Desktop Diaries

[Doug Watson]

First off great idea Libraraptor and thank you for the video, very interesting. Imagine he has named 450 species of ants!

Now as for the workspaces, wow! How neat and tidy! I am especially envious of your terrariums Lanthanotus.

Now since I have no shame I will share mine and rightfully claim the title of "King of Clutter". I seriously doubt I will be eclipsed in that area.

My computer is of no interest it is just a computer on a desk etc. Most interesting part is the Mickey Mouse phone. It is also an unbearably tidy space since I share it with my wife.

Here is my "clean desk" this is where I create my originals, clean up my casts and do my final paint detailing. Every once and a while I will do a major clean and reorg but it doesn't take long before it looks like this which is right after finishing a job and at the beginning of a new job.


This is my "dirty desk" and fume hood in the basement. This is where I make my moulds and pour my casts. I also do my airbrushing here.

[Gwangi]

Great to see behind the scenes Doug, now we know where the magic happens. And even though it's cluttered it appears everything has a purpose. It's the useless clutter that always bothers me. And also, I too have the singing bass, handing in my basement.

[Libraraptor]

Very interesting insights, everyone! I´m curious for more. Hey, Dr.Admin - when will we finally see your backstage rooms?

Two more from me:
Doug Watson: Do you see that ant book on my blue desk? ("Auf den Spuren der Ameisen")  Guess who wrote it

[stargatedalek]

He-he, seems those fish really made the rounds! I saw one just yesterday at Value Village but they wanted more for it than a paid for mine new.

[Bokisaurus]

Wow, cool to see some desktop spaces

[Doug Watson]

Doug Watson: Do you see that ant book on my blue desk? ("Auf den Spuren der Ameisen")  Guess who wrote it

and who knows what he may have ended up studying if he hadn't lost that eye!

[Doug Watson]

He-he, seems those fish really made the rounds! I saw one just yesterday at Value Village but they wanted more for it than a paid for mine new.

Yes, nothing classes up a joint like a rubber singing fish.

[Gwangi]

He-he, seems those fish really made the rounds! I saw one just yesterday at Value Village but they wanted more for it than a paid for mine new.

Yes, nothing classes up a joint like a rubber singing fish.

I have the "Jaws" one too.

[Libraraptor]

Wow, cool to see some desktop spaces

Boki, where are your pics?

[Halichoeres]

What a great thread! Gwanngi, are those Tomelleri prints on your wall?

[Gwangi]

What a great thread! Gwanngi, are those Tomelleri prints on your wall?

Two of them are, a longear sunfish and a razorback sucker. The other three are by Sherman Foote Denton who did a series of chromolithographs on the fishes of New York in the 1800's and early 1900's.

[Doug Watson]

What a great thread! Gwanngi, are those Tomelleri prints on your wall?

Two of them are, a longear sunfish and a razorback sucker. The other three are by Sherman Foote Denton who did a series of chromolithographs on the fishes of New York in the 1800's and early 1900's.

When I saw those I thought they might be the work of Tom Dolan. He did a beautiful series of NA Fresh Water Fish for Sports Afield in the 50s and they were reprinted in a handy little guide in 1960 called Know Your Fish. Due to my age I actually got the book when it came out and I have cherished it ever since.
Halichoeres do know anything about Tom Dolan, in the forward it states that he had been associated with the ichthyology division of the Chicago Natural History Museum? They must have meant the Field Museum correct? He was also a member of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. I did a search for him and nothing comes up except for the booklet I have. I imagine he has probably passed on by now.

[DinoToyForum]

Hey, Dr.Admin - when will we finally see your backstage rooms?

All in good time. It is a *lot* messier than all those posted so far! I'll resist tidying it for the photo.

[Gwangi]

What a great thread! Gwanngi, are those Tomelleri prints on your wall?

Two of them are, a longear sunfish and a razorback sucker. The other three are by Sherman Foote Denton who did a series of chromolithographs on the fishes of New York in the 1800's and early 1900's.

