I'm between projects now, and I'm using the time to do a little data art. Here we have an 'abstract' rendering of my neighborhood - 14223.
Depending on how much downtime I've got, I may write a little app that lets you create your own.
- Z
Zobar's Journal
My Podcast Link
04/28/2009 00:05 #48525
data artCategory: misc
I'm between projects now, and I'm using the time to do a little data art. Here we have an 'abstract' rendering of my neighborhood - 14223.
Depending on how much downtime I've got, I may write a little app that lets you create your own.
- Z
04/22/2009 16:52 #48474
'drive it like you stole it'Category: misc
You mean with the windows rolled up and the radio turned down and obeying all posted traffic control devices so as not to arouse the suspicion of the 5-0? How boring.
A recent survey of 450 college students showed that 57% of them did not understand what a '50% chance of precipitation' is and somehow I ended up in this majority. Now that I think about it, it seems dumb but I always sort of read it as '25% chance of getting wet' - like if they were 100% certain that it would rain over 50% of the area, that would mean there's a 50% chance that I personally would get wet. Or if they're only half sure that there will be rain, and if there is it'll only cover half the area, I would have a 25% chance of getting wet. I mean, that's really the number I care about. What it actually means [and of course I know you already knew this so I won't ask] is that given identical atmospheric conditions, half the time it'll rain and half the time it won't.
The manager of the water authority says no tours [for reasons which are kind of obvious if you think about it for like two seconds] but maybe they'll send an intern to take some photos for the website. [I love email- you can pester strangers with weird questions about their jobs (e:zobar,43416) and even if they want to look at you like you're from Mars, they can't!]
There's been a lot of talk in the news lately about Britain's Got Talent, and also the Khmer Rouge which led me to an unsettling discovery: Paul Potts has a very unfortunate name.
- Z
A recent survey of 450 college students showed that 57% of them did not understand what a '50% chance of precipitation' is
and somehow I ended up in this majority. Now that I think about it, it seems dumb but I always sort of read it as '25% chance of getting wet' - like if they were 100% certain that it would rain over 50% of the area, that would mean there's a 50% chance that I personally would get wet. Or if they're only half sure that there will be rain, and if there is it'll only cover half the area, I would have a 25% chance of getting wet. I mean, that's really the number I care about. What it actually means [and of course I know you already knew this so I won't ask] is that given identical atmospheric conditions, half the time it'll rain and half the time it won't.The manager of the water authority says no tours [for reasons which are kind of obvious if you think about it for like two seconds] but maybe they'll send an intern to take some photos for the website. [I love email- you can pester strangers with weird questions about their jobs (e:zobar,43416) and even if they want to look at you like you're from Mars, they can't!]
There's been a lot of talk in the news lately about Britain's Got Talent, and also the Khmer Rouge
which led me to an unsettling discovery: Paul Potts has a very unfortunate name.- Z
tinypliny - 04/23/09 18:21
I just had a thought. Someone must have an office there, right? Do they go there by a chartered boat every morning?!
I just had a thought. Someone must have an office there, right? Do they go there by a chartered boat every morning?!
tinypliny - 04/23/09 18:19
I still think the boat trip + tour would be a nice idea tour. They could charge for both and make money at least.
But the drowning in the water intake would be a nightmare for the city.
I still think the boat trip + tour would be a nice idea tour. They could charge for both and make money at least.
But the drowning in the water intake would be a nightmare for the city.
zobar - 04/23/09 10:46
They do tours of the Ward Pumping Station, but all they have to do is unlock the building and point at some steam engines. If they were going to do tours of the intake, they'd need to get 20-30 people on a boat and out to the middle of the lake, and it's probably not worth it.
And yeah, if somebody fell in to the intake, either accidentally or intentionally, it would be a public relations nightmare. It's not like they wouldn't get filtered out at the other end, but that wouldn't stop a lot of people from freeking out about their drinking water.
- Z
They do tours of the Ward Pumping Station, but all they have to do is unlock the building and point at some steam engines. If they were going to do tours of the intake, they'd need to get 20-30 people on a boat and out to the middle of the lake, and it's probably not worth it.
