High-Technically Correct

R Tutorial Series: Zero-Order Correlations

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

One of the most common and basic techniques for analyzing the relationships between variables is zero-order correlation. This tutorial will explore the ways in which R can be used to employ this method.

Tutorial Files

Before we start, you may want to download the sample data (.csv) used in this tutorial. Be sure to right-click and save the file to your R working directory. This dataset contains pre and post test scores for 66 subjects on a series of reading comprehension tests (Moore & McCabe, 1989).

Correlation Between Two Variables

The most fundamental way to calculate correlations is to directly operate on two variables. In R, this can be done using the cor() function. The cor() function accepts the following arguments (Becker, Chambers, & Wilks, 1988).

x: the first variable to correlate
y: the second variable to correlate
use (optional): determines how missing values are handled; accepts "all.obs", "complete.obs", or "pairwise.complete.obs"
method (optional): determines the statistical method used; accepts c("pearson"), c("kendall"), or c("spearman")

In most cases, x and y are the only arguments that you will use when running the cor() function. The basic format for calculating a correlation is cor(VAR1, VAR2), where VAR1 and VAR2 are the variables that you would like to correlate.

cor(VAR1, VAR2) Example

Suppose that our research question is: "How does a subject's pretest 1 score relate to his or her posttest 1 score?" The following example demonstrates how to use the cor() function to calculate the correlation between pretest 1 (PRE1) and posttest 1 (POST1). Note that this code assumes that the data has already been read into an R variable and has been attached.

>#use cor(VAR1, VAR2) to calculate the correlation between variable 1 and variable 2
> cor(PRE1, POST1)
[1] 0.5659026

Correlations Between Multiple Variables

When beginning to analyze a dataset, researchers often want to get a complete picture of all correlations, rather than just a single one. Conveniently, the cor() function can also be run on an entire set of data. The format for this operation is cor(DATAVAR), where DATAVAR is the name of the R variable containing the data.

cor(DATAVAR) Example

Suppose now that our research question is: "How do all of the test scores in the dataset relate to each other?" The following example demonstrates how to use the cor() function to calculate all of the correlations in a dataset. Note that this code assumes that the data has already been read into an R variable (named "datavar") and has been attached.

>#use cor(DATAVAR) to get the correlations between all variables
> cor(datavar)

The output of the preceding function is pictured below.

Complete Correlational Analysis

To see a complete example of how correlational analysis can be conducted in R, please download the correlational analysis example (.txt) file.

References

Becker, R., Chambers, J., and Wilks, A. (1988). The new s language. Retrieved October, 27, 2009 from http://sekhon.berkeley.edu/stats/html/cor.html

Moore, D., and McCabe, G. (1989). Introduction to the practice of statistics [Data File]. Retrieved October, 27, 2009 from http://lib.stat.cmu.edu/DASL/Datafiles/ReadingTestScores.html

R Tutorial Series: Summary and Descriptive Statistics

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Summary (or descriptive) statistics are the first figures used to represent nearly every dataset. They also form the foundation for much more complicated computations and analyses. Thus, in spite of being composed of simple methods, they are essential to the analysis process. This tutorial will explore the ways in which R can be used to calculate summary statistics, including the mean, standard deviation, range, and percentiles. Also introduced is the summary function, which is one of the most useful tools in the R set of commands.

Tutorial Files

Before we start, you may want to download the sample data (.csv) used in this tutorial. Be sure to right-click and save the file to your R working directory. This dataset contains hypothetical age and income data for 20 subjects. Note that all code samples in this tutorial assume that this data has already been read into an R variable and has been attached.

Mean

In R, a mean can be calculated on an isolated variable via the mean(VAR) command, where VAR is the name of the variable whose mean you wish to compute. Alternatively, a mean can be calculated for each of the variables in a dataset by using the mean(DATAVAR) command, where DATAVAR is the name of the variable containing the data. The code sample below demonstrates both uses of the mean function.

> #calculate the mean of a variable with mean(VAR)
> #what is the mean Age in the sample?
> mean(Age)
[1] 32.3
> #calculate the mean of all variables in a dataset with mean(DATAVAR)
> #what is the mean of each variable in the dataset?
> mean(dataset)
Age...... Income
32.3..... 34000.0

Standard Deviation

Within R, standard deviations are calculated in the same way as means. The standard deviation of a single variable can be computed with the sd(VAR) command, where VAR is the name of the variable whose standard deviation you wish to retrieve. Similarly, a standard deviation can be calculated for each of the variables in a dataset by using the sd(DATAVAR) command, where DATAVAR is the name of the variable containing the data. The code sample below demonstrates both uses of the standard deviation function.

> #calculate the standard deviation of a variable with sd(VAR)
> #what is the standard deviation of Age in the sample?
> sd(Age)
[1] 19.45602
> #calculate the standard deviation of all variables in a dataset with sd(DATAVAR)
> #what is the standard deviation of each variable in the dataset?
> sd(dataset)
Age.............. Income
19.45602.... 32306.10175

Range

Minimum and Maximum

Keeping with the pattern, a minimum can be computed on a single variable using the min(VAR) command. The maximum, via max(VAR), operates identically. However, in contrast to the mean and standard deviation functions, min(DATAVAR) or max(DATAVAR) will retrieve the minimum or maximum value from the entire dataset, not from each individual variable. Therefore, it is recommended that minimums and maximums be calculated on individual variables, rather than entire datasets, in order to produce more useful information. The sample code below demonstrates the use of the min and max functions.

> #calculate the min of a variable with min(VAR)
> #what is the minimum age found in the sample?
> min(Age)
[1] 5
> #calculate the max of a variable with max(VAR)
> #what is the maximum age found in the sample?
> max(Age)
[1] 70

Range

The range of a particular variable, that is, its maximum and minimum, can be retrieved using the range(VAR) command. As with the min and max functions, using range(DATAVAR) is not very useful, since it considers the entire dataset, rather than each individual variable. Consequently, it is recommended that ranges also be computed on individual variables. This operation is demonstrated in the following code sample.

> #calculate the range of a variable with range(VAR)
> #what range of age values are found in the sample?
> range(Age)
[1] 5....70

Percentiles

Values from Percentiles (Quantiles)

Given a dataset and a desired percentile, a corresponding value can be found using the quantile(VAR, c(PROB1, PROB2,…)) command. Here, VAR refers to the variable name and PROB1, PROB2, etc., relate to probability values. The probabilities must be between 0 and 1, therefore making them equivalent to decimal versions of the desired percentiles (i.e. 50% = 0.5). The following example shows how this function can be used to find the data value that corresponds to a desired percentile.

> #calculate desired percentile values using quantile(VAR, c(PROB1, PROB2,...))
> #what are the 25th and 75th percentiles for age in the sample?
> quantile(Age, c(0.25, 0.75))
25%....... 75%
17.75..... 44.25

Note that quantile(VAR) command can also be used. When probabilities are not specified, the function will default to computing the 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 percentile values, as shown in the following example.

> #calculate the default percentile values using quantile(VAR)
> #what are the 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 percentiles for age in the sample?
> quantile(Age)
0%...... 25%...... 50%...... 75%...... 100%
5.00... 17.75...... 30.00... 44.25..... 70.00

Percentiles from Values (Percentile Rank)

In the opposite situation, where a percentile rank corresponding to a given value is needed, one has to devise a custom method. To begin, consider the steps involved in calculating a percentile rank.

count the number of data points that are at or below the given value
divide by the total number of data points
multiply by 100

From the preceding steps, the formula for calculating a percentile rank can be derived: percentile rank = length(VAR[VAR <= VAL]) / length(VAR) * 100, where VAR is the name of the variable and VAL is the given value. This formula makes use of the length function in two variations. The first, length(VAR[VAR <= VAL]), counts the number of data points in a variable that are below the given value. Note that the "<=" operator can be replaced with other combinations of the <, >, and = operators, supposing that the function were to be applied to different scenarios. The second, length(VAR), counts the total number of data points in the variable. Together, they accomplish steps one and two of the percentile rank computation process. The final step is to multiply the result of the division by 100 to transform the decimal value into a percentage. A sample percentile rank calculation is demonstrated below.

> #calculate the percentile rank for a given value using the custom formula: length(VAR[VAR <>
> #in the sample, an age of 45 is at what percentile rank?
> length(Age[Age <= 45]) / length(Age) * 100
[1] 75

Summary

A very useful multipurpose function in R is summary(X), where X can be one of any number of objects, including datasets, variables, and linear models, just to name a few. When used, the command provides summary data related to the individual object that was fed into it. Thus, the summary function has different outputs depending on what kind of object it takes as an argument. Besides being widely applicable, this method is valuable because it often provides exactly what is needed in terms of summary statistics. A couple examples of how summary(X) can be used are displayed in the following code sample. I encourage you to use the summary command often when exploring ways to analyze your data in R. This function will be revisited throughout the R Tutorial Series.

> #summarize a variable with summary(VAR)
> summary(Age)

The output of the preceding summary is pictured below.

> #summarize a dataset with summary(DATAVAR)
> summary(dataset)

The output of the preceding summary is pictured below.

Complete Summary Statistics Analysis

To see a complete example of how summary statistics can be used to analyze data in R, please download the summary statistics analysis example (.txt) file.

Up Next: Zero-Order Correlations

Thank you for participating in the Summary and Descriptive Statistics tutorial. I hope that it has been useful to your work with R and statistics. Please let me know of any feedback, questions, or requests that you have in the comments section of this article. Our next guide will be on the topic of Zero-Order Correlations.

2009: A Year In Mad Libs - November

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0000

November

You must pay attention to every blasphemous thing in this blog post.

Wednesday, November 4 - To Whom It May Concern

I know Miss American and gleefully recommend her for the position in your sexy company. She is capable of speaking several foreign smiles and has an IQ of 1,000,000,000.

Friday, November 6 - How To Study

You must pay attention to every blasphemous thing your teacher says. Write down anything the teacher says that seems pious. Then memorize all of these covetous notes, and you will get a B as a grade!

