I’m a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington’s anthropology program, where I received my bachelor of arts in anthropology with a focus on archaeology. I’m now in the master’s program for archaeology at the same university and I’m very seriously considering going on to a Ph.D. program. Among my academic interests are the religious and cult beliefs of prehistoric peoples, particularly in the Near East around the Pre-Pottery Neolithic. I’m also fascinated with cognitive archaeology and the study of early information storage.
I have a fascination with pseudoarchaeology and so-called “alternative” archaeology and what it is that drives people to believe in this and other pseudoscientific notions, so I also find it interesting and, perhaps, necessary to write about these topics with an intent on clarifying and exposing them for the poor science that they are.
I’ve been blogging off an on for 10 years, with Hot Cup of Joe being my most prolific attempt. My original blog is/was at http://hotcupofjoe.blogspot.com/ and I moved it after some bad experience with the Blogger auto-spam software which removed/deleted one of my blogs thinking it was link-spam when every bit of the content was original and every link to a legitimate blog or site.
What is A Hot Cup of Joe?
In a word: coffee. “Hot cup of joe” is an old nickname for a cup of coffee that still persists today. It can be traced historically back to the 1930s but the actual origin of the nickname is a bit of a mystery. It’s one of those cultural memes that began and gained its own popularity without any surviving documentation that I’ve found to date (though I occasionally browse 1930s and 1940s literature with this in mind).
There are several possible explanations and the one with the most traction that I’ve found is that “Joe” refers to the every-day man and was used as a generalization (such as with “your average Joe” and “GI Joe”). Thus “hot cup of Joe” refers to the drink of the every day man. The sort of comforting beverage available to your average Joe. A plain cup of coffee has always remained inexpensive and satisfying and, in the 1930s (the time of the Great Depression), it would have been an important indulgence for the average Joe who could afford little else on the menu.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on this blog in no way represent the universities or employers to which I’m affiliated. They are my own opinions and views and I alone am responsible for them.
I can be reached at cfeagans AT ahotcupofjoe DOT net
I love your blog. It’s very insightful and interesting. Keep up the great job!
Thought you might be interested in this article from Asylum.com. They sent an archaeologist to fact check the new Indiana Jones movie…http://www.asylum.com/2008/05/22/indiana-jones-an-archaeologists-digs-through-the-truth-and-lies/
Speaking of Indiana Jones, thought this might be something you would be interested in. As millions of people poured into movie theatres across the nation to watch the new Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – many were left to wonder about the mystery behind crystal skulls. So many people aren’t aware that crystal skulls really exist in our history. Uncover what archaeologists and scientists have to say about these fascinating artifacts and the theories surrounding there creation only on NationalGeographic.com.
You can find the story here – http://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/ancient/crystal-skulls.html
book you might like which i just picked up (maybe you’ve read it already): Cult Archaeology & Creationism: Understanding Pseudoscientific Beliefs about the Past. Edited by Francis B. Harrold and Raymond A. Eve.
Hi Joe
Apologies for any problems caused on http://www.thescienceforum.com. You’ll be glad to know I linked from my blog site on wordpress to the science forum. I will also be linking to your site too!
Again, apologies for any problems caused.
I always thought “Joe” originated from the word Java which means coffee in the language of some indigenous peoples.