And yeah, if somebody fell in to the intake, either accidentally or intentionally, it would be a public relations nightmare. It's not like they wouldn't get filtered out at the other end, but that wouldn't stop a lot of people from freeking out about their drinking water.
- Z
tinypliny - 04/22/09 19:50
All right. Spill it. Why not?
I did think about it for 2 seconds and I couldn't think of any obvious reasons - other than suicide. And the Golden Gate is still open to foot traffic, why not the strange little dinky thing on the water??
All right. Spill it. Why not?
I did think about it for 2 seconds and I couldn't think of any obvious reasons - other than suicide. And the Golden Gate is still open to foot traffic, why not the strange little dinky thing on the water??
04/20/2009 23:10 #48460
water intakeCategory: misc
This is almost the photo I was looking for.
I swear I saw a picture looking down, and it was just like an enormous drain. There's a bunch of dudes standing around in this picture, so maybe they do tours?
- Z
I swear I saw a picture looking down, and it was just like an enormous drain. There's a bunch of dudes standing around in this picture, so maybe they do tours?
- Z
uncutsaniflush - 04/21/09 02:12
Thanks for the photo. I would love to be able to tour the place.
Thanks for the photo. I would love to be able to tour the place.
tinypliny - 04/21/09 02:10
WOW. You can actually go IN THERE? And WOW. Is it really this huge??! It looks really small from the shore.
WOW. You can actually go IN THERE? And WOW. Is it really this huge??! It looks really small from the shore.
04/18/2009 19:27 #48434
moo goo gai panCategory: indecision
So the paint on my garage door was peeling quite badly and it was making the house look a little more West Virginia than I'm comfortable with. Part of the problem was that someone had decided to paint over the windows, and the paint was coming off the glass in sheets. Which has made me wonder for the longest time: why would you paint over windows?
Then as I was scraping [and the parts that weren't peeling were not coming off the glass as easily as I had hoped] and my mind was wandering, I started to think: why would you put windows on a garage door in the first place? I put stuff in my garage so I don't have to look at it.
So now with the windows half-scraped and the garage half-painted, I'm faced with the decision that I've criticized for so long: is it weirder to have windows on your garage door, or to paint over them?
- Z
Then as I was scraping [and the parts that weren't peeling were not coming off the glass as easily as I had hoped] and my mind was wandering, I started to think: why would you put windows on a garage door in the first place? I put stuff in my garage so I don't have to look at it.
So now with the windows half-scraped and the garage half-painted, I'm faced with the decision that I've criticized for so long: is it weirder to have windows on your garage door, or to paint over them?
- Z
metalpeter - 04/19/09 13:46
I think windows on garage doors is very common, Do you mean the over head door or like the side door? In any event I would assume windows in the over head door is so that you can see out you don't want to pop that big door open and have it be someone you told to park like on the street instead of like your wife's car or something along those lines. IN terms of the side door thing. Some people do get plants together and stuff inside there or they use it to work on stuff. IN those cases it might be good to have some son light. Here is another case say someone is in your back yard you would want to know who it is, wouldn't you. In the case of them being blacked out I'm guessing someone doesn't want someone looking in and then deciding hey I want that lets break in and steal stuff. Or again it could be that they want privacy for some other reason.
I think windows on garage doors is very common, Do you mean the over head door or like the side door? In any event I would assume windows in the over head door is so that you can see out you don't want to pop that big door open and have it be someone you told to park like on the street instead of like your wife's car or something along those lines. IN terms of the side door thing. Some people do get plants together and stuff inside there or they use it to work on stuff. IN those cases it might be good to have some son light. Here is another case say someone is in your back yard you would want to know who it is, wouldn't you. In the case of them being blacked out I'm guessing someone doesn't want someone looking in and then deciding hey I want that lets break in and steal stuff. Or again it could be that they want privacy for some other reason.
04/15/2009 22:24 #48395
ughSucks being self-employed.
- Z
- Z
that's cool.
That looks awesome, it makes me miss art school.
Also, I just learned that estrip allows entirely blank comments. Oops.
That is pretty sweet. Though, from the title I was hoping for some Brandon Bird-esque Star Trek art.