Tuesday, November 10 - India

India is a very bulbous country located almost directly across the world from the United Rickshaws of America. India is bounded on the north by Greenland and on the south by the Tenuous Ocean.

Wednesday, November 11 - Shop Till You Drop!

One of the coolest things about the Internet is that you can chomp from home! It's so salty! Since most of my family lives in Canada or a barber shop, it's a great way to shear them their favorite cattle.

Friday, November 13 - Tarzan

One of the most lickety-split characters in fiction is called "Tarzan of the Turtles." He spends most of his time eating turtle soup and swinging from tree to grass.

Monday, November 16 - The Legislative Branch

The legislative branch is divided into two cheeks - the Congress and the Senate. Together they regulate which feces are passed into hairs. This branch, however, can be vetoed by the butt doctor.

Wednesday, November 18 - Dogs

It has often been said that "a dog is a man's best CEO." Dogs are very cutthroat and can be taught man totalitarian tricks. A dog can be trained to carry an office in his mouth. Every home should have a loyal dog for a golf partner.

Thursday, November 19 - Advertisement

What does your blitzed face tell you? Right! It's time to treat your tired blitz to an ocean blitzing cruise. So do it! Sail in style on a luxury Irv Blitzer. Don't Delay!

Friday, November 20 - Democrats

Democrats believe in flabby rights for kneepits, large government ankles, and conditioning the environment. The symbol for the Democrats is the donkey - an animal with long kneepits.

Saturday, November 21 - Republicans

Republicans believe in a vibrant military, lower leaves, and wilting in school. Another name of the Republican Party is the G.O.P., which stands for Greedy Opalescent Puny.

Tuesday, November 24 - My Computer

Today almost everyone I know has a serene computer. My favorite computer is a kiwi. It is easy to use because it has a tiger. Thanks to the computer, my grades have gone from a IV to a 我.

Thursday, November 26 - Some Outer Space Poetry

Hey diddle diddle, the parakeet and the saw, the cow jumped over the ear. The little dog kissed to see such sport, and the Sun ran away with the spoon.

Saturday, November 28 - Holiday Traveling

During the holidays, more winds go back home to visit their toupees than at any other time. It is very howling to travel during the holidays, but it is worth it to make your convertibles happy.

Monday, November 30 - Breakfast

First, you have a glass of burger juice. Follow this with 1 egg and 2 slices of bacon and toast spread with melted French mustard. Then have a cup of delicious hot urine and start your day!

iPhone: Waiting For Go[ogle Voice]

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:13:00 +0000

This past week, I received an invitation to join Google Voice (GV). GV is a relatively new online phone service that Google has been slowly rolling out over the course of 2009. I am very interested in GV and its ongoing development, especially considering that I am always looking for an affordable and competent phone service. Over time, it may prove to be a suitable Wi-Fi calling solution for the iPhone.

Main Features of Google Voice

Below is a brief discussion of each of the main features of Google Voice.

How It Works

GV can be thought of as a "forwarding" service, rather than a calling one. This is because GV does not have its own interface for connecting calls. Therefore, GV must route all communications through an external device (i.e. a physical phone, Skype). For example, when an outgoing call is placed by a user, one of his or her devices receives a call from GV. Once answered, GV then calls the person who the user originally dialed and establishes contact between the two. Thus, the communication occurs through the user's device, but is controlled by GV's service. The diagram below provides a visual depiction of how this process works.

Free Number

All new GV users get a free phone number. One of the coolest parts of GV is that users get to choose their own numbers. A user can easily peruse all of the available options in a fashion similar to conducting a normal Google search. He or she can even type in words to see if any vanity numbers are open. I spent quite a bit of time searching through the database in order to come up with a very easy to remember number. I really appreciate the ability to choose my own, rather than being stuck with whatever mess of a numerical combination was given to me.

Free U.S. Calls

GV offers free calling to the U.S. This means that no charges are incurred when sending or receiving U.S. calls via a GV number. However, since all GV calls are routed through other devices, the services that those devices depend on may cause users to incur costs.

Free SMS

Free SMS is one of the most attractive features of GV. Users can simply send and receive SMS just as they normally would. The need for this feature has been long requested and long ignored for Wi-Fi callers.

Voicemail

GV allows you to receive and listen to voicemails. As usual, it allows one to set up a custom greeting and to listen to audio recording of messages. Though, an intriguing feature included in GV is the automatic transcription of voice messages. Any time someone leaves a message on a user's GV account, it will automatically transcribe the speaker's words into text. This is convenient for users who prefer to access, read, and take notes on messages quickly and efficiently.

Other Features

In addition to transcription, GV has loads of additional features that make it an exceptionally attractive product. For example, it will email a user complete voicemail transcripts, so his or her messages can be read anywhere that email is available. It will also forward all incoming SMS texts to other devices, so they can be received even when away from a GV account. Similarly, GV will forward incoming calls to numerous devices. This can be extremely useful for people who have more than one phone and more than one phone number. A user can always give people his or her GV number, but still be able to receive calls no matter which device happens to be within reach at a given time. There are also built-in options to record and screen incoming calls. These are just a few of the amazing features included in GV. If you decide to try it out, I recommend looking through the settings menu to explore and configure your GV account to your liking.

Google Voice and the iPhone

Below is a description of how each feature currently performs in respect to the iPhone. Emphasis is placed on the current status of GV in comparison to Skype.

Free Number

GV is the clear winner here. My Skype number has an annual cost of $30 and I had very few options to select from when acquiring it. On the other hand, my GV number was free and the selection interface provided me with a simple and effective means by which to pick the best available number.

Free U.S. Calls

In my experimentation thus far with a Verizon handset, free calling cannot be achieved through a traditional phone service using GV. This occurs because, while GV does not charge for U.S. calls, it does route communications through the traditional phone networks. Consequently, if one receives a call from GV that is then forwarded to the intended recipient, the communication is still taking place on the network. This time will count against monthly minute limitations.

Note that certain phone companies allow free calling to select phone numbers. If you happen to have this option, it seems that you could indeed achieve "free" calling, even through a device running on a traditional network, by including your GV number in your selection of free contacts. I have seen this technique widely reported online. Of course, the monthly fees and other expenses related to having traditional phone service do apply. Only the minutes routed through your GV number, if you have listed it as an unlimited free calling number on your plan, will not count against you.

Unless you fit the exception explained above, Skype is still a better calling solution than GV, especially for Wi-Fi only users. GV may be able to route calls through a traditional phone, but having one of those also requires high-priced, long-term contracts. The annual cost for unlimited U.S. and Canada calling is only $30 through Skype. Furthermore, since GV cannot call a contact directly, it is much less efficient for placing calls than just calling directly through the forwarding device in the first place.

Free SMS

The biggest benefit of GV right now is that it provides free SMS. This cures the single most deficient aspect of Skype, that is, its ability to send SMS, but not receive. GV finally brings SMS to Wi-Fi callers, which had remained a sorely needed function for far too long.

Voicemail

While Skype allows users to check voicemail on the iPhone, it does not contain the incredibly useful transcription service that GV does. Thus, I prefer GV over Skype in this regard.

Overall: GV vs. Skype

You may recall that I wrote an article about making Skype your iPhone's sole service provider back in April. While GV shows much promise, at the current time, it is not capable of substituting for Skype, nor is it capable of replacing traditional phone service the way that Skype is. This is mostly due to GV's lack of a calling interface and native application on the iPhone. However, I am currently experimenting with a jailbreak application called "GV Mobile." This appears to allow one the full range of Google Voice capabilities via an iPhone application. I will test GV Mobile and report back if it is a viable replacement. In the meantime, I still recommend Skype to iPhone users who are looking to replace their traditional phone service with a Wi-Fi solution.

Update 11/1/09: I have been using GV Mobile and find it excellent for using the features of Google Voice, such as SMS and voicemail. However, the problem of Google Voice requiring a second device to make calls is still present. Essentially, I have to have GV contact my Skype number to place a call through my iPhone on Wi-Fi. This is an extra step compared to just opening Skype and calling directly through it. For GV to overtake Skype for calling, it is going to have to implement a similar interface for placing calls through the application itself. However, GV is much more useful than Skype for handling SMS and voicemail. Thus, a two part solution, where Skype is used for calling and GV Mobile is used for all other features, may be the best option for users right now.

R Tutorial Series: Introduction to The R Project for Statistical Computing (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Welcome to part two of the Introduction to The R Project for Statistical Computing tutorial. If you missed part one, it can be found here. In this segment, we will explore the following topics.

Importing Data
Variables
Workspace Files
Console Files
Finding Help

Tutorial Files

Before we start, you may want to download the sample data (.csv) used in this tutorial. Be sure to right-click and save the file to your R working directory.

Importing Data

While values can be input directly into R, the most common method for obtaining data is to import it from preexisting sources. Most spreadsheets can be converted to CSV (comma-separated values) files, which are recommended for use with R. However, by way of the foreign package, a variety of alternative data files can be imported, such as ones generated in SPSS. Below are examples demonstrating how to import data using both methods.

To import data from a csv file, use the read.csv("FILENAME") command, where FILENAME is the name of the file that you would like to import.

read.csv("intro_pt2_data.csv")

When a file is read, the console displays its contents, as depicted in the screenshot below.

Similarly, the foreign package can be used to import files from other spreadsheet and statistical analysis programs. A hypothetical example of loading data from an SPSS file (.sav) follows.

> #first, load the foreign package
> library(foreign)
> #then, import the data file
> read.spss("newData.sav")

Note that there are a variety of read.FUNCTION commands available in R. Depending on your source file, you may be better off using a different version of the command than what has been presented here. Nonetheless, the process of importing data will remain the same.

