Silence and SVP

I’m very eager to discuss SVP, but otherwise recent unemployment has made regularity on my blog somewhat more difficult, and so I haven’t been very active on new content, continuing older series, or generally being constant on this side of things. I’m looking forward to talking about talks (not posters) from SVP when the event is over, but until then, I will continue to delay much discussing. I can, however, say that I still plan to talk about why we shouldn’t necessarily lump all north African Spinosaurus into a single species, the cookie-cutter shark Isistius, the relationship of ornithischians and Nigersaurus to the “lips or no lips” debate, and the final element of my argument for standardization of jaw orientation when measuring. But for now … silence.

Incredulous Teeth, IV: Triassic Palate Mashers

Placodonts are by far one of the most interesting if less diverse clades of Triassic sauropterygian (a group including the far more diverse plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs). These taxa include the relative basal Placodus and Paraplacodus, but the more interesting taxa are by far the Cyamodontoidea. Today, I take a look at one, Placochelys placodonta (Jaekel, 1902).

Making Things Look “Funny”

When playing around with the idea that how we orient our material when we measure it, it struck me how alien the images look when you reposition them.

Being Bitten

Something different than what you’d expect this time. This has nothing to do with paleontology. Do not click this link or go below the fold if you want to avoid a non-paleo post.

All’s Quiet

Pardon the slow last few weeks, it’s been busy here for me as I am attending to home and work product that have dominated my work time. I’m also supposed to be finishing a draft on a paper and getting off my butt in preparing two other projects for draft. I plan to attend SVP this year (in Las Vegas, although I am not impressed and despite a “vacation” there many years ago I never spent that much as I tend not to gamble), and hopefully next year as well, and prepare a poster or talk for that year (2014). Juggling all this is slowing productivity here a little. Pay it no mind.

All Fools’ Like an Old Fool

I have a confession … I am a 54 year old woman. If you are reading this, I am already dead.

And End to the Hiatus?

I should be back now, having recovered system information after a computer swap due to … issues. Your regularly scheduled cynicism will be back, but not so regularly scheduled.

A Welcome

Some of you may recall me by an earlier, corrupted blog. This is it’s updated, modern form.

My specialty is the investigation of functional morphology, especially of the jaws and dentition, of fossil reptiles. This is really a hobby, so I hold no degrees but I tend to think I know enough to say a thing or two about the subject that comes up. This leads the author across crocodilians, lizards, turtles, birds, and their extinct relatives. There will be a major focus on dinosaurs, and often of a critical nature as a casual reviewer. I will always attempt an “angle” when it comes to each topic of discussion, and I will always produce citations.

What I will not do is update regularly. I do tend to write at my own pace, so patience in updates will be rewarding, I think.

Cheers, and I hope you enjoy this blog. Maybe so will I!