If you wanted to be obsessive about it

More videos, this time on axes and axe handling. Why? Because we love our edged implements around here, and it's always fun to learn something new. AmIright?

For more info on the axe (it's a Gransfors Bruks, made by hand in Sweden but available here in the states), go here: http://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/67-Gransfors-Small-Forest-Axe

Pity the fox

Lots of videos lately. I haven't written an essay on how bullshit the government is in forever. Nor any kind of essay, for that matter. Not because I don't think it's bullshit but I just haven't had the energy. Which is probably for the best. On the other hand it's a big election year so I'll dust off the soapbox in the coming months. Get excited.

In the interim, there's this video, which I got from here.






BTW, Chelsea is still a loathsome shit club with a loathsome shit owner and loathsome shit players. Puke.

Maybe we could find new ways to fall apart

The acoustic version of this song has 20 million plays on youtubes. I guess that's a lot.
I was very glad to see it, since the lead singer used to be in a band that I thought was fantastic; they couldn't get any commercial traction and broke up several years ago. The lead singer started a new band and their second record is excellent.



In summary, I miss the Format.

Just a couple girls catching some rays

Took this a while ago when I was babysitting the girls. They both love the sundeck. A lot.

I came out to check on them and maybe share some hugs and there they were. Cellcam shot is pretty bad but shooting in full sun is impossible.

Sounds good to me

Yes you can use them after I'm done

This is how I hold it down at the girl's house if I'm plying the dorkbox. The dog had to have a tumor removed so she's wearing a bandage. Tests indicate that it was benign so that's a relief. The headphones enable me to listen to the dorkbox while not interrupting whatever it is the girl is doing. Plus they are surround sound (5.1, if you must know).

Actual conversation between me and the girl:

Her: You can use my yoga towel if you want.
me: Nah you get weird when I borrow stuff; I'll get my own.
Her: No I don't.
Me: Last time I borrowed your eye drops you were weird.
Her: You had them for a MONTH.
me: See what I mean?

Ahhh

lulz.

It's good to have (more) goals

Got a backlog of stuff to get to. I've been busy and haven't had a chance to post, if you hadn't noticed. I'll get to some other stuff later in the week but for now here's a list of great goals from smaller soccer leagues in Europe (not Italy, Spain, or England).

I know we have some football fans in the readership. Ze Newbs is a particular fan of Chelsea Football Club, which is really too because as I reminded him on Saturday: Chelsea is a shit club with a shit owner and shit players. They did win the Champion's League, though.

The bicycle kick goals tend to be overrated but this is a lovely bit of skill.  

Here's a list of other great goals this year from the Guardian.

Data roundup

I <3 data. Many people don't care for it, but it would be a funny old world if we were all alike. Anyway, here's a link dump from http://flowingdata.com/.

Design and Aesthetics

• information aesthetics — By Andrew Vande Moere, the first blog I found on visualization five something years ago.
• Well-formed data — Another one of the oldies but goodies. The blog of Moritz Stefaner, known for lots of projects around these parts
• blprnt.blg — Blog of Jer Thorp, who has recently been on a github binge. See also blprnt.tmblr
• Fathom — Ben Fry-run studio talks about interesting things
• feltron — Nicholas Felton's tumblr with quick bits of delight
• Tulp Inspiration — Another tumblr, this one run by Jan Willem Tulp

Statistical and Analytical Visualization

• Eager Eyes — I think the second blog I found on visualization. Written by Robert Kosara, research-focused
• Junk Charts — Kaiser Fung finds the not-so-good and explains how to improve them. See also sister blog Numbers Rule Your World
• Visual Business Inteliigence — Stephen Few's business-centric musings
• Visualising Data — Relatively newer
• Data Pointed — Weird and cooky, in a good way
• Effective Graphs — Fundamentals of graph-making
• Jim Vallandingham — Releases good code sometimes
• Excel Charts — Despite the name, provides some useful information for beginners
• Statistical Graphics and more — Through the eyes of a statistician

Journalism

• The Daily Viz — By Matt Stiles, data journalist at NPR
• chartsnthings — Kevin Quealy of The New York Times talks process
• Infographics news — Highlights news graphics
• Matthew Ericson — Deputy graphics director at The New York Times

General Visualization

• Neoformix — Features a variety of his projects
• Datavisualization.ch — Different visualization work, but lately on process of client work
• Periscopic — Information visualization firm, do good with data
• vis4 — Gregor Aisch produces a mix of work
• Chart Porn — Mix of charts and graphs
• Communicating with data — Jerome Cukier from the OECD

Maps

• Stamen — Map-focused design and technology studio, sometimes open source releases
• Cartastrophe — Daniel Huffman talks good maps
• Floatingsheep — Geography hodge podge
• indiemaps — Usually on the how of maps
• Kelso's Corner — Nathaniel Kelso, cartographer at Stamen
• tecznotes — Michal Migurski of Stamen gets into the nitty gritty of online map making
• The Marauding Carto-nerd — Kenneth Field, research cartographer

Data and Statistics

• Datablog — On The Guardian, poster of datasets and graphics
• Juice Analytics — Putting business data to action
• The Numbers Guy — Examines the way numbers are used
• Infochimps — Data supplier and hackers unite
• Civil Statistician — By Census Bureau statistician Jerzy Wieczorek
• Revolutions — Frequent statistics goodies
• Simply Statistics — The title says it all

Charles P. Pierce drops teh knowledge

This is Charles P. Pierce on Grantland, doing it right:

That Brown is speaking bigotry through the Scriptures seems undeniable. The laws he is opposing are purely secular ones, and if Brown thinks he can justify his stated beliefs through the Gospels, he hasn't read them closely enough. And it doesn't behoove any of us to take seriously a man who grounds that bigotry in the Old Testament if he doesn't also keep a kosher home, there being more dietary regulations therein than there are anything else. Since the issue exploded, Brown has gone to ground somewhat, declining to testify in opposition to the Lincoln anti-discrimination law at a hearing last night, and writing to a local newspaper that he would "tolerate" an openly gay player on the Nebraska roster. Say, fella, that's mighty straight of you.

MCA died last week

MCA, aka Adam Yauch, died of cancer last week.

When I was a young lad the Beastie Boys broke big around the time I reached middle-school age. They were the benchmark for cool then and they retained that cache for me pretty much ever since. Most recently I saw them interviewed on teevee several years ago and noticed that their hair had gone grey. My own hair had just begun doing the same so I figured that hey, if it was happening to Mike D, Ad Rock and MCA then it could happen to all of us and maybe I could wear it similarly well. (I don't, but it's not the hair, it's because I'm not an internationally famous musician and didn't create some of the greatest party rock anthems of all time. So.)

Adam Yauch was 47. When I first heard License to Ill that seemed old. Now it seems very, very young.

NAMASTE, BITCHES

Yoga is good for you.

On my super sporty 600RR supersport I have a small note to myself on the side of the bike, under the left clip-on.  I look at it every time I throw a leg over. Since that's almost always at the track it reminds me that I see the light in others, which is a good way to start a track session. It's easy to get carried away - we're not racing, after all. But it's good to go fast, too. A good track session is a combination of respect, smoothness and calm. But at high speed. So: NAMASTE, BITCHES.

In related news, this JPG that the girl sent me today made me laugh.

For real though, don't walk out during savasana. It's plain rude. Leave early if you must. 

See you out there.