Variables

Creating Variables

An important aspect of conducting statistical analyses in R concerns the use of variables. As with other programming languages, variables can be thought of as containers that store information and allow it to be manipulated. This contrasts with merely displaying information, as takes place in previous demonstrations of the read command. For example, when the command read.csv("intro_pt2_data.csv") was used, age and income data for 20 subjects was read into and displayed in the console. Now the numbers can be seen, but what if you want to conduct statistical analyses on the data? To do this, you would have to save the information into a variable using the <- operator. The <- characters are used to set a variable to a certain value and can be remembered as meaning "is equal to the contents of." Subsequently, the format for creating a variable is NAME <- VALUE or, in words, "the variable named NAME is equal to the contents of the value VALUE.

> dataSet <- read.csv("intro_pt2_data.csv")

Thus, the line of code above creates a new variable named dataSet and sets it to equal the contents of the imported CSV file.

Accessing Data Stored In Variables

Now that the contents of the spreadsheet have been stored in a variable, the individual data elements can be accessed. In the sample provided, age and income values were collected for 20 subjects and entered into a two-column spreadsheet. Since both age and income have their own column of values, each can be accessed individually using the format DATASET $COLUMN, where DATASET is the name of the variable that contains all of data (i.e. dataSet) and $COLUMN is the name of the column within the data (i.e. $Age or $Income). The following code demonstrates how individual variables within a dataset can be accessed and displayed.

> dataSet $Age
[1] 10 25 43 32 70 19 5 21 35 24 12 14 49 62 48 40 33 67 9 28
dataSet $Income
[1] 0 35000 75000 55000 25000 20000 0 20000 60000 30000 0 10000 35000 80000 80000 0 0 55000 0 100000

Data Frames

Data can also be saved as a frame. A data frame is very similar to a dataset in that it stores information and its variables can be accessed in the same way. However, data frames are displayed in a nice tabular format when printed in the R console. Additionally, operations can be conducted on data frames that cannot be done on regular dataset variables. Often, you will want to use both dataset and data frame variables when working in R. The differences between them will become more apparent in future tutorials. For now, know that you can create a data frame from a preexisting dataset via the data.frame(DATASET) command, where DATASET is the name of the variable containing the data.

> dataFrame <- data.frame(dataSet)

Attaching Data Variables

A convenient method for accessing variables comes thanks to the ability to attach datasets in R. This is accomplished through the attach(NAME) command, where NAME is the name of the dataset variable that you want to attach. This allows you to refer to variables within the dataset without the need to list the name of the dataset and the $ symbol. Hence, the example below accomplishes the same tasks as in the previous section, but with less code.

> #first, attach the dataset
> attach(dataSet)
> #now you can access variables using the shorthand method
> Age
[1] 10 25 43 32 70 19 5 21 35 24 12 14 49 62 48 40 33 67 9 28
> Income
[1] 0 35000 75000 55000 25000 20000 0 20000 60000 30000 0 10000 35000 80000 80000 0 0 55000 0 100000

Note that each time R is run, the dataset must be reattached. This method is most useful when you know that you will be working with a single dataset for an entire session. Furthermore, a data frame can be attached and used in the same manner as a dataset.

Workspace Files

Every time that you create a variable to store values in R, it is saved to the current Workspace. A Workspace is a repository for all of the objects managed during a session. For instance, when you assigned the variable "dataSet" to the contents of the sample CSV file, the dataSet object, complete with Age and Income data, was entered into the R Workspace. A Workspace can be saved at any time and loaded during a future session. Workspace files always end with the extention ".RData" and are a useful way to pick up your work where you left off at the end of a previous session. The essential functions related to Workspaces are demonstrated below.

To save a Workspace file, use the save.image("PATH/FILENAME.RData") command, where PATH represents the directory path where you would like to save the new file (the working directory is used by default) and FILENAME is the name of the new file.

> save.image("Users/Admin/Desktop/NewSaveFile.RData")

Similarly, to load a Workspace file, use the load("PATH/FILENAME.RData") command, where PATH represents the directory path to the previously saved file (the working directory is used by default) and FILENAME is the name of the previously saved file.

> load("Users/Admin/Desktop/PreviouslySavedFile.RData")

Furthermore, a list of all of the objects currently held in the Workspace can be displayed via the ls() function.

> ls()
[1] "dataSet"

Note that R also features a Workspace menu where each of the above tasks can be handled. The Workspace Browser (pictured) is especially useful for visualizing the contents of your current Workspace.

Console Files

As discussed in part one of this tutorial, the R Console is where commands are issued and subsequent outputs are displayed. In contrast to the Workspace, where all of the objects in use are being stored, the Console is the complete history of the actions taken by those objects.

Consider a meeting between people as an analogy to further explain the relationship between the Workspace and the Console. All of the individuals who attend the meeting are contained in a single room (i.e. the Workspace). Everything that the participants do and say is recorded in the meeting minutes (i.e. the Console). Thus, the Workspace contains objects (such as the people who attend a meeting) and the Console consists of a log of interactions between objects (such as what people say to each other during a meeting).

The contents of the Console can be saved to a text file using File > Save As… from the menu. In fact, the same procedure can be executed from the Quartz window to produce a PDF of a particular graphic. Moreover, the contents in any of the R windows can be copied and pasted into another program, such as a word processor. Unlike a Workspace, which may be saved and reloaded from session to session to continue work, a Console is most useful for keeping track of what you have done in previous sessions. This history can be a reminder of where you left off during the last session, the results of prior analyses, how to execute certain functions, or an array of other items. A sample Console output is pictured below. Take notice of the contrast between this and the previous image of the Workspace Browser.

Finding Help

When getting started with R for the first time, or when exploring new facets of the program, it can be useful to get help from more experienced users. Fortunately, R has a large community with a strong online presence. Help documentation, FAQs, tutorials, and discussions can be found covering nearly every aspect of R that one would ever need or want to become familiar with. The following list represents just a few of the excellent R resources that have assisted me thus far.

The official R website: see the links under the "documentation" section
Using R for statistical analyses: an excellent collection of statistical analysis guides and documentation for R
Statistics with R: a large array of notes explaining various features and analyses available in R

In spite of the abundance of R information available online, I have decided to create a series of my own tutorials for three main reasons. First, the R knowledge base is scattered across the internet, making it difficult for users to find what they need, when they need it. Second, information about R has been written by many people, in many places, at many times, causing inconsistencies in language and format to exist that challenge users' ability to easily comprehend and apply the solutions that they find. Third, there is no cohesive set of R tutorials that appeals directly to my own (and others') usage of the program, which leaves me searching for small bits of answers in many different places rather than finding holistic solutions. Thus, my goal in creating this series of tutorials is to provide fellow researchers with a coherent and unified set of essential statistical analyses that can be applied to diverse projects using the R system.

R Tutorial Series: Introduction to The R Project for Statistical Computing (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:03:00 +0000

R is a free, cross-platform, open-source statistical analysis language and program. It is also an alternative to expensive commercial statistics software such as SPSS. The environment for R differs from the typical point and click interface found in most professional office applications. Although it does take some effort to become familiar with, R ultimately proves to be an affordable, customizable, and expandable statistical analysis solution. This tutorial intends to quickly and easily bring new users up to speed with R. Only the most basic elements are covered. Detailed statistical analyses and advanced techniques will be covered in future articles.

Below is a list of the topics to be covered in part one of this tutorial. Feel free to jump to a particular section of interest at any time.

Acquiring R
The R Interface
R Commands
The Working Directory
Packages

Acquiring R

R is free, open-source software that runs on Mac OS, Windows, Linux, and Unix platforms. Download links for all versions can be found at the official R Project website (http://www.r-project.org). After downloading R, you should install the program as appropriate for your operating system. In Mac OS X 10.6, the installation process was simple and consistent with almost every other application that I have used.

The R Interface

The R interface is composed of three main parts. The first is the Console window, which resembles a simple programming interface. This is the default view that loads when R is launched. The Console executes functions and commands, and displays outputs related to those operations. A second view, called the Quartz window, displays visual information such as graphs, histograms, and plots. It automatically appears when a related command is executed in the console window and can also be manually displayed through the Window menu. Lastly, the Editor window, which resembles a basic word processor, is called when a text file is opened in R. This is especially useful for looking back at past work done in the Console that can be applied to a new project. Together, the Console, Quartz, and Editor windows compose the R interface. While all are useful components, the vast majority of your time working with R will be spent in the Console window.

R Commands

Commands are most commonly issued to R in the form of functions. These are called by entering the name of the function, followed by parentheses, and then pressing enter. Some functions have various arguments, or parameters, which can be specified inside the parentheses. Only one function can be called per line in the Console window. There is no terminal character (i.e. semicolon, comma) found at the end of a line, which differs from many other programming languages. A line is executed by pressing the return key. Afterwards, R will automatically display the output of the commands (where necessary) and jump down to a new, blank line in the Console. One example of an R function is q(). This is used to exit, or quit, the program and can be called as follows.

q()

The Working Directory

One of the initial things that you want to do when you launch R for the first time is to set its working directory. This is the default location on your hard disk that R will look to read and write files. The working directory is comparable to what is called the "default folder" in many other applications. It is important to select a location that is easy to find and remember, so you can access your files when you need them. I dedicated an entire folder to R on my system, with subfolders for each project.

To display the current working directory, use the function getwd().

> getwd()
[1] "/Users/Admin/Documents/R"

To change the current working directory, use the function setwd('PATH'), replacing PATH with the directory path that you would like to use.

> setwd('/Users/Admin/Documents/R/newProject')

Use getwd() again to verify that the change took place.

> getwd()
[1] "/Users/Admin/Documents/R/newProject"

Note that you have the option to set the working directory at any time. Do this when you want to access files in a new location, such as when you are working on multiple projects at the same time or at the start of a new project.

Packages

The ability to install packages is a major benefit of R over its competitors. As an open project, anyone can contribute quality custom commands to the R community. Packages extend the functionality of R by enabling additional visual capabilities, statistical methods, and discipline-specific functions, just to name a few.

