This is gonna take a while…

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I like this concept and parts of this work very well. Obviously, out west where state borders are more orthagonal and less tied to geographic features, it’s easy to draw. New England looks good, too. But states with rivers and lakes as borders, like Illinois, don’t fare so well. Michigan would have been better with the lake included. And Louisiana, in particular, gets a raw deal. I’m guessing the curve used for California, though the rest of the map is angular, is an homage to the Prius’s teardrop shape. But it seems out of place to me.

I’m reminded of the visualizations the Software Studies Initiative folks call Cultural Analytics. Compare Millionaire smushed onto a floppy by Florian Cramer:

(barcode via Chart Porn)

Joy.

Everyone involved wants as little to do with the whole thing as possible. Some quotes from emails and web pages:

• The University is not responsible for the web site and questions should be directed to the Procurement Call Center at 866-455-2897.
• The Procurement Policy Board (PPB) is responsible for publishing the communications reports only. Please do not contact the PPB.
• You may contact the Procurement Call Center at 866-455-2897 with systems questions and/or issues. Please do not call the Procurement Call Center with questions on reporting requirements.
• The communications may contain information or opinions that are not that of the Procurement Policy Board.  Communication reports should not be construed as statements of fact or policy that have been adopted by the Procurement Policy Board.

Don’t blame us–don’t even ask us who to blame!

I would like to know if similar requirements are in place in other states. This seems like a giant hassle with very limited return. I could understand doing this for, say, all purchases over $500–but for every purchase? For every inquiry about every purchase? From my place in the cheap seats, this looks like just another hoop I’ll have to jump through–and another set of forms to deal with, and more time spent on paperwork, not actual work. From a vendor’s perspective, I wouldn’t be happy to see my conversations with prospective clients summarized and posted on a web site my competition could see. And I’m wondering how anyone thinks this law can be enforced.

What about interface design? Here’s a screenshot. Implementation leaves much to be desired: the interface looks and functions like a 1998-era web form, clunky in appearance, and shoddy in logic. For example, I entered a phone number in simple ten digit format (3092982212) and it was flagged as an error–without indicating the format to be used. The first time I tried to enter a report, it was rejected because my user profile wasn’t complete. Information I entered during registration wasn’t carried over into my user profile. (Where did it go?) Communication reports can’t be edited once they are submitted. Why not? At the least, amendments should be possible. Humans make mistakes! (That’s all when I was able to use the system. The first two times, it simply bonked.)

I could go on. It’s one thing to ask state employees to keep their work in the public eye. I’m completely on board with that. But there is little to applaud here.

• Madelyn and Amelia turned 5 and 2. Busy and busier–you pick. Both are avid readers; both would be on the computer eight ours a day if allowed.
• Lots of travel. We visited family in Florida (January) and Alabama (March). Our longest trip was a fantastic tour of parks in Utah and Arizona. In late September, the girls and I enjoyed a one-night camping excursion in a local park. I predict even more travel in 2011.
• My essay “Beyond Star Flashes” appeared in Computers & Composition 27.1, and From A to <A>: Keywords of Markup was published.
• Sick, I struggled through ATTW and part of CCCC, and finally gave up and left early. WPA went a lot better.
• Jeff, Thomas, and I met in Portland to drink local brews, eat good food. And I started brewing beer again. That’s continued with no major hiccups, except two broken carboys (augh).
• All of us got bike upgrades. As the girls get older, we’ll be using them a lot more.
• We said good-bye to Lumper, our girl cat.
• Erin and I painted the back and front porches, and got a new driveway. Other than that, not very many big house projects this year–a lot of small stuff.
• My sabbatical is going well. It’s a little more than half over, and I’m pleased with the retooling, reading, and writing I’ve accomplished to date.

Happy new year, everyone.

We also bought a used bike for Madelyn. Her “new” Trek is a considerable upgrade from the hand-me-down she had been riding.

The improved bike raised Madelyn’s interest immediately. (Streamers and flowers FTW!) She’s asked to ride after school several days this week, even going around Compton Park with Erin once. That’s a half-mile loop. Getting a little new bling doesn’t hurt, either. We got Madelyn a new helmet–the same size as Erin’s. Our kid has a big head!

So now Amelia gets a “new” bike, since Madelyn’s hand-me-down will be passed down one more time. Frankly, this bike isn’t great, but for tooling around the driveway or going on a walk it’ll be fine.

We picked up a new scooter for the girls to share, too. It’s been a hit.

I’ve also upgraded my ancient (2001?) Specialized hybrid by adding a rear rack and Topeak MTX TrunkBag DXP. My commute is very short (two miles) but grocery shopping with a backpack isn’t much fun. With the panniers, I can do much better. The bag slides into a track on the rack, so it’s easy to get on and off (no fiddling with bungee cords) and very secure. Last weekend I carried seven bottles of wine in the TrunkBag with no problem. With the addition of fenders, a kick stand, and a high-quality headlight (and maybe some other bling), I’ll have a fine all-weather commuter and cargo bike.

This is possible because I’ve finally bought a road bike, a Trek 1.5T. (Madelyn likes it too!)

Erin and I went to Bickel’s in Burlington to make this purchase. Tyler Bickel, the owner, helped me as Erin looked at bikes as well. Erin’s not ready to get a second bike yet, but will probably do so before the end of the year. She’s currently riding a Jamis mountain bike which weighs about 100 lbs. (My estimate.)

I rode four Treks. The 1.5 definitely felt smoother than the 1.2 I’d ridden in Macomb, both in ride and when shifting, and the brakes were much more responsive. But I had a hard time differentiating the 1.5 and the more expensive 2.1. So that made picking pretty easy. I went for the triple as opposed to the compact, since I shift a lot and ride hills as often as I can. Settled on 58cm after going back and forth with the 60cm several times. Erin insisted on a red bottle cage. Yes, I’m boring. I added clipless pedals and shoes (size 49!) and a new helmet (badly needed).

After we got home I took the bike out for the first time, riding 16 miles. I shaved a minute off my best time for that particular loop despite starting out way too fast and slowing frequently to diddle with gears and the like. Getting into the pedals takes a while for me, but I really like the clipless better than toe clips. Even on the few sections of chipseal I had to deal with, the Trek rode smoothly, and I’m eager to get in a longer ride this weekend. For the next few weeks, I’m in for some pain as I get used to the clipless pedals and drops instead of bar handlebars. This morning a few “new” muscles asserted themselves. A good problem to have!

Lamont: Pop, what do you need all that stuff for?

Fred: The applejack make me sleep. The other stuff make me get up.

(via a random NPR podcast)