Today is International Hug a Medievalist Day!

Are you confused now? Wondering why you should want to hug a medievalist? Never mind. This piece explains it all.

I don't know if it was a medievalist who came up with the Horrible Histories song about the English kings and queens, but it's certainly in line with medievalist humour.



I might rely more on my coffee cup for that list, though, than on learning the song by heart...

And speaking of coffee, if you like either coffee or frisbee-like flying objects or stories about inventors, I recommend you follow this link to a story about the inventor of the AeroPress and the Aerobie. We have an Aeropress that we bought about 6 or 7 years ago, in the museum shop of the London Science Museum, and it is a wonderful thing - the Aeropress for making coffee, and the museum shop for buying things, not the other way around, of course.

It's early spring, and what better time of the year than to start planning for November? We have found a date for our next European Textile Forum, and we are hoping to finish plans this week far enough so we can send out the official Call for Papers and update our website. If you are on the mailing list, you'll get anote when we have done that. (If you are not yet on the list, but would like to be - go here to subscribe.)


I'll disclose our year's focus topic for you here right now, though. It will be "Nonwoven Textiles", which includes nalebinding, braiding, felting, netting and of course knitting. So we're excited to hear what papers and presentations will be offered as soon as the CfP will be out. If you are interested in attending and presenting, you could start thinking about something right away... while we'll be planning the actual thing.

Sabine and I are beyond delight that our crazy idea from back in 2008 has developed into a conference that is going strong, and we are looking forward to having another week with fellow textile researchers, crafters, conservators spent talking, thinking, reconstructing and researching. It's a good bit of work every year to plan and prepare that conference - but when that week comes, it is stuffed with wonder and learning, and every time we lean back and say that putting in that work? It is so, so much worth it!

Thank goodness it's Friday! Here are some nice things that turned up overnight on the internet:

Medieval Cookery has a rant about the assumption that medieval spices were really, really expensive.

Christopher Eccleston was the greatest Dr Who, says IO9. I totally agree, and I'm still sad he was there only for one single season. That was way too short!

There is a reason why I try very, very hard not to shop at Amazon, even if it is so damn convenient. They have just confirmed that this is a wise decision.

Finally, and on a much happier note, here's amazing news: actual soft tissues from an actual dinosaur have been found! T-Rex cloning à Jurassic Parc, anyone?

The cat is napping, as usual; yesterday evening was spent with friends coming over for some gaming, as usual; the study is still quite messy but I am working to reduce the mess, with limited and changing amounts of success, as usual.

There are a few different projects that I am working on, and I am again able to divide work-time between them without getting into a crunch, and if I'm efficient enough there is still time for getting some other stuff done. This includes making sure I can meet my next deadline (getting things ready for the Wollfest at Backnang, a week after Easter).

It is a really nice change to feel like things are manageable again! Even though the cat still makes me jealous with her blissful napping for hours, right beside my desk, making small content sleepy-cat noises...

More links for you!

There's a database of medieval and early modern machine drawings available online, for free; the earliest drawings are by Villard de Honnecourt, from the thirteenth century.

If that is not madness enough for you, why not try this blog? It gives you a new chapter of Amadis of Gaul (1508) every Tuesday, translated into English. (This book drove Don Quixote mad, or so the blog says.)

Also: chess pieces, found in Northampton.

Towards the end of last year, I blogged several times about the VATMOSS mess, and if you have been wondering whatever became of that issue - there is news.

The Digital Microbusiness Action Group has been busy, and they have gotten the attention of Andrus Ansip and David Cameron, among others. There is discussion now about those rules, and the concerns do reach the EU commission. So there is still hope for that absolutely insane law to be cancelled, or at least transformed into something that small businesses will be able to comply to.

It's still not over, though. At the moment, it's only hitting those who sell digital goods - but if we don't stop the madness, 2016 might see the rules extended to actual physical goods. This will hit you. If you are buying stuff over the internet from outside your own country, it concerns you - because your vendor will have to figure out where you are and how much tax to pay. It will even concern you if your vendor is in the same country... if he or she can't comply with the insane amount of bureaucratic rules imposed by that legislation, the business will have to shut down.

So if you have a business and have not already taken it, please fill out this survey. If you know someone who has a business, pass them the link and ask them to fill it out. Every survey helps.

There has been a preliminary write-up of the survey data, and this is available at the EU VAT Action site. This is brilliant, because if you are a resident of any country outside UK (who are aware of the stuff by now), you can now email your minister of finance and send him or her that report, together with your concerns (contact data is provided in the EU VAT action post). Please do it, if you can, and please spread the word. We need to stop that madness.

The date when our book will be available is creeping closer! Monday, June 15 will be the day. Meanwhile, you can take a look at the book at our publisher's page, here. You can also pre-order it there (or, probably, at the independent bookstore of your choice).

It is thrilling to have a book come out, and I still can't believe it. We've worked a long time on that Beast of a book; so long that it seems really weird that it is finally done and finished and the work is over!

I'm also going to sell it via my online shop (and if you want, I'll even sign it for you). You can pre-order it there!