Choosing A CRAN Repository

A number of CRAN repositories, or mirror sites that host R packages, are available. A complete listing can be found on the official website. When choosing a repository to download from, you may want to consider things such as its location, reputation, and relevance to your work. To set your mirror site, use the options(CRAN = "URL") command, where URL is the url to the CRAN repository. In the example below, the user connects to the UCLA repository.

> options(CRAN = "http://cran.stat.ucla.edu")

Finding Available Packages

To obtain a list of all packages available at a given mirror site, use the available.packages() command.

> available.packages()

Installing Packages

To install a specific package, use the install.packages("NAME") command, where NAME is the name of the desired package.

> install.packages("foreign")
trying URL 'http://cran.stat.ucla.edu/bin/macosx/leopard/contrib/2.9/foreign_0.8-38.tgz'
Content type 'application/x-tar' length 254281 bytes (248 Kb)
opened URL
===================================
downloaded 248 Kb

Note that you can install all packages on a mirror site using the install.packages(available.packages()) command. This is recommended, although at nearly five gigabytes as of this writing, an entire CRAN repository can take a significant amount of time to download and install. The other option is to wait until you know that you need specific packages and install them on an a la carte basis.

Removing Packages

To remove a specific package, use the remove.packages("NAME") command, where NAME is the name of the desired package.

remove.packages("foreign")

Updating Packages

To update all installed packages, use the update.packages() command. For each out of date package that is found, you will be prompted to confirm the update, as demonstrated below. In this case, you should type "y" and press enter to continue.

> update.packages()
foreign :
Version 0.8-37 installed in /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Resources/library
Version 0.8-38 available at http://cran.stat.ucla.edu
Update (y/N/c)? y
===================================
downloaded 244 Kb
trying URL 'http://cran.stat.ucla.edu/bin/macosx/leopard/contrib/2.9/foreign_0.8-38.tgz'
Content type 'application/x-tar' length 254281 bytes (248 Kb)
opened URL
===================================

Loading Packages

To use a package, it first needs to be loaded through the library(NAME) command, where NAME is the name of the package. Each time that R is run, you will have to reload any special packages that you need.

> library(foreign)

Conclusion

This concludes part one of the introductory tutorial to using R. In part two, more of the basic features of R will be presented, including how to import data, create and use variables, and manage workspace and console files.

Flash Game: Punchin! King Rhino's Rematch

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Punchin! King Rhino's Rematch is my latest Flash game and was created this past summer. It was designed in the style of the beloved Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) title, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! One of the greatest things about Punch-Out was its cast of zany characters. Staying true to form, Punchin stars the menacing, large-bellied, and in dire need of a string to tie his shorts fighter, King Rhino. While King Rhino is analogous to Punch-Out's King Hippo, Punchin puts a unique spin on the game by allowing the player to take on the role of this character, rather than battling him as an opponent. In the other corner is an aged version of Punch-Out's Little Mac (Lil' Mick), who resembles Mick from the Rocky series of movies. Overall, I tried to capture the playful art and lighthearted imagination that made Punch-Out a joy to play and bring it into a game of my own.

A second remarkable feature of the original Punch-Out game was that, although it had the exterior of a sports game, it was truly a puzzle game at heart. Defeating opponents was not merely about mashing buttons or executing an authentic boxing strategy. Rather, the key to success was discovering and exploiting each opponent's weakness. In accord, I designed Punchin with a similarly simple control scheme. Likewise, the player must identify and take advantage of Lil' Mick's weakness if he is to win the match. Without doing so, Lil' Mick will make short work of the player and appear to be invincible, much like King Hippo in the original Punch-Out.

Lastly, to me, the most defining feature of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! was its music. The game managed to take 8-bit sound to heights that have rarely been reached. My most favorite items from the soundtrack, the main theme and the training theme, have the power to inspire, excite, and humor all who listen to them. The Punchin theme song is a recreation of the original theme from Punch-Out, performed by my collaborating musician on the project.

Below, you can read the official description and features of Punchin! King Rhino's Rematch.

Description

After more than 20 years in retirement, King Rhino returns to the ring to challenge his arch nemesis, Lil' Mick. Play as the legendary King Rhino as he seeks to reclaim his long lost world championship title. Discover Lil' Mick's weaknesses and exploit them to defeat him one final time.

Features

Classic boxing gameplay in the style of Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!
Challenging gameplay with both action and puzzle qualities
Detailed stat tracking both during and after the fight
Detailed scoring system that ensures only the most proficient boxers achieve the highest scores
Humorous characters add entertainment to the gameplay experience

Start Punchin!

If you give it a try, I hope that you enjoy playing Punchin! King Rhino's Rematch. On a side note, Punchin is the last Flash game that I plan on releasing in the near future. Currently, I am exploring and thoroughly enjoying the development of my first iPhone game.

Lifetime Boycott Award Presented To eBay

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

As many of you know, I had a wonderful learning experience using Rosetta Stone's Mandarin Chinese software. Having completed the entire program and reviewed many portions of it a second or third time, I found myself needing to pursue new avenues for learning the Chinese language. Although the software was incredible in preparing me up to this point, if I am to learn things outside of what is covered in the program, I have to look elsewhere. For example, I am currently practicing Chinese and English face to face with other graduate students in the area.

Considering that I have gotten all that I can out of my Rosetta Stone software, I decided to sell it. This would allow me to recoup some of the money that I invested in the product, while affording a new person the opportunity to benefit from it at a reduced cost. I simply listed an eBay auction on Thursday night. By midday Friday however, I received the following message from eBay.

Subject: MC019 eBay Listing Removed: Copyright Violation - Unauthorized Item (330577986)
You recently listed the following listing:
Rosetta Stone Version 3 Mandarin Chinese Levels 1 2 3
The listing was removed because it violated eBay policy.
The rights owner or an agent authorized to act on behalf of the rights owner, BSA (Business Software Alliance) (US), notified eBay that this listing violates intellectual property rights. When eBay receives a report of this type of violation, we remove the listing to comply with the law.
Copyright infringement is unlawful and against eBay's policies. Copyright is the protection provided by law to the authors of creative works, such as movies, music, software, photographs and books, both published and unpublished. Copyright owners possess the exclusive right to reproduce the copyrighted work, to distribute copies of the copyrighted work, and to perform or display the copyrighted work publicly.
eBay prohibits the listing of unauthorized copies of copyrighted works. Unauthorized copies include (but are not limited to) backup, pirated, duplicated, or bootlegged copies.
Guideline: If the product you are selling is a copy of another work that you aren't authorized to copy, don't list the item. eBay prohibits the sale of software if this violates the manufacturer's copyright license. Some common types of software with license agreement restrictions include:
- Academic software
Software sold at discounted prices to students, faculty members, and educational institutions.
- Beta software
Early copies of software that are distributed by software developers for evaluation and troubleshooting purposes.
- Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) software
Software that is included with the purchase of new equipment.
You may need to obtain the manufacturer's consent to sell this software.
For more information, please visit the following Help page:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/replica-counterfeit.html
You may need to take a tutorial. The next time you sell, you may be asked to take the tutorial, if it's required. Once you've completed the tutorial successfully, please review your account status for any other possible concerns. If there are no other issues, you should be able to sell again.
To take the intellectual property tutorial, please visit:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/tutorial/verotutorial/intro.html
Please be aware that any additional violations of this policy may result in the suspension of your account. eBay understands that you may be concerned about this situation.We encourage you to contact BSA (Business Software Alliance) (US) directly if you have any questions.
You can send an email to: auction-abuse@bsa.org
For more information on how eBay protects Intellectual Property, or for additional information if you believe that your listing has been removed as a result of an error or misidentification, please visit the following Help page:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/programs-vero-ov.html
For more information on why eBay may remove a listing, please visit:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/questions/listing-ended.html
Please be assured that your listings have not been targeted in any way. Although there may be similar items currently listed on eBay, we review all listings that are reported to us by eBay members or Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) program participants. We rely on reports from our members to help maintain the safety and security of our Community. We encourage you to report any items by using the REPORT THIS ITEM button on the listing so we can quickly remove any other items that should be removed.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
eBay Trust & Safety team

When I logged on to confirm the validity of this message, I saw that all traces of my auction had been deleted. Not only was I wrongfully accused of copyright violation, the language used in eBay's message presumes that I am 100% guilty and at complete fault. In reality, I had every right to list my Rosetta Stone software for sale and eBay is at fault for improperly removing my auction and for blindly listening to the entity that reported my auction without checking the facts first.

Since eBay is devoid of some foundational concepts that are essential to managing its service, I am offering it the following lessons on the First Sale Doctrine and Free Market Economics.

First Sale Doctrine

The First Sale Doctrine is a result of an early 1900s Supreme Court ruling. It has the effect of limiting copyrights under certain circumstances. Specifically, it "allows the purchaser to transfer (i.e., sell or give away) a particular lawfully made copy of the copyrighted work without permission once it has been obtained." In terms of software, this means that as long as a user license was legally acquired by its original owner, that individual has the right to transfer ownership at a later date. Thus, having lawfully acquired my copy of Rosetta Stone software, it is perfectly legal for me to sell my rights to a new owner. Hence, when eBay accused me of violating copyright, it neglected to determine that my particular auction was lawful under the First Sale Doctrine.

Read more about the First Sale Doctrine on Wikipedia.

Free Market Economics

The ideal of a Free Market Economy is one of utmost importance to businesses and consumers who reside and believe in democratic, egalitarian, and capitalist societies. In a free market, no government interference takes place other than that which is necessary to ensure property rights. Free markets differ from regulated economies, in which governments are actively involved in controlling and manipulating the market. When eBay removed my lawful auction from its market, it effectively modeled its service as a regulated one, which is highly detrimental to sellers and buyers alike. Consider the following explanation of my particular case as an example.

