don't like: North arrows
Reposted by Dr Matt Law
At what scale?
Generally I like topography- either as elevation or a hillshade. Watercourses. Coasts.
Not too many classes of object. Distinct symbology between classes.
Check colorbrewer for accessibility: colorbrewer2.org#type=sequent...
Generally I like topography- either as elevation or a hillshade. Watercourses. Coasts.
Not too many classes of object. Distinct symbology between classes.
Check colorbrewer for accessibility: colorbrewer2.org#type=sequent...
ColorBrewer: Color Advice for Maps
colorbrewer2.org
June 22, 2025 at 6:51 PM
At what scale?
Generally I like topography- either as elevation or a hillshade. Watercourses. Coasts.
Not too many classes of object. Distinct symbology between classes.
Check colorbrewer for accessibility: colorbrewer2.org#type=sequent...
Generally I like topography- either as elevation or a hillshade. Watercourses. Coasts.
Not too many classes of object. Distinct symbology between classes.
Check colorbrewer for accessibility: colorbrewer2.org#type=sequent...
Question: what do you think makes a really good map of site locations in a publication? Any elements you think are essential? Or that you don't like to see?
June 22, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Question: what do you think makes a really good map of site locations in a publication? Any elements you think are essential? Or that you don't like to see?