When I saw those I thought they might be the work of Tom Dolan. He did a beautiful series of NA Fresh Water Fish for Sports Afield in the 50s and they were reprinted in a handy little guide in 1960 called Know Your Fish. Due to my age I actually got the book when it came out and I have cherished it ever since.
Halichoeres do know anything about Tom Dolan, in the forward it states that he had been associated with the ichthyology division of the Chicago Natural History Museum? They must have meant the Field Museum correct? He was also a member of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. I did a search for him and nothing comes up except for the booklet I have. I imagine he has probably passed on by now.

I'm familiar with "Know Your Fish", I don't own it but I've seen it more than a few times at local book sales. Aside from that I'm not familiar with Tom Dolan.

[Halichoeres]

What a great thread! Gwanngi, are those Tomelleri prints on your wall?

Two of them are, a longear sunfish and a razorback sucker. The other three are by Sherman Foote Denton who did a series of chromolithographs on the fishes of New York in the 1800's and early 1900's.

When I saw those I thought they might be the work of Tom Dolan. He did a beautiful series of NA Fresh Water Fish for Sports Afield in the 50s and they were reprinted in a handy little guide in 1960 called Know Your Fish. Due to my age I actually got the book when it came out and I have cherished it ever since.
Halichoeres do know anything about Tom Dolan, in the forward it states that he had been associated with the ichthyology division of the Chicago Natural History Museum? They must have meant the Field Museum correct? He was also a member of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. I did a search for him and nothing comes up except for the booklet I have. I imagine he has probably passed on by now.

That's fantastic. I need more fish art in my life (that isn't by me--I can't stand having my own drawings on the wall). Doug, I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't know Tom Dolan. And yep, Chicago Natural History Museum is our old name. I go to the meeting of ASIH almost every year, but I've never bought the subscription to Copeia, so I'm not technically a member. Dolan apparently did birds also:

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1956/07/02/page/38/article/dolan-brings-a-knowledge-of-birds-to-life-in-paintings

[Gwangi]

I'm also not a fan of having my own drawings and photographs on my wall. Not exactly sure why, I guess it makes me feel narcissistic. I do have my first magazine article blown up and on the wall, but that was a gift.

[Doug Watson]

That's fantastic. I need more fish art in my life (that isn't by me--I can't stand having my own drawings on the wall). Doug, I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't know Tom Dolan. And yep, Chicago Natural History Museum is our old name. I go to the meeting of ASIH almost every year, but I've never bought the subscription to Copeia, so I'm not technically a member. Dolan apparently did birds also:

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1956/07/02/page/38/article/dolan-brings-a-knowledge-of-birds-to-life-in-paintings

Thanks for that. After I read that I found several of his bird prints on eBay. Pretty nice but I think his work on fish was superior. I especially like his work on sunfishes/basses and the perches. I also found out that he did some fish paintings for the Encyclopedia Britannica and the Kids Britannica. One of them a Black Sea Bass was under the supervision Loren P. Woods from the CNHM. Interesting to read in your article that he was volunteering at the museum at the time of that piece. I wonder if he ever got a paid position or contracts.

[Halichoeres]

I agree that his fish work is better. Afraid I don't know whether he ever had a non-volunteer positions, but I'm sure he got commissions for the artwork at any rate.

Here's where I spend most of my working hours:

All these computers are old and temperamental, so they have dedicated tasks. The big one is used solely for digitizing fish photographs and printing, because anything else causes it to seize up.

I file old papers, like, once a year. The loose hard drives have my dissertation data on them.

Back issue journals, mostly Systematic Biology.

Dinosaurs over yonder. I have more shelf space than I need in my office, the opposite of the problem I have at home.

[DinoToyForum]

Here's my office space. It is actually pretty tidy at the moment.

[Gwangi]

I'm surprised to see more dinosaur paraphernalia than marine reptile.