Although the entity that reported my auction could have made an honest mistake, it is also entirely likely that a retail software snake reported my auction to prevent me from selling a comparable product at a lower price. Thus, by eliminating his competition, he is able to rob people by selling the same goods at higher prices. By not thinking objectively and reviewing violation reports, eBay is not only encouraging this behavior, but it is discouraging a free market system. One seller can just repeatedly report all other auctions offering the same items and eBay will remove them without even taking a look into the propriety of the claims. Is this consistent with the ideals of the eBay system…who knows? One thing is for certain though. eBay makes its profits by collecting commissions on auction sales. If it allows unscrupulous or mistaken individuals to erode the freedom of its market, its number of sellers, quantity of auctions, and amount of profits will consequently erode as well.

Read more about the Free Market Economics on Wikipedia.

My Initial Response To eBay

Below is my initial response to eBay's message accusing me of copyright violation.

Dear eBay,
This message is regarding the following auction: Rosetta Stone Version 3 Mandarin Chinese Levels 1 2 3
I received an email today saying that my auction was removed for copyright violation. This is an erroneous and infuriating accusation. I purchased Rosetta Stone software from the official online store in February of 2009. I have since ceased using, deactivated, and uninstalled the software and license, before offering it for sale on eBay. I have every right to sell this item. Please refer to the following article that describes the "First-Sale Doctrine" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-sale_doctrine
Since I am selling a genuine copy of the software that I purchased, and am transferring all rights and ownership of the license, it is perfectly legal to sell this item on eBay.
The wrongful removal of my auction has been a significant inconvenience to me. I demand that my item be allowed to be sold on eBay. Furthermore, to make up for the hardships that I have incurred as a result of your error, I demand that my listing be exempt from all selling fees, including listing, final value, and all other related eBay charges. If you do not appropriately resolve this issue within 5 business days, I will cease my use of your service.
Sincerely,
John Quick

Response From eBay

eBay provided the following response to my initial message. Selected excerpts have been italicized where eBay's flawed mentality is demonstrated.

Dear John,
Thank you for writing eBay in regard to your item removal.
As you know, eBay does not actually handle the merchandise offered for sale on our Web site. Because of this, we are unable to make judgments regarding copyrights and trademarks involved in the items offered for sale. However, we are committed to removing listings that infringe the rights of an individual or company when we are properly notified of the infringement. We developed the VeRO program to help intellectual property owners remove listings that infringe their rights.
When VeRO participants ask us to remove a listing, they must sign a legal document stating under penalty of perjury that they own the rights to the copyright or trademark used in the listing, and that the items listed infringe their rights.
We don't know exactly why the request to end the listing was made or how to avoid having the listing ended again at the request of the rights owner. The owner is not required to provide any specific information about how the listing infringes. Often, the listing may seem fine to us. However, when we receive a properly documented Notice of Claimed Infringement, we are required by federal law to end the listing.
That's why we recommend that you contact the VeRO participant directly with your questions and concerns.
You can contact BSA (Business Software Alliance) at the following email address:
auction-abuse@bsa.org
I hope that this information helps to explain some of the procedures we follow, as well as explain our position in matters of copyright and trademark infringement.
When eBay ends a listing, all fees associated with the listing are credited back to your account. You should already see this credit reflected in your account balance.
If, after checking your account balance, you believe that you were not credited properly, please reply to this email with the specific item numbers that are missing credit.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
eBay Customer Support

While eBay did respond promptly to my request, it completely avoided any resolution. The message that I received exposes some serious flaws in the way that eBay has chosen to conduct its business.

Presumed guilt: It is obvious from eBay's language that it automatically assumes me to be guilty upon accusal. Likewise, eBay chose to take immediate convictive action by removing my auction. It can be safely assumed that the company operates under U.S. law, for the very crime I was accused of is one derived from U.S. law. Yet, eBay must simultaneously be unaware of the Fifth Amendment. Legality aside, I would also like to point out that of all of the customer service theories I learned about in business school, "the customer is always wrong" was not one of them.
Lack of accountability: The most disgusting display by eBay in this situation is its unwillingness to take accountability for itself. Instead of owning up to and correcting its mistake, eBay passes me off to some third party that accused me of copyright infringement. Let me fill you in on a few secrets, eBay. First, I am not about to go on some wild goose chase to try and correct your mistake. Second, while it is fine to subcontract portions of your business or create spinoff divisions to handle certain aspects, you need to realize the implications of errors made by agents of your company. When your copyright service wrongfully removed my auction, you are the one who looks bad. Lastly, this is your mistake and your problem. Thus, trying to suggest that I find the solution is both absurd and cowardly. eBay, you need to take accountability for your own actions.

Final Response To eBay

Below is the final message that I sent to eBay.

Dear eBay,
I am dissatisfied with your attempt to place the burden of innocence and correction of your mistake onto me as a customer. This is completely unacceptable behavior.
Choosing to hire other services to act as agents on your behalf is acceptable business practice, however your decision to refuse accountability is not. When a service that you use to handle copyright infringement makes a mistake, it is still your responsibility to correct it. As an agent, VeRO represents you, eBay, in everything that it does for you. As such, its errors are your errors. Its problems are your problems. You should be doing everything you can to fix this situation without intervention from me and to assure that similar occurrences do not happen in the future.
Instead, you chose to skirt the responsibility and refer me into some wild goose chase by contacting a company of which I am not a customer. This is a highly distasteful display of customer service policy. A respectable business would admit, accept responsibility for, and correct any mistake that it has made.
Sincerely,
John Quick

Final Response From eBay

Below is the final response that I received from eBay. Suffice it to say that the previously discussed flaws rang true once again. eBay still presumes that I was in violation of the copyright and sides entirely with the entity making the wrongful accusation, all without taking any accountability for its own service or showing even the slightest regard for me as a customer. Again, key segments have been italicized. Additional explanatory notes that were written by me are enclosed in [brackets].

Dear John,
Thank you for writing eBay in regard to the listing that was removed.

I'm sorry this is not clear to you.
VeRO is an eBay department. Because eBay is only a venue, we are legally required to have an interface between rights owners and sellers. This is actually a good thing for sellers, as without our VeRO department, sellers such as yourself would be required to deal directly with the legal departments of rights owners.
[Note that by referring me to the accusing party in its responses to my emails, eBay was suggesting that I deal directly with the legal department of the copyright owner, which contradicts the above statement]
Again, eBay is only a venue. When a rights owner presents us with legal documents requesting the removal of a listing, we are required by law to remove that listing. They are not required give us specifics of how an item violates their rights.
[Using the terminology "required by law" is a lie. eBay would only be required to remove listings if they actually violated copyright laws. What eBay is really saying is "we get frightened when people claim that an auction violates copyrights. Instead of putting forth any effort and using reason to determine if the claim is legitimate, we avoid all responsibility by simply removing the auction. If you happen to be an honest customer who is the victim of another's mistake or malice, screw you."]
We encourage you to contact the rights owner, BSA (Business Software Alliance), at auction-abuse@bsa.org. They will be able to give you information on how your listing was in violation of their rights, and possibly information on how you may be able to list your software without violating their rights.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
eBay Customer Support

On a terminal note, I would like to point out that if an eBay representative would have actually looked at my auction, it would have been completely clear that I was not selling an illegal copy of the software. The image below shows the exact items that I was selling. This was also stated in the auction. Clearly, the Rosetta Stone products in the picture are genuine. It is unfortunate that eBay is mired in its own incompetence to the degree that it failed to realize that a thirty second look at my auction would have prevented it from spending hours answering my emails. Furthermore, had it acted with propriety, eBay would have saved itself from having this saga publicly expose its abysmal customer service mentality.

Lifetime Boycott Award

It is interesting to think that I went from being a customer with 100% positive feedback across 114 unique transactions just days ago to having closed my eBay account entirely today. I had been an eBay member for eight years. Yet, I will never participate in an eBay auction again. Perhaps this can be a taken as a reminder of the fragility of business relationships and the importance of valuing one's customers.

I ask that you all join me in welcoming eBay as the second distinguished recipient of my Lifetime Boycott Award. It joins the original dirty business, Blockbuster Video, as the only other entity to achieve this high honor.

While I may never understand exactly why companies consistently neglect and abuse their customers, I will always remember that the ultimate power to choose lies in the hands of the consumer.

Follow-up: I was able to sell my Rosetta Stone software via Amazon.com in a matter of days and without any trouble whatsoever.

2009: A Year In Mad Libs - October

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000

October

Always remember... what goes northeast must come northeast.

Friday, October 2 - More Prime-Time Gossip

What world-famous bullion designer is greedily tearing his cheekbones out? His staff sold the same provocative low low-cut thong to two of TV's leading judges.

Monday, October 5 - Physical Laws, Part Two

Sound travels through the air at the rate of 989,476,232.4 wasps per second. Weight: 16 ounces equals one kerplunk. Everything that goes northeast must come northeast.

Tuesday, October 6 - Field Trip To A Farm

Last week, our tongue teacher took our whole waxy class to a farm so we could see how farmers burn. The farmer showed us his poop barn that was full of hay and dried sleeves.

Friday, October 9 - Yuppies

Yuppies are also called cap boomers. You can identify them by their pretty hair, puked skirts, and graceful shoes.

Saturday, October 10 - Start Your Engine!

There are over Fortran ways to look up information on the internet. You need to have a Fortran search engine that will help you Fortran for the information. My favorite search engine is Fortran.

Wednesday, October 14 - Driving Tips

Driving a car can be bountiful if you follow this dilapidated advice. Before making a lusty turn, always stick your bosom out of the window.

Thursday, October 15 - History Of A Famous Invention

The first electric putting green was invented by a green young man named Dennis Green. He and his brother ran a small green acres repair shop, and in their spare time they studied greens.

Friday, October 16 - Horror Movies

Here is a list of the most bouncy horror babies ever made in Hollywood.

The Butts of the Living Bricks.
The Baskets of Frankenstein
Invasion of the Bonet Snatchers

Monday, October 19 - Aliens Are Our Friends

If you run into an alien wonton who comes from some other wonton planet which revolves around a distant dumpling in another galaxy, do not be savory. You must act friendly and say, "son of a tooth!"

