A Reminder...

SVP 2011 is just two weeks out!  Am I ready to hit the road and head to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada?  Absolutely not!  But with the abstract book and itinerary builder finally available, that should change soon.  If you haven't registered yet, and you're looking for something to do November 2-5, why not swing by the Paris Las Vegas and register for the meeting on site?  There will be tons of talks, great posters, and some awesome field trips to attend.  Perhaps you want to visit the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, home of the Shonisaurus popularis, Nevada's state fossil?  SVP has got you covered. But don't expect to run into any prehistoric, self-portrait creating, highly predatory, super-intelligent cephalopods while you are there.  This is a vertebrate paleontology meeting, after all*.

Regardless, it's sure to be a great meeting, and I'm looking forward to visiting Nevada for the first time, and meeting up with all my fellow paleo-people.  I also plan on tweeting (look for the #2011SVP hashtag) and blogging as much as possible, so long as interweb access is available (but I'm still working that bit out). So be on the lookout in the coming weeks for as much SVP 2011 info as the annual meeting embargo policy will allow!

(*Also, because the chances of prehistoric, self-portrait creating, highly predatory, super-intelligent cephalopods having ever existed are slim to none.)

Two years of Superoceras

I know that things around here have been pretty quiet lately.  But I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel just yet.  In fact, as I begin my third year of blogging, I'm excited by all the possibilities before me, personally, professionally, and academically.  A lot has changed for me over the last year, but the one thing that hasn't is my love of the natural world, and sharing that love with others. So with that, thank you all for another year.  I'm looking forward to the next.

A school of Cooperoceras, colored by my girlfriend's first grade students for National Fossil Day, and presented to me on the second anniversary of the blog. 

Happy National Fossil Day!

Another year has past, and with it, we've seen a number of paleontological discoveries. I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood to celebrate!  And what better day than the second annual National Fossil Day™ to do just that! I'm a huge fan of this year's mosasaur/ammonite logo, and of this year's local activities, both in Maryland and the District of Columbia.  I highly encourage all of you to find something to do in your area, as both the American Geological Institute and the National Park Service have gone to great lengths to make sure there are tons of events going on across the country both today, and this week. Can't make it to a National Fossil Day event? Maybe an activity at home or school is a better option for you. The kickoff event begins today on the National Mall at 10:00AM, but regardless of where you are or what you're doing, be sure to take a moment to explore, learn about, and protect our nations prehistoric heritage.

Run, Cryolophosaurus, Run!

Per the directions over at Don't Mess with Dinosaurs, I am very excited to share the following video with you.

"Cryolophosaurus Running Test Animation", by Brian Engh of DinosaursReanimated, from YouTube.

Having only seen this video and a few of the rough storyboard images, I'm very excited to see how the "Dinosaurs Reanimated" project evolves.  Be sure to follow all the developments (and give feedback if you have any) over at the Dinosaurs Reanimated Production Blog.