Visual Display of Data

As of late I have been knee deep in the world of data visualization. To be fair my interest is mostly driven by the work I've been doing for the past year and a half, but it has painted my reading outside of work as well. My amazon cart runneth over with various books on the subject. Expounding on that topic conceptually sounds like a boring post though. So instead dear reader we will look at some graphs on WoW raid progression, specifically Ulduar care of WoWProgress.com.

The first graph shows the number of guilds that have cleared each of the four wings in Ulduar by time. Siege and Antechamber, the easiest of the four wings, have clear exponential curves that speak to their accessibility to the majority of the raid community. Conversely Keepers and Descent require more dedication and repetition to complete and as such are straighter curves with slower progression.

Next is the "easier" tier of achievements, I say easier in quotation because the majority of guilds do not make it this far. The two interesting trends on this graph are Cache and Heartbreaker. Until mid June it is clear that Hearbreaker was the hardest of the four achievements displayed. However post heart health nerf there is a marked spike in the number of guild completing the achievement. The graph quickly goes from slow straight line progression to a stepped progression. Indicating that it became easy enough for guilds to simply attempt the achievement to complete it. The stepping appears to happen on every Tuesday of the raid week. Please not that XT-002's heart may have gotten easier, but it is still a guild killer. The one step on Cache is a result in the time change for the achievement, going from 2 minutes to 3 made it easier. As noted by the slow straight line progression after the step, it is still not a cake walk.

Finally the "harder" tiers of Ulduar achievements, I say harder in quotation because this crap is seriously hard. The vast majority of guilds will not complete this content before 3.2, Afterlife included. Firefighter was nerfed in late June and has since eclipsed 3x Knock as the easiest of this set, noted by it's sharp spike. Alone in the Darkness was thought to be mathematically impossible by all most all of the top guilds until July 7th when Stars completed the task. Since then only 8 guilds have duplicated their success.

Talk about a nerd out, math, graphs and MMOs. I don't know if a round of cycling pictures will suffice to pull us out of this nerd chasm on Tuesday dear reader. Maybe I'll talk about chain saws, boobs and dirt bikes instead...Mmm Nah.

Unleashed Half-Blood Movies

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
It is a rare breed of video game that can make up for short comings in it's game play with a strong story. Unleashed does it up, down, left and right though. Experiencing difficult spikes, maybe a boss is knocking you over from a full health bar to none at all or maybe your about to turn off the system in white hot frustrated rage? Don't worry a cut scene is right around the bend to swoop you off your feet and keep you playing for the rest of the night. Knowing that the story it tells between episode III and episode IV is canon in the SW universe makes the game even cooler. That is not to say that the game play is all bad, being a bad ass Jedi assassin makes for some pretty cool scenarios on occasion.

I Love Movies
Mehtul put me on to comedian Doug Benson's podcast about movies and his love for said medium. It was about two weeks ago that I started listening to the back catalog and now my cheeks hurt from laughing and I am behind on all of my other listening. The format is essentially Doug making some jokes, bring out guest comedians and them making with the funny for 30 minutes to an hour. They talk movies of course, as the title implies, but they also tangent all over the place. The only warning I would give is that the show is made or buried by the quality of the guest. Doug is a funny dude, but he can't save a comedian who is intent on drowning themselves and the podcast.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Our trips to the movies are few and far between these days so we pick and choose what we see with great care. We were both bit with the Harry Potter bug after seeing the first film, mind you neither of us has taken the time to read the books. Something we should hope to rectify one day, but regardless the films are first class. So it was a forgone conclusion that we would see the sixth installment in the series and thankfully it lived up to the rest. It would have been nice to see a true ending to the story THBP told, but as I understand it the book did the same thing, essentially setting up the final volume. Which will be broken into two films Kill Bill style.

On the Cowpasture

Grant and I have been talking about canoes and canoeing for several months now. Every time we take a bike ride along the James we end up discussing how cool and/or fun it would be to own our own watercraft. So it was a treat to be invited over the weekend to Landon's bachelor camping/canoeing party. Friday night Landon and three others (Ben, Mac and Joe) spent the night on the Cowpasture river in Bath county. Saturday morning Grant and I packed up our gear in Richmond around 6am and drove out to meet them for a day of canoeing.