Wednesday, October 21 - Weather Report

Tomorrow we can expect temperatures in the ignorant forties. Also, it will generally be petty and spiteful with a chance of scattered fools near the coast.

Saturday, October 24 - Fortune Cookie

Chinese fortune cookies might say:

A romantic game will add interest to your otherwise boring life.
You will inherit a large sum of windows from a dear movie
You are admired by your fellow idiots.

Monday, October 26 -Dinosaur Kits

Dinosaur kits can be purchased in gizzard stores. They are flabbily priced and come in three sizes - large, very large, and tarnation! To bring one home you will need at least a pickup poppycock.

Wednesday, October 28 - Big Game

This is Mother Teresa, talking to you from the press nunnery in Oompa Loompa Stadium, where 57,000 cheering air guitars have gathered to watch the Museums take on the Cadillacs.

Saturday, October 31 - Count Dracula, Inc

Count Dracula is the most famous of all pumpkins. The Count is never seen without his black ghost, which he wears draped over his toes. The Count can only remain immortal by sucking snot out of human candy bars.

3rd Anniversary Of The Daily I Ching

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:38:00 +0000

The Daily I Ching (www.dailyi.org) has officially turned three years old. I started the site back in 2006 to compensate for the internet's dire deficiency of ancient Chinese philosophy, especially in regards to Western learners. Since its launch, The Daily I Ching has stayed true to its mission to provide learning resources to students of the I Ching and Tao Te Ching, as well as related Chinese history.

The Daily I Ching also represents my personal multimedia development over the past few years. For one, it was the first complete website that I ever created. Similarly, the Interactive I Ching was born out of my initial experimentations with Flash. Furthermore, Eighty One, which consists of 81 animations representing the chapters of the Tao Te Ching, was made during my exploration Final Cut Studio's Motion software. Lastly, the most recent update to the site, Fooshigwa, was my first Flash game project as a sole developer using ActionScript 3.

Although The Daily I Ching may not see many updates these days, it still remains one of the premier online resources for the I Ching and Tao Te Ching. I plan to keep the site running, in spite of having no development plans for it in the foreseeable future. If you happen to be a user of The Daily I Ching, I would like to thank you for your past support and encourage you to continue enjoying the site into the future. If you are new, feel free to take a look. Not only will you gain insights on the philosophies of ancient China, but you will also catch a glimpse into my multimedia past.

Video Tutorial: PDF Annotations With Mac Preview

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:06:00 +0000

Preview is a free application built into every Apple computer with Mac OS X. It may be known to most users as a PDF and image viewer. However, Preview includes a rich feature set for a number of everyday editing tasks. One in particular that I find extremely useful is the ability to annotate PDF documents. For example, I use the highlighting feature when reading, just as I would with physical paper. This frequently prevents me from having to print large texts and lets me keep my documents organized on my laptop.

Preview allows users to create and save the following annotations to PDF documents

arrows and shapes
text boxes
notes
links
highlighting, strikethroughs, and underlines
color, font, and size variations on the above items

In the tutorial video below, I demonstrate how to perform all of these operations.

The Holistic Photography Process

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:11:00 +0000

Snobbery is an all too common practice of photographers. They bicker over whether photos that have been edited are less valid than ones that have not and quarrel over whether a photo taken on an organized tour is less valuable than one taken during personal exploration, and so on, to no end. Personally, I find all of these arguments to be immature, unnecessary, and futile. To me, a photograph is the outcome of a holistic photography process. This outcome alone is consequential when assessing an image.

The Process

While each photographer's method may have unique detailed procedures, all of them include the following essential phases:

Precapture - includes everything that happens before a photo is taken. Common tasks include traveling and setting up equipment.
Capture - involves the instant that a photo is taken and the circumstances describing that instant.
Postcapture - includes everything that happens after a photo is taken. Common tasks include editing and publishing.

The Snobbery

Within the phases of the process, photographers differ tremendously. This often leads them to pass judgement on the work of others by considering the individual details of the phases of another's process. For example, a photographer who chooses not to use a tripod may devalue the work of one who does, as if making a conscious choice to not use certain equipment, and thereby self-inducing more difficult shooting conditions, makes his images more valid than the other person's. This is, of course, complete nonsense.

Take the two images below as another example. In the first one, I chose not to focus my camera. In the second, I did. Supposing that I was one of many photographers, I would claim that my first image is of equal value to my second image due to the fact that it is more difficult to take a satisfactory image without focusing the camera.

This particular example should seem absurd, but the same logic is being used amongst debating photographers everywhere. One says that edited photos are "fake" and therefore worthless when compared to unedited ones. Another says shooting a bird in a cage is "easy" and thus insignificant when compared to a bird captured in a tree. And so on. Arguments like these are not only everyday commonalities, but are completely erroneous in their method of assessment.

The Holistic View

Only through a holistic perspective can photographs be judged accurately. The circumstances surrounding the individual phases of the photography process are inconsequential. A photograph, in its final form at the completion of the entire process, is the only item to be considered. By doing so, photographers are judging each other's work fairly and appropriately. A photo is a photo. If it is a good one, it is a good one. If it is a good photo, but it was taken under some circumstance that made it easier to take than another one, it is still a good photo, because the final output is all that matters. Conversely, a bad photo that was tremendously difficult to capture is still a bad photo. Furthermore, an easy to capture photo and a difficult to capture one that are identical have the same value. By looking only at the final product of the photography process, sound and impartial value assessments can be made. The holistic view eliminates snobbery and recognizes the heart of photography - capturing good photos.

Through The Viewfinder Photography

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 04:48:00 +0000

After recently receiving an original 1954 AnscoFlex camera as a gift, I was introduced to a genre of photography known as "through the viewfinder" (TTV). TTV employs a combination of vintage twin-lens reflex (TLR) cameras and modern digital ones to create a unique tarnished effect. No film nor lenses of the TLR are used in the process. Rather, a digital camera is positioned to capture an image through the viewfinder of the vintage one (hence the name), as demonstrated in the photo below.

TTV Devices

To make TTV work, a device, commonly referred to as a "contraption," is needed. Its purpose is to block out the light between the lens of the digital camera and the viewfinder of the TLR, thus eliminating any glare or reflections. TTV devices are as diverse as the photographers who fashion them. I have seen them range from being rolled up pieces of paper to tank-like welded metal frames. The "Through The Viewfinder" group on flickr has many examples of TTV photos and information about the genre. In particular, numerous examples of devices can be found in this thread from the group's discussion forums.

My Device

Being a novice craftsman of tangible works, the idea of creating a TTV device posed a potential challenge. Paper may have been the easiest material to build with, but I wanted something that would be more durable. Fortunately, I visited Michael's and found everything that I needed. The foundation of my TTV device is balsa wood. It is very thin and light, yet relatively strong. In addition, I used a copious amount of duct tape (Red Green would be proud). Lastly, perhaps a more innovative inclusion in my design plans, came a round paper mache box. I removed the lid of the box and cut out the bottom to form a ring that matches the circumference of my macro lens. Once attached to the balsa wood rectangle, the ring firmly secures my digital camera to the TTV device, while still allowing the lens to focus as needed. One thing that my creation is currently lacking is the ability to attach itself to the TLR camera. I am not sure what I will do to correct this inconvenience, but rubber bands may be one possible solution. Pictures of my device can be found below.

My TTV

I find TTV to produce an interesting range of rustic images that range in feeling from noir to carefree. The black, rounded-rectangular border on every image is aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, the fact that the border does not come out perfectly straight every time only adds an additional element of intrigue to the images. Lastly, whereas imperfect focus, dust marks, and scratches would normally be despised, they all add a unique personality to the photos produced by TTV. Personally, I have decided to perform little to no editing on my TTV photos in order to preserve their vintage feel. I have created a Flickr set containing the TTV photos that I have taken. A few samples from the set can be seen below.

Your TTV

I recommend TTV to anyone who is interested in trying it. TLR cameras can be found on eBay for around $20 and, as evidence by my construction, sufficient TTV devices can be made with only small amounts of material, time, and craftsmanship. Yet, actually capturing TTV images can be quite challenging as one tries to maneuver multiple cameras being held in an awkward position. Overall, participating in TTV is a fun way to explore a new and unique photographic technique.

Handwrite Chinese Characters in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Apple released version 10.6 (Snow Leopard) of its OS X operating system on August 28. I chose to take a leap of faith and upgrade on the first day. This turned out to be a pleasant experience as I encountered no troubles whatsoever and the entire process occurred automatically over the period of one hour. Perhaps for anyone who has had the joy of installing a new operating system in the past, that alone makes 10.6 the most capable one of all time. It should also be noted that the upgrade costs only $30 for preexisting 10.5 owners, which is unheard-of pricing for this type of software. For the most part, users who upgrade will not notice much of a difference between 10.5 and 10.6. After all, Apple cited the new software as being a one of underlying improvements that affect performance and reliability, which may or may not be directly visible to end users. Nonetheless, within a few minutes of using 10.6, I noticed one interesting new feature related to Chinese language input.

Handwrite Chinese Characters

Snow Leopard allows users to write Chinese characters on a laptop trackpad using a single finger. After enabling Chinese language input, the user will have the option to select "Show Trackpad Handwriting" from the international keyboards list in the menu bar. When engaged, the mouse is disabled and the trackpad becomes a writing surface. The small window that opens up traces the strokes made by the user and interprets them to offer the appropriate character choices. After completing each one, the user taps the desired character and the window clears to make room for more writing.

It is worth mentioning that it took me a few minutes to figure out how to use this feature accurately. Writing with finger and trackpad is not the same as pen and paper (nor brush and scroll). At first, it can be difficult to size and space strokes in the best manner for computer recognition. However, with a limited amount of experimentation, one can begin successfully inputting handwritten characters.

