anthropometaphors

I lurve visualizing information.

In a past life, I was a Research Associate in Product Development.  The highlight of the job was using statisical analysis to design and analyze experiments.  The end product of my work happened to be a molecular diagnostic for genetic variation.  I found satisfaction in developing a robust, reliable tool for genetic analysis, but ultimately it was the analytical process I enjoyed.

I’ve stayed in the biostatistics loop — the teams I now manage have a statistical analysis component.  I no longer do the actual stats work, but I get to have fun conversations at the water cooler.

So when I heard of Wolfram | Alpha, an analytical search engine, I was excited.  I mean really, really excited.  While screen shots from the engine aren’t being posted, a webcast is available in which Wolfram talks about the engine.

Wolfram is the creator of what I consider the holy grail of stats packages: Mathematica.  The marketing language for the newest version, Mathematica 6, claims a user can “Visualize Anything”.  While that may not be entirely true, the program can be used to visualize a fair amount.

High-Impact Adaptive Visualization

I shudder to think about harm coming to my dog.

I can’t imagine what it was like for the family of Sophie Tucker when she fell overboard into the sea off Australia.  Surprisingly, Sophie survived the rough sea and swam 5 nautical miles (!!!) to an island where she survived alone for 4 months.  Previously a house “pet”, Sophie  apparently caught and ate baby wild goats on the island to survive.

Sophie Tucker, Wonder Dog

After an exuberant reunion with her human family, Sophie has rapidly acclimated to domestic life; she seemed eager to exchange the solitary hunting life for human companionship and air conditioning.

If Sophie’s story isn’t touching enough (of if you want to get a cuteness overload) check out Casey.  A chihuahua/terrier mix, Casey is dang eager to please.

Tatiana, the biggest, baddest, most majestic cat in the house, turned and lay her head down. She was dead. The time was 5:27 p.m.

Today’s SF Chronicle has a piece detailing what happened during the December 2007 tiger escape at the SF Zoo, from the perspective of the police officers who shot and killed the tiger.  The interview was done in advance of tonight’s ceremony at City Hall, in which the four officers will receive the San Francisco Police Department’s highest award for bravery – the gold medal of valor – for their actions.

Zoo officials have said the three men targeted by Tatiana must have taunted or somehow bothered the tiger, provoking her to scrabble up and over the concrete retaining wall surrounding her enclosure:

Experts have surmised that the tiger Tatiana’s escape was not a random event, but that she was under great duress, most likely from being harassed. The zoo veterinarian’s necropsy revealed that her rear claws were virtually shredded, with concrete chips embedded in her paw pads presumably from clawing her way up the moat wall. This was no escape to hunt (she had been fed shortly before and the necropsy showed she had a full belly).  This was an animal agitated enough to do whatever she could to get to the source of her agitation. There has never been an occurrence such as this in the recorded history of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, according to the association.

The walk of the Shishi Gami

Who am I to say what the fate of a human should be?  My version of justice is akin to the walk of Shishi Gami; in which grass and flowers sprout and die instantly underneath its hooves.  Of the flowers involved in this story, I found the tiger to be most precious and her loss more devastating, despite it’s inevitability.

I’m only about one year behind on this post; better late than never, I suppose.

I’m hooked on the hook. M.I.A’s hot as a tiger with gunshots for claws.

What does third world democracy sound like? Every generation needs a Robin Hood.

I can’t remember where I first saw Belgian Farting Pig. If only life were full of farts so amazing as to merit a catchy tune, a singing pig, a chorus of hens and a large quantity of baked goods.

Needless to say, it was an instant hit with me. And yes, I did see that the YouTube tags include “stupid”, “dumb” and “video”.

Based on Ben Pearce’s RETRO stream on flickr, it seems the 1970s generated a lot of NSFW content (turn SafeSearch off).  The collection is chock-full of “pre-feminist” images.  Exercise-mania (and the requisite flashy workout fashion) seems to have been all the rage.  Speaking of which:

What is the difference between a trend and a cult?

Seriously.

A trend is a summary of the general direction or tendency in a situation. Trend also means to be in style, cool, slamming, or whatever the synonymous slang term happens to be for the time and place in question.  By it’s very nature of being related to a given setting, the actual word used will co-vary with setting change.

The recent 30th year commemoration of Jonestown underlines the negative connotation cults have in the US.  Once used as an insult and fear-mongering tool, cult as a word has been co-opted to define a literary (or intellectual) fad to take pride in being a part of.

Buried within each of these definitions is pride.

If Jesus were alive today, would he have a blog, a book and a movie (with a trailer on YouTube)?

I’m not sure if I’m joking.

FYI – A chapter in the book by Callie Janoff is entitled The Church of Craft: Making our own Religion.  I’m not sayin’…I’m just sayin’.

Muppets + YouTube = An ingenious way to introduce the younglings to classical music!

Beeker (et al.) performs Ode to Joy:

Gonzo the Great and his chicken orchestra perform Strauss’ The Blue Danube:

Hailing from South Carolina is Banana Derby, home of “America’s Favorite Monkey Jockeys”.  I was unaware America had monkey jockeys, let alone a favorite.

IF YOU LIKE PIG RACING,
YOU’LL LOVE THE BANANA DERBY
IF YOU LOVE PIG RACING,
YOU’LL GO APE FOR THE BANANA DERBY!!

For its monkey races, Banana Derby provides monkey jockeys and dogs, monkey and dog housing, race course, silks, lighting, deluxe sound, professional staff, several shows daily, and media appearances. All animals meet or exceed USDA, State and Local requirements

Sheesh, when monkeys aren’t being put on racing dogs, they are put on bicycles for a “race”:

Scientists poured concrete into an ant colony and excavated the resultant structure, revealing an intricate network of tunnels, fungus gardens and refuse pits.  The colony cast is phenomenal in size and complexity.  This is animal research, in action.

I imagine the ants died in the process.  I wonder how the researchers assessed and addressed the impact their work would have on the ant colony as well as the habitat immediately surrounding it.