We arrived at 9am to find some of the campers still sleeping. Once everyone was up, breakfast was made and we talked about the plans for the day. The first round on the river had us on the water by 10:30am in three canoes. Joe and Mac seemed to be the only ones with a lot of experience among us, so it was a zig-zagging adventure of balancing, tipping and soaked gear the first trip down. Our slow learning process was rewarded with a stop at a rope swing though, that was as fun as it was nerve racking.

After lunch back at Joe's uncle's place we set out to ride the same stretch of river yet again. Joe had to hit the road though, so we consolidated into two canoes. Grant and I in one and Landon, Mac and Ben in the other. This time we had the hang of it all, there was less tipping, our paddling seemed more efficient and our lines more true. Well at least in Grant and my canoe it was. We hit two different rope swings this time and ended up back at camp around 6pm. Once the site was packed up we bid Joe's uncle farewell and were on the road to dinner and ice cream in Staunton. From there it was back to Richmond for a well deserved shower and sleep. The rest is in the pictures...

Joe hauling the canoes

Ben found berries

Grant on the river

Joe, Ben and the Appalachians

Mac and Landon

We found a rope swing

Landon

Ben

Me

Canoes

Plotting our way home

I'm on a tractor and it's going fast and

Man sized portions

Baby sized portion

More photos here

Chew Chew goes the Side

This past Saturday I got together with Grant and Mike for a little two wheeled action on the southside. With weekend obligations to our spouses and heirs already in place, we were rolling bright and early at 8am. The crack of dawnish start brought crusty eyes and coffee fiening, but also amazingly cool weather for July. Grant offered up a remix to an old route down Riverside that ended up being 20 miles of rad. Throw in the most hardcore Richmond proper based climb we have done to date, plus a break on a train and you have a killer way to spend a Saturday morning with friends. The rest is in the pictures...

Ride prep

Mike and his bike

The equivalent of the bicycle up skirt

Our album "Two Wheels for Jesus" drops this summer

We're two of a kind

Locomotion based enthusiasm abounds

No, seriously it abounds

Bikes

More bikes

Wars, Wood and Progress

Star Wars Lore
Never a fan of the three newest films and a rabid fan of the original three, I have spent years wondering about the expanded universe. As of late I have taken action to pursue that interest further. I'm currently reading the Darth Bane series, as they are the first books in the Star Wars time line. It is actually really good. From what I've heard there have been enough authors to touch the Star Wars universe that you can pick the best of the best to the bottom of the barrel and everything in between. So to get a good book my first time out was a bit of luck for sure.

My mailbox should have a copy of the Force Unleashed in it sometime this week. The game is set in the time period between Ep.III and Ep.IV and you play as Vader's first apprentice. Sounds cool, although I've heard the actual gameplay got mixed reviews. Finally I picked up the first two trades from the Legacy comic series, which is set years 100+ years after Ep.VI and follows Luke's son. Can't wait to start reading it.

Woodworking
As if I needed another hobby to empty my wallet, I have taken a greater interest in woodworking recently. My Grandfather was a woodworker and carver for at least the portion of his life that he and I were alive. He tried, when I was in high school, to pass along some tools and basswood in the interest of getting me interested in carving, but I was too young and too focused in other things. For Father's Day I got the go ahead from Kaden and Crystal to purchase a sliding miter saw. I have all kinds of other tools I'd like to buy next, but for now I'd like to see what I can produce with just a saw and some handtools. Look for a full post in the future, as I may be tackling my first project this weekend.

P.S. Woodcraft moved in a mile down from the road from us, I'm wallet is doomed.

Guild Progress
Raid progress without consistent attendance is just plain hard. After killing Yogg back in June we started the trudge to Algalon, it has been a tough row to hoe. Previously we had killed Molgeim last and unlocked the quest for Algalon by doing so. Since Yogg, we have downed the following hard modes: Flame Leviathan, XT-002, and Hodir. While accomplishments in and of themselves, Hodir is the only one that progress the guild toward the ultimate goal. It is not for lack of effort that Steelbreaker and Thorim still stand, but without a consistent roster of raiders we are swapping assignments and teaching strats every time we enter the zone.