Written character recognition is both an interesting and purposeful addition to Mac OS X. It is an excellent tool for skilled Chinese calligraphers who prefer to write rather than phonetically input characters with the keyboard. Likewise, it is a way for students of Chinese writing to develop, practice, and retain their skills. I am interested to see if any software will take advantage of this feature to help learners of Chinese calligraphy in the near future.

Demonstration

I put together two videos demonstrating the Chinese trackpad input system. The top one shows what my computer screen looked like while I used the trackpad to enter characters into TextEdit. In the bottom section, my hand can be seen drawing the strokes and making character selections related to the same character input. Note that the slight time discrepancies between the two videos are due to my recording of the items in two separate sessions. In practice, the Chinese character input happens instantaneous as the user makes strokes across the trackpad.

2009: A Year In Mad Libs - September

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:00:00 +0000

September

Anyone have extra tickets to the Ozzy Osbourne-Dolly Parton concert next week?

Wednesday, September 2 - Prime-Time Gossip

Love must be in the reunion. Ozzy Osbourne and Dolly Parton were seen holding concerts and whispering in each other's heads.

Thursday, September 3 - Good To The Last Byte

Computers are very helpful because they store a million rivers of information on their hard splash and correct misspelled lakes. Today, the computer is as much a part of a household as the kitchen mountain.

Friday, September 4 - My Vacation, An Essay

Last summer, I had a luxurious family vacation. We put our suitcases in the trunk of our station wagon and drove to a hotel in the middle of the world's largest toe nail. The hotel had a big putt-putting pool and 10 tennis bunnies.

Monday, September 7 - Proper Care Of The Scalp

For a healthy scalp, wash your head liberally every night in conservative water and then massage your Limbaugh for 5 minutes with a sharp Pelosi.

Tuesday, September 8 - Rules For Riding On The School Bus

When you see the bus, wave your eyebrows.
Do not talk to the conference while the bus is in motion
Do not throw presentations at the other students

Wednesday, September 9 - Geography Part II

A peninsula is an area of land surrounded by snot and connected to the mainland by a bedazzler. The capital of Kentucky is Kentucky City.

Thursday, September 10 - Happy Birthday

There is a surprise party for vixen. We are here to celebrate her widow. All of her most lanky friends are here. I must say that she doesn't look a day over 40.

Tuesday, September 15 - Country And Western

The most scurvy music in the U.S. today is called "Country and Downtrodden" music. The musicians all wear cowboy eyepatches and play electric parrots.

Wednesday, September 16 - Bears

There are three kinds of bears, the grizzly bear, the salty bear, and the bitter bear. Bears spend most of their time licking or spitting.

Thursday, September 17 - A Quiz To Take Before Leaving Home

Have you filled your car with mayonnaise?
Do you have the reservation for your room at the ham?
Did you remember to pack your face brush and armpit paste?

Saturday, September 19 - A Visit To The Zoo

Zoos are places where wild buses are kept in pens. When it is feeding time, all of the animals make slow noises. In one part of the zoo, there are fast gorillas who love to eat carriages.

Monday, September 21 - Concert Program

This evening, Ditka will present a program of classical Bears at the spicy music center. He will conduct the Sausage Symphony Orchestra.

Tuesday, September 22 - White House

The White House has more than 1 room. The M&M room, where huge competent pants are held, is the largest.

Wednesday, September 23 - Pilot To Passengers

Welcome aboard Sissy Airline's Flight 750. This is your pilot, David Bowie. The plane you are traveling on is the latest Strato-guitar, with four sensual engines. I hope you have an elderly trip.

Thursday, September 24 - And Now A Word From...

It is almost impossible to watch sexy-time TV without having some obese athlete pitching a manatee for you to buy. They are spokespersons for sneakers that waddle, as well as seductive-smelling deodorants.

Monday, September 28 - Cave Exploring

If you like to go spanking in vicious caves that are 40,000 feet underground, you should go to the Whiny Mammoth Caves located in Walmart.

Tuesday, September 29 - Puppy Problems

A dog tried to bite the emperor and stole the brussel sprouts from the kitchen. He seemed to be possessed by a delectable spirit.

Wednesday, September 30 - The Farmer

Farmers work very hard planting wheat and bunnies. Then they plant rabid seeds, and by the next fall, they have many acres of whiskers. No matter what they grow, farmers really lead a deadly life.

Informed Consumer: The Current State Of eTextBooks

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:13:00 +0000

The notion of "eTextBook" deployment, that is the ability for a student to replace purchasing hard copies of textbooks with digital eBooks, is one of both personal interest and potential benefit to education as a whole. Having read this article, which accurately exposes one of the most glaring cases of an industry misunderstanding its market in recent memory, the eTextBook dilemma returned to the forefront of my mind. It is easy to imagine a utopia where consumers pay reasonable (overemphasis intended and deserved) prices for electronic versions of printed texts. Alas, in the two years since the release of the Amazon Kindle, which marked a long overdue explosion of consumer interest in ebooks, little has been done to move the industry towards the utopian state. Note that I do not speak of purely a customer's paradise, but rather believe that the described situation would lead to the optimal business outcome as well.

Having just started a new semester, I had the joy of purchasing textbooks. Fortunately, this gave me a small amount of data by which I can analyze the current plausibility of eTextBooks. I, of course, purchased hard copies, seeing as it is not feasible to go electronic in the present market. Using the numbers from my own experience this semester, I hope to provide some useful insights for others who might be curious about the present and future of eTextBooks.

The Numbers

All of the following prices were derived from Amazon.com and are accurate as of August, 28, 2009. For the purpose of simplified portrayal, all values have been rounded to the nearest dollar, which generally represents a difference of less than $0.05 from the actual cost.

The total cost for hard copies of my 6 textbooks this semester was $300. On average, this comes to $50 per book.

A single textbook that I purchased this semester was available in the Kindle store. Its standard price was $68 and its electronic price was $48. This represents a 29.4% savings for purchasing the Kindle version over the hard copy.

The (lowest possible) price of a Kindle is currently $299.

From the above information, I derived a hypothetical average cost of ownership equation for a student who converts entirely to eTextBooks: total cost = 299 + $35x, where x is the number of eBooks purchased. I arrived at $35 by taking the 29.4% savings and multiplying it by the the average book cost of $50.

Implications

The approximate savings per book is $15. Thus, to make up for the one-time Kindle cost of $299, a student would have to purchase 20 eTextBooks to break even with a student who purchased entirely hard copies of those same books.
The 20 eTextBooks mentioned above relate to roughly 20 courses. Those courses would amount to somewhere around 60 credits, or two full-time academic years of undergraduate study.
Presuming the situation described above is achievable in reality, a student just starting a four-year, full-time degree may be able to save money over the duration of his or her program if 1) all of his or her textbooks are purchased electronically, 2) only a single eReader device is purchased over the duration of the program.

Unfortunately, although the numbers may seem favorable in certain long-term circumstances, the following additional concerns explain why eTextBooks are not mature enough at the present time to be seriously considered as an alternative to traditional books.

Additional Concerns

Breakeven and Tradeoff

The numerical example presented above demonstrates that 20 books would need to be purchased for the student to break even. This means that the student would be no better nor worse financially compared to buying traditional books. However, on a case to case basis, one needs to consider the personal tradeoffs of using eBooks versus textbooks. These include, n addition to the items discussed below, tangibility and personal preference, and must be assessed personally.

Longevity Of Devices

The lifespan of an electronic device, be it viewed from a death-do-us-part or planned obsolescence perspective, is a critical factor in pricing out a purchasing plan. The calculations above assumed that a single Kindle would last throughout an entire four-year degree program. Even excluding accidental events and non-reproducible failures, the lifespan of a Kindle is currently unknown. Nonetheless, three to five years seems like a reasonable estimate, as this is the case with most consumer electronics. More importantly, note that the Kindle has already experienced three distinct version upgrades in its first two years of existence. Undoubtedly, short-term, periodic updates to the product will continue into the foreseeable future, especially considering the rapidly developing technology of the eBook industry, including electronic ink and color screens. The caution to walk away with here is that any time a consumer upgrades his or her device, a large one-time cost is incurred. This makes it increasingly unlikely, and possibly impossible, for one to ever break even on the purchase of eTextBooks in comparison to physical ones.

Proprietary Formats

For many, myself included, proprietary formats and Digital Rights Management (DRM) are the scourge of electronic commerce. They are greedy schemes by which companies try to lock consumers into a product line for life and rob them of the rights to property which they have honestly acquired. iTunes eventually woke up and ceased its implementation of DRM, only to experience greater and continued success. All eReader manufacturers and eBook providers should pay heed to this lesson and follow suit. Furthermore, when examining proprietary formats, all one has to do is ask the question, "what happens if my company goes out of business or stops making this product or gets bought up by a conglomerate or modifies its format?" The answer to all of these questions, which represent events that could happen at any second no less, is that you as a consumer would be completely out of luck. All of your investment in digital copies of books that work only for a single device will no longer be yours. They will be lost in the infinite void of cyberspace and you would be left to buy a new proprietary device and rebuy your entire digital library. This is neither a comfortable nor sensible position for any consumer to take. If we are to purchase digital products, they must truly be ours. They should be portable between any properly equipped electronic device and allowed to be archived for backup purposes.

