My tumblelog will be something of a hybrid between Blogger and Twitter. My content will be sporadic, thoughtful, provoking, boring, insightful, obvious, me.
Fri
Nov
6
It’s been months since I’ve blogged! Feels like I fell off the bandwagon - haven’t been on FB much, haven’t blogged, haven’t talked to most people in some time. So, here’s a quick update.
Everything is great. I’m happy but busy. I’ve been on the road quite a bit for work, and it’s been 12 hour days in the office since i’ve been home. Good thing I love my coworkers. :) :)
On a more homey note, I finally got my remodel back underway, and am at the point where i’m comparing estimates- i’ll be broke regardless. But the good news is that i’ll have two brand new, stylish bathrooms as soon as I commit to a contractor(s).
And then there’s this travel bug that bit again. This time it got five of us. Three weeks from today, i’m off to Thailand to meet Nick, Jessica, Mey & Hansen! I can’t wait to get back- and i’ll surely be in good company for the two week trip. BKK, Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, Koh Tao and Koh Samui are on the itinerary - busy stuff week 1, relaxation week 2.
Related, but diff: my laptop was stolen from a Southwest flight a couple months ago, so no corny vlogs or blog posts while we’re away.
Bart just arrived at Embarcadero Stn. Time for work! Have a great day.
Sun
Aug
23
I’m in good old Medford, Oregon for the weekend. It’s been great seeing my grandma and aunt (which is why I came). We’ve been taking it easy- watched Ponyo (we enjoyed it-it’s a cute movie to bring young kids to), ate lots, shopped (woohoo Costco).
Today, my grandma and aunt are going to pick some berries, but I really didn’t want to go get dirty, cut up, etc., before driving home. So, grandma called me “Lilly of the Valley” and now I’m assigned to spreading dirt and manure in the garden. :) a laughable experience.
So, off to tend garden before hopping on the road back to the bay area. Have a great rest of the weekend!
Thu
Aug
6
One small multiple at a time!
I had the opportunity to take an awesome professional development class today, Data Visualization. Throughout the day, I was exposed to piles of ineffective charts and graphs. Examples were pulled from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and other “credible” sources. Similar to how the GMAT asks you to disassemble and construct arguments, we sliced, diced, and rebuilt these visuals.
The class was eye opening and a great use of my day. If nothing else, it reintroduced me to the concept of small multiples. If you haven’t heard of small multiples, it’s time to familiarize yourself. If nothing else, you’ll have a new framework to use if/when you need to present data to others. Interesting and useful!
To explain it as simply as I can: small multiples are the product of taking a look at that overcrowded, indecipherable chart you created last week and breaking it into smaller, comparable charts. Each small multiple is charted on an X and Y-axis with the same scale and measure, and compared to the other small multiples. Being on the same scale makes it possible to compare the different charts with one another, and identify meaningful similarities and differences.
Learn more! Wikipedia it! :) I’ll be doing my best to use what I learned today in my own work, too. :)
