Friday Varia and Quick Hits

As the semester winds down and the holidays loom lustrously around the corner, The Archaeology of the Mediterranean World begins to put its house in order and try to regain some of its focus (or maybe that just the author of the Archaeology of the Mediterranean World). Now is the time when academic’s catch up on those shelved writing projects, read those dusty books and articles, and concoct their syllabi for next semester.

We also sit back and watch some cricket, look frantically for unique gifts, and trudge from one holiday party to the next.

In the meantime, here are some quick hits and varia:

• Melonkarona for the holidays.

• More archaeogaming.

• Byzantium is Everywhere. Star Wars as saints. 

• Byzantium is even in Google Maps.

• Keep an eye on North Dakota Quarterly next week (and every week).

• The violent life of recycled plastic.

• Digital Revolution in Rural Women’s Studies.

• Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport. 

• Lots of new books in the humanities. Keep reading.

• Conversion by Twitter. 

• Microsoft Live Writer lives on!

• Bare shelves (and bare lives), but who has time to read when there are so many new books.

• What I’m reading: Jane Bennet, Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things. Duke 2010.

• What I’m listening to: Neil Young, On the Beach.