Roosters and Chlorine

As I would normally have off on the 4th and the holiday happened to fall on a Saturday, I also got the 3rd off last week. So we made the most of my Friday freedom and spent the afternoon at Maymont with Kaden. It was great day for visiting the animals, not too hot and surprisingly not crowded. Below are the pictures from Friday...

Goat!

Pig!

"what is in the world is that Dad?"

Wingspan check!

Kaden and Crystal on the bench where I proposed.

Tree!

Kaden showing off at the fountain.

After an awesome Friday out and about we were invited to a Saturday 4th pool party with the Bricks. All we had to provide was a cute baby and a tasty side dish. I know with certainty that the former was covered and I'm pretty sure the latter was highly reviewed as well. I slightly modified a new recipe from 101 that fit exactly what I was looking for in a side. We had fresh squash and zucchini from a friend in the fridge and I wanted to make some sort of casserole. So I dropped the tart crust and just hit the bottom of a baking dish with bread crumbs. Fill according to the recipe and wahlah! Captured swimming fun is below...

Getting ready to swim.

Kaden, Blair and Erin.

Kaden and Mom.

Kaden and Dad.

Mother's Day 2009

I am getting faster and hopefully better at editing video as of late. This one only took an evening of Crystal looking over my shoulder to complete. To be far she picked out the music and already had an idea of how she wanted it to look. At some point I will post about my experience learning to edit, but for now enjoy the video.

There is a new My Videos link in the top right navigation that simply links to my Youtube account, but should make for easier navigation to older videos. The song is Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and the song from the last video was Moby's "Run On". Hope you enjoy it and expect another video very soon.

Tab Scouts Part 2

When I solicited suggestions for the growing list of Tabib Boy Scouts activities on Tuesday I did not expect much feedback. Well Grant and Erin came through in a big way with a monster list of awesome. Some of the items I am kicking myself for not putting on my original list and others are ones that are great, but I never would have come up with on my own. Big thanks G&E and below is the list they sent...

Cooking

• Knife skills
• Knife sharpening
• How to chop/dice/mince vegetables
• How to break down and cook poultry from the entire bird (sans feathers, maybe) - might replace this with grilling basics
  
• Bread baking fundamentals

Food Awareness

• What is actually in food?
• How does the body process food?
• How do people eat in other parts of the world?

Navigation

• How to read a map
• How to use a compass
• How to navigate astronomically
• In general, a strong sense of North/South/East/West and spatial distance reasoning; grasping the functional difference between 50 feet, 2 kilometers, and 20 miles (and not only by how long it takes to drive on the interstate—how long to walk, to ride a bike, etc)

Water Safety

• Swimming
• Canoeing
• How to hold somebody else afloat in the water

Fishing Basics

Sewing

• Mending
• Buttons

Basic First Aid

Typing

Animal Safety

• How to interact with dogs
• Why it is important to understand that other animals do not think like humans and shouldn’t be treated like furry people- e.g., when dogs bite down on something and shake it back-and-forth, that’s called the “kill bite” because they’re hard-wired to grab their pray and shake it back and forth until it stops moving—it is not playful.

Manners/Etiquette

• Basics of social graces, thank you notes, etc. within the kid’s own culture
• Viewed from a survival perspective, how to interact with people of different ages and groups without grossly offending them: e.g., don’t touch people or food with the left hand in most countries of the world. Take your hat off indoors if you’re around traditional American southerners.

Cleaning

• How to clean different materials—wood, stainless steel, aluminum, plastic
• How to clean things efficiently—cars, houses, floors

Bicycle Riding

• Bunny hopping
• Track standing
• Inside foot up, weight on the outside for higher speed cornering
• How to handle traffic
• How to look over your shoulder without swerving
• How to ride in a group/paceline
• How to ride no hands
• Why a helmet makes you safer on a bike, but by no means safe

Creative Writing

Music

• Playing it
• Hearing it: picking out particular instrumental sounds in a song.
• Not automatically hating or writing off what doesn’t appeal to your ear/taste.

A great list for sure, I'll combine the two and keep it as a Google document for years to come. By the by, thanks for writing my Thursday post for me Holbricks, I owe ye both one.