I am working on YouTube videos about the search for life on Venus. The Venus Life Finder team had hoped to launch their first probe this month, but it has been delayed. Their next launch window is over a year away. Rather than creating videos on a system that might be changing I’ll do more …
Was John Leonard, during his time on CBS Sunday Morning, the last critic to recommend shows on competing networks? His book “Reading for My Life” starts with this delightful story: In 1947, a young American and a middle-aged Japanese climbed a tower in Tokyo to look at the bombed temple and the burned-out plain of …
I have received permission from Harri Kettunen (from the University of Helsinki) and Christophe Helmke (from the University of Copenhagen) to include content from their well known Introduction to Maya Hieroglyphs in the Ancient Maya App. This is huge! This highly regarded book is packed with details on every aspect of Maya language and writing. …
We’re happy to announce version 2.1 is in the app stores! This release includes a Yucatec Maya audio track for Yaxchilian Stela 11 that we recorded in Mérida as well as partial support for a Spanish language user interface. Our earlier blog post has all the details.
The next release of our Ancient Maya App is planned for March. It will include the audio for Yaxchilan Stela 11 in Yucatecan Maya, add support for Spanish language user interface and refresh of the software development environment. The rest of this post describes the issues involved in app development in case you’re interested in …
Deb and I are back from a very successful trip from Mérida. Here’s some details on each task we hoped to complete. The Ancient Maya App includes a drawing of Yaxchilan Stela 11 and an audio track about ancient Mayan writing. The app has audio tracks in three languages: English, Spanish and K’iche. Our first …
We have been in Mérida for about 10 days, and have visited a couple of Maya archeological sites and have talked to a few Mayan educators. While Uxmal and Kabah are very interesting sites, we found hardly any glyphs. Restorations are in process at Kabah, and a team of international archeologists are working at Uxmal. …
A visit to a Maya archeological site is always a great experience. There is a lot to see, learn, and admire. It’s impossible to visit without being impressed by the architecture. The Maya were masters at construction. And they developed an intricate writing system that is both artistically beautiful and culturally significant. We have been …
Soon, Deb and I head to Mérida for three weeks. There’s a couple tasks we hope to accomplish. First, we need to hire a native Yucatec speaker to record audio for the Ancient Maya App. Our Ancient Maya App includes details on Yaxchilan Stela 11 in English, Spanish and K’iche. It’s great to watch glyphs …
It’s a free iOS and Android app on ancient Maya language and culture. New in the 2.0 release is the Decode Text feature. It’s built on material from Dr Alexandre Toknovinine’s Beginner’s Visual Catalog of Maya Hieroglyphs. I’m very grateful for his permission to use this material in the app! Here’s an 8 minute YouTube …