Scottunder

Visualizing data: the Muslim "threat" and more

The most compelling infographics reveal a truth unavailable in words or numbers alone. This chart isn't the whole story, of course, but it's a memorable perspective on it.

(I found this chart linked all over, but I think this is the original here.)

Though not touching on Islam at all, the recently released TED Talk by David McCandless on data visualization is well worth watching for the same reason.

You can see more of McCandless's work on his blog Information is Beautiful or his book, which has the same name in the UK but oddly has the US title of The Visual Miscellaneum.

 

Camping at Burney Falls

I've been gone for a few days, camping with my sons in northeastern California on Hat Creek and visiting McArthur-Burney Falls State Park. Most of the pictures have Ryan and Eric doing something, like swimming in 45-degree water, but there's usually some nature in the background, like in this panorama:

 

A 21 MB version is here. Here's another shot, just before they dived into the plunge pool.

 

Before the war, in living color

Really enjoyed this big set of large, color photographs on the Denver Post site. They were taken 1939-1943 by the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information.

It's such a revelation to see the color of the clothes on farm workers (#9) or kids (#20), of signs on juke joints (#38) or posters on school rooms (#69). I liked the bright yellow airplane (#60) and the vivid red caboose (#50).

However, I was drawn to these photos, somehow more powerful for being in color though there's hardly any there.

Go see the whole collection and try to remember that the world didn't really look like back-and-white photos then, as beautiful as those are.

The Bartender

My grandparents had this toy at their house since before I was born. It's battery operated -- the rubber face lights up, turns red, and smoke comes out his ear (you can see it in the last drink in this clip). Made in Japan in the early '60s, there's a similar toy called the Charlie Weaver Bartender.

A little goofy fun. 

Happy birthday cake!

Yesterday we held a birthday party for Susan that included this excellent family heirloom, a rotating musical cake plate. 

Beyond the stoop

Beyond the Stoop is a thoughtful interactive feature from the New York Times, examining the people and stories on both sides of a single block-long street, in this case Elliott Place between Lafayette and Dekalb, in Brooklyn. 

Mixing exterior and interior still photos, from now and from years ago, and short audio of the residents talking about the block, it's a nice way to see the richness of a seemingly unremarkable row of houses: crime, romance, art, music, and more. Though it might be unfairly tipped towards celebrity -- it's the home of author Jhumpa Lahiri, Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, the jazz bassist Ed Schuller, and a Japanese world music collective -- most of the stories are of less noteworthy but still fascinating people.

 

Float like a butterfl -- uh oh, damn

I can name that song in one metaphor.

Entanglement

I'm not much of a game player, but on occasion... Entanglement is a free, simple, and addictive online game that I really need to stop playing. 

I suggest you don't visit the site. 

NB. Make the string as long as you can, one hex tile at a time. Spin the tile with your arrow keys or mouse wheel. When you score above 75, you can play a two-tile version, with an extra hex tile to swap in if you need it.

Today's spiderweb

Probably not a recurring feature. Spiderwebs don't photograph well.

Subtitles

I have begun to watch all movies with subtitles turned on. This is because a) I already watch a lot of subtitled foreign-language films but mostly b) as my brain deteriorates, it helps me follow the movie better. It's really helpful in a movie like Lord of the Rings, with all its odd proper nouns. Sauron? Saruman? What?

Soon, I will require my smartphone to provide subtitles to everyday encounters, like at the hardware store or on the phone with customer service. I'm sorry, your name is Saruman? Solomon? What?

(Live subtitles might not be so far off, as i wrote a lot of this post using the voice-recognition software built into Android. Other than fixing a few wrong words, and adding punctuation and capital letters, these are mostly words I didn't type.)