Angkor Wat Minecraft

Full details here.

www.archaeograph.com

This blog has a decidedly more tech and geek slant to it, talking about equipment, techniques and photographic experiments. Check it out, and if you’re so inclined, subscribe to it.

Hmmm… Eventually I’ll have to fit writing a thesis in between of all this!

World of Temasek (online game)

Live life in 14th century S’pore – virtually
The Straits Times, 04 March 2011
(Subscription required)

Instead of just reading about Singapore’s history, you can go back in time to experience life in 14th century Temasek, as the island was known then.

In an online game called World of Temasek, you can role-play as a spice trader on the Singapore River trying to outbargain rival traders, or as a farmer ekeing out a living in Fort Canning and fighting man-eating tigers.

It is the first locally created, 3-D multi-player, role-playing game.

Set 600 years ago, the historically accurate $1.35 million game – developed by the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), National Heritage Board and game developer Magma Studios – was launched by Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lui Tuck Yew yesterday.

Mr Lui, the guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the third annual Media Fiesta – a month-long showcase of made-in-Singapore media products, services and talent – said the game ‘is set to take history lessons to new, creative levels’ by integrating entertainment, education, heritage and culture.

There is no charge to play the game – just log on from a computer with a reasonably fast Internet connection.

photo credit: ideonexus

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• Finally, there’s a new web-based social network just for archaeologists. Check out the Archaeology Network.

In this series of weekly (at least, it tries to be weekly) rojaks (published on Wednesdays) I’ll feature other sites in the blogosphere that are related to archaeology in Southeast Asia. Got a recommendation for the next Wednesday rojak? Email me!

photo credit: neys

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• Singapore’s Heritage TV brings you on a video tour around the historic Fort Canning Hill, home to Singapore’s ancient royalty and (literally) tons of archaeological remains.
• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is criticised for its silence over the Myanmar envoy to Hong Kong’s outrageously racist remarks over the Rohingyas, an ethnic group residing in the mountains between India and Myanmar. The envoy calls these people, who have been denied acceptance and citizenship, as “ugly as ogres“.
• I want one of those: A scanner than can examine artifacts up to two tons. Now, if I only can clear some space in my room…
• Read about a central Vietnamese gong tuner who is on his ancestors’ wavelength.
• Writer Glenda Clarke brings us to the stupas and reliefs of Borobudur.
• The Archaeology Channel presents a 7-minute video about Saving the Temple of Banteay Chhmar.
• The fears of many traditional arts practitioners in Indonesia have come true as Jaipong becomes the first to fall victim under Indonesia’s ambiguous anti-porn law.
• Penang locals are trying to preserve and protect Tanjung Tokong, a living settlement that goes back to even before the arrival of the British.
• In celebration of Charles Darwin’s 200 birthday, we offer you the answer to the question, “What would you look like, 400,000 years ago?” Now you can find out in Devolve Me.
• What do Malaysian kids think about Darwin’s theory of evolution?
• And Darwin might have been more Buddhist than we thought.

In this series of weekly (at least, it tries to be weekly) rojaks (published on Wednesdays) I’ll feature other sites in the blogosphere that are related to archaeology in Southeast Asia. Got a recommendation for the next Wednesday rojak? Email me!