An attempt to employ probabilistic subsampling in a wooded study area is reviewed. Errors committed in attempts to test hypotheses about statistical associations are identified, and more suitable procedures are suggested. The site-location potential of regional subsampling is considered. On theoretical grounds it is concluded that regional subsampling employing small subunits in areas of low site density is probably inefficient and biased when used as a search procedure.

The businesslike tasks associated with archaeological research continue to grow in complexity, in volume, and in the requirement of special skills. Good business work is increasingly necessary to facilitate funding and maximum scientific achievement. Some investigative centers, successful by any measure, demonstrate that improving the business work is practicable and profitable. Others have dubious prospects because they seem not to recognize (1) that archaeology generally must provide for business work at the investigative level, (2) that such work is far more demanding than it used to be, and (3) that the means of doing that work well are not hard to provide. This paper aims to illuminate these and two ancillary points and to encourage archaeologists to make needed improvements to benefit themselves and the profession.

A Fortran computer program is presented that converts Lowland Maya Calendar Round dates to their equivalent Long Count dates, and the reverse, for the period 1139 B.C. - A.D. 2012 [5.0.0.0.0 to 13.0.0.0.0.]. Additional features include a calculation of the number of days that separate the submitted Long Count date from the completion dates of the prior three important calendric cycles [Sacred Round, Civil Year, and Calendar Round]. This program supplements an earlier Long Count-Gregorian conversion program [Sidrys et al. 1975].

Unless the results of archaeological research are disseminated, the value of conducting that research is questionable. Mechanisms currently utilized by archaeologists to publish or otherwise distribute reports are inadequate to handle the number of reports being written. Archaeologists should begin utilizing the National Technical Information Service's abstracting and microfiche program. This program would publicize reports and make them available to interested archaeologists.

A recent article by Grennes-Ravitz and Coleman includes several assertions that are not in keeping with the results of recent work in the Basin of Mexico discussed here.

Archaeological research organizations are a challenge to management since their output-research-is inherently difficult to measure and not subject to evaluation in the marketplace. The integration of business management theory and analytic techniques into the organization can assist those responsible to plan, organize, direct, and control the organization so as to improve effectiveness. Among these techniques are Gantt charts, the critical path method, and zero-base budgeting.

A computer program for converting dates from the Mayan Long Count to the Gregorian calendar and vice versa is presented. The program also computes and prints the date's Julian Day Number, position in the Mayan Sacred Round, and Lord of the Night.

Curren (1977) presents an interesting and provocative hypothesis regarding the “potential” function of “stone gorgets.” Nevertheless, there are some serious problems with his thesis that require comment.

Initially, there is a danger in the rather simplistic association drawn between form and function. To claim a functional similarity because there is a morphological similarity between stone gorgets and contemporary ceramic tools called “ribs” is a risky procedure. One does not need to go very far to demonstrate analogous examples. For instance, if I were to show a surveyor a stone “plummet,” I would most likely elicit the response, “ a surveyor’s plummet in stone?” If I were to present an unsuspecting archaeologist with a surveyor’s plummet, I might hear, “plummets (net sinkers or bolas] in brass?” In contrast to the paper under disucssion, Ahler’s (1971) important study is a sophisticated treatment of the problems involved in equating form with function.

The reduction of Maya dates to their Gregorian equivalents is easily accomplished by the use of an inexpensive microcomputer. A program in the widely used basic language is presented, along with another to print a series of possible long counts for a given calendar round position.

In their report in American Antiquity on the “Application of orthophoto mapping to archaeological problems,” Prewitt and Holz (1976) discuss the use of orthophotos and orthophotomaps in archaeological field inspection but also introduce a number of incorrect definitions and misconceptions concerning the technique. The following comments are an attempt to clarify these points and, in addition, to discuss some other advantages and applications of-and caveats concerning-this useful remote-sensing technique. A select bibliography for further reading in remote sensing and orthophotography is also presented.

In an effort to reach a potential archaeological audience within the public sector, a film program was presented through the Extension Division at two campuses of the University of California. Described are some of the benefits and pitfalls involved in using the film festival format, along with the results of a questionnaire designed to generate data on audience make-up and motivation.

Bettinger attempted to find out if change occurred in prehistoric land-use patterns in the Owens Valley, California, by comparing artifact and site distributions with those expected given Steward's ethnographic model for this area. Bettinger's conclusions are found to be faulty because they are contradictory, ignore other potential determinants of archaeological variability, and are based, in some instances, on erroneous interpretation of poorly conceived or inadequate data. We discuss additional factors that should be considered and possible interpretation of Bettinger's results.

The no-collection strategy in archaeology is examined from the perspective of site integrity, artifact analysis, pothunting, irreplaceable resources, and curation and is found to be destructive of the data base for present and future archaeological applications.