About

I'm Sam Brooke, an earth science student, part time programmer and general misadventurer who enjoys searing hot food, beer, drawing pretty pictures and wasting time on real-time strategy games.

I currently live between Rutland and Liverpool UK.

Geoscience

As a budding geoscientist, I'm interested in computer modelling the environment and climate.

Philosophy-wise I believe that, as a race, we're going to kibosh ourselves unless we keep ahead with clever ideas and technology.

My overriding goal is to try and position myself such that I can contribute to the field.

Programming & Tech

I've always enjoyed tinkering with computers and I now make content management systems and front end websites with a local marketing firm.

Fond of making money and paying off my student loan, I'm also involved in my own little business schemes and web startup.

May 26, 2012

Earth Science

Oh those Dinosaurs

Seriously, if palaeontology wasn't difficult enough already with all the complicated, infinitesimally syllabic names (Herrerasaurus, Ornithschians, Saurischia, Avetheropoda, Megalosauridae to name but a few!) the bloody palaeontologists can't even make their mind up as to how many of the families relate to one another.
Granted, working with fossil data is really tricky and it's an evolving field (har) so there's plenty to fiddle around with when new information comes to light. My main peeve though is the fact that having 3 different cladistic interpretations of lineages makes it very bloody hard to revise for.
Also, would it have been that difficult to stop calling the Ornithschians 'bird hipped', or even Ornithschians at all!? They aren't even the damn dinosaurs which become the birds! Reason stands though that dinosaurs may have tasted like chicken.
I don't think I'm a palaeontologist at heart. It's wonderfully interesting but latin names for everything is a faff. I would have gone with far more colloquial and informative names, like 'Little Spindly Dudes', 'Future Chickens' and 'Leaf Munchers'.
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