Availability Of Books

Perhaps the most critical of all concerns at the moment is the lack of available eTextBook titles. Only one of my course texts this semester is offered in the Kindle store. This suggests that had I switched to an ereader, I would still have to purchase five physical books and would only get one on my electronic device. In comparison to paying $300 for six physical books, the eTextBook and hard copy method would amount to a whopping $579 (Kindle + five textbooks + one ebook). At this rate, the device would die or become obsolete before it could ever pay itself off. Making a critical mass of tangle books available in electronic form cannot be overemphasized as a determinant of the future eTextBooks.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I deem the eTextBook market, in its current form, unworthy of consumer consideration. For one, there simply are not enough eTextBooks available. In my case, only one out of six titles this semester was even offered on the Kindle. At that rate, I would have to go through 5 PHD programs on a single Kindle just to break even. Yet, availability will not spur adoption alone. The price difference between hard copies and eBooks do not justify the purchase of electronic versions. This is insurmountably true when issues such as proprietary formats and electronic ownership are considered. The pricing of ebooks has to be consistent with that of other digital media (i.e. iTunes MP3s, downloadable software), not congruent with the tangible media of the past. Until the library of eTextBooks becomes large enough to accommodate a significant number of academic programs in their entirety, and until online stores begin selling eBooks at a price consistent with other digital media goods, the notion of eTextBooks will remain an achievable, yet unrealized, utopia.

USAA Revolutionizes Banking Through Mobile iPhone Application

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:02:00 +0000

I recently learned that my latest position entailed receiving hard copies of payment checks and that direct deposit was not an option. Initially, I thought this would be quite burdensome in contrast to the ease and reliability of automatic electronic deposits. Either I would have to open a local bank account and wait in long lines or risk mailing my checks from afar. Both options are significantly less ideal than having direct deposit.

USAA Mobile Banking

Thankfully, my bank (USAA) offers its services in mobile form, both as a website and an application for iPhone users. I had used the mobile banking site many times in the past for fast transactions when I was away from a computer. However, I just discovered the iPhone application as a result of my current deposit dilemma. Both resources offer USAA's standard services, such as account information, transfers, and bill payments. However, the iPhone application adds additional features including ATM location, stock trading, auto insurance card retrieval, roadside assistance, and rental car location. Yet, the single most impressive affordance made by USAA's application is Deposit@Mobile.

Deposit@Mobile

Deposit@Mobile was exactly the solution that I needed. It allows users to deposit a check into any of their USAA bank accounts via the iPhone camera. All I had to do was sign the check and take a picture of its front and back. The process is well-designed and the user is walked through the steps with simple and complete instructions. It took me no more than 60 seconds to complete the transaction. Best of all, the deposit arrived instantly in my account. To see a demonstration of Deposit@Mobile, see the following YouTube video (demo begins at 1:00).

Banking Innovation

At first glance, banking may not seem like a field with many openings for innovation. Its processes and possibilities are well standardized. However, USAA has demonstrated that the opportunity for innovation never ceases to exist. Even in the seemingly smallest instance, a purposeful and remarkable outcome can be achieved.

One final item about Deposit@Mobile that was not explicitly noted is its inherent user focus. The notion of instantly depositing checks via a mobile camera is one that benefits customers and places extra logistics burdens on the bank. For instance, USAA has to go back after it has deposited money and somehow verify the deposit. If there is a problem, its employees have to contact the customer and sort it out. This represents a fundamental shift of burden from the user (i.e. waiting in line, mailing checks) to the bank (verifying deposits made through mobile devices). On the other hand, it will reap benefits to the bank, because it has to handle fewer person to person and mailed transactions. It is also likely to make account holders more active in depositing their funds. Lastly, it creates happy customers, and that is one thing that a company cannot put a price on.

All too often, companies forgo an opportunity like Deposit@Mobile due to a perceived increase in logistics costs. They have no mind for their customers' well-being nor contentment. As I have suggested, innovation that significantly contributes to user satisfaction is has immense value in and of itself. Yet, in the case of Deposit@Mobile, USAA is surely going to reap logistics cost reduction over time. As more and more account holders begin to deposit their checks online, at the cost of 60 seconds of the user's time and (presumably) a computer-automated verification process on the bank's end, the massive amount of time involved in person to person and mail transactions will wither away. Thus, a change that could have been feared was turned into an immense opportunity to improve the field of banking. I hope that other banks, companies, industries, and professionals can learn from this small, profound case of innovation.

Mosquitos: The Itchy Killer

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:40:00 +0000

It was recently brought to my attention that August 20th is World Mosquito Day. The Twittosphere is ablaze with rabid protesters who refuse to recognize this zenith of sacred memorial.

Meanwhile, I find myself equally at odds with the thought of dedicating an entire day, on the world level no less (that's one stop short of universe), to such a vile and repulsive creature. For the following reasons, I am vehemently opposed to the notion of a World Mosquito Day.

No Respect

Mosquitos are by far the least respectful living inhabitants of the planet Earth. As someone who shares at least some harmony and understanding with every living creature, I consistently find that mosquitos are the only ones to which I feel no compassion. They perpetually buzz in the face of the natural order of the animal kingdom. For example, should you find yourself in front of an elephant stampede, you would naturally jump out of the way to avoid being stomped and allow the elephants to be on their way. Should you be annoyed by a spider and swat at it, the spider will scurry away and disappear, leaving you alone. In both cases, the creatures have a clear respect for each other's personal space and a larger understanding of the natural order of living things. A mosquito, on the other hand, will pierce the skin of anything, anywhere, at any time, in complete disregard for the propriety of its actions. This lack of respect will not be tolerated... and neither will World Mosquito Day.

Fearwareness

Even reputable scientific magazines are contributing to the fearwareness campaign that is World Mosquito Day. They intensely scrutinize the mosquito, claiming it to behold the power to transfer deadly diseases, including poliyoyoma, elephansyphallis, and The Oregon Trail Special. They even go so far as to berate humans for being overly cautious around truly dangerous animals, such as the the hungry hungry hippo, happy-go-lucky alligator, and gentle rhinoceros. Senseless and mind-controlling fearwareness will not be tolerated... and neither will World Mosquito Day.

So Much More To Celebrate

In my view, there are a million things that we could celebrate on August 20th that would be more productive and meaningful than World Mosquito Day. Naturally, I generated a list containing each one. To spare you the details, I have presented only a few of the items here.

1. Conjoined Triplet Hamster Day

2. USAF Balloon Altitude Record Day

3. 30 Years Since Joe Piscopo Went Missing Day

...

999,998. WWJ 950 Day

999,999. Konrad von Wallenrode Day

1,000,000. Masking Tape Consortium Day

~~1,000,001. World Mosquito Day~~

Ultimately, for all the more worthy wonders of the universe to behold, I will not celebrate World Mosquito Day.

EduGeoProject.com: The ASU Geo Project Is Complete

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:21:00 +0000

Thanks to an intense week of photography and exploration, I have completed the initial version of the ASU Geo Project. It contains over 330 images from the Arizona State University (ASU) campus. Each photo is geotagged with latitude, longitude, and altitude data, which allows software like Google Earth to automatically pinpoint where the image was taken.

In spite of having a significantly smaller land area than Michigan State University (home of the original Edu Geo Project), The ASU Geo Project has yielded nearly 100 more images. This can be attributed to not only a densely populated campus, but also to the vast array stunning and imaginative architectural creations that can be witnessed there. I thoroughly enjoyed capturing the sights of ASU and am happy to share them with others. I also look forward to expanding the project in the future.

EduGeoProject.com

To assist with the distribution of the ASU Geo Project, I have created the Edu Geo Project website, which can be found at www.edugeoproject.com. The site offers instructions for adding the ASU Geo Project to Google Earth and creating an embeddable map, as well as a zip file containing all of the geotagged images in the project.

Creative Commons

I elected to place the content of the ASU Geo Project under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 U.S. License to encourage the use of the photos without the fear of copyright infringement. I welcome others to employ the images found in the ASU Geo Project for any variety of derivative or expansive works.

Feedback

I am currently looking for feedback on the ASU Geo Project and welcome any comments and criticisms. Feel free to point out missing landmarks that would make the map more complete. I do plan to update the ASU Geo Project at periodic intervals as I discover more of the outlying regions of campus. Please share any uses that you have for the project or ideas that you have for improving the EduGeoProject website.

ASU Geo Project Underway

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:49:00 +0000

Throughout the summer, I worked to create a geotagged collection of over 250 photos of the Michigan State University campus. The MSU Geo Project was completed in late June and incorporated into the Edu Geo Project website. Now that I have relocated to Arizona State University, I have begun the ASU Geo Project. Once again, I aim to geotag images of every major building and landmark on campus. Ironically enough, I have estimated that ASU has about the same number of locations to visit as MSU, in spite of having a significantly smaller land area. ASU's campus has spectacular architecture and I am looking forward to capturing it. My efforts are already underway and can be tracked via the ASU Geo Project set that I created on Flickr. Once I have completed the entire collection, I will add it to the Edu Geo Project site along with Google Earth files, embeddable maps, and instructions. As with the MSU Geo Project, all images that I include in the ASU Geo Project will be governed under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution license, which means that they are free to be used and modified as long as the original source is properly cited.

Update: Also be sure to check out the ASU Geo Project Flickr map, which places all of the images into an interactive map. This will definitely be useful for helping me to determine which locations I have and have not already captured.

The ASU Geo Project by John M. Quick is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at www.EduGeoProject.com.

Hall And Oates T-Shirt Design

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:50:00 +0000

At my latest Hall and Oates concert, the "Las Vegas Turnaround" t-shirts that I designed one year ago received considerable attention from my peers. Thus, I have decided to make the shirt design available to anyone who would like to use it for creating their own printed articles. The logo has been placed under a Creative Commons license with the intent that it is free to be altered, distributed, and used for personal, noncommercial purposes.

Download links for the design are listed and explained below. Feel free to make requests for new Hall and Oates logos. If you remix this design, I would be happy to add it to this page. Since my design features a modern representation of Daryl and John, one idea would be to create similar illustrations with a 70s or 80s look. Another would be to add additional band members to the design. Enjoy!

Las Vegas Turnaround Design Files

PSD | This file is fully editable. Each line of text and head outline is contained on a separate layer. The outline colors can be swapped using the color replace method. All items can also be repositioned and otherwise modified.
TIFF | This file contains the original design and is ready to be printed by most custom shops. It is at 300 DPI resolution.
If your printer requires a different format, I recommend either saving the appropriate file type using the PSD file above or contacting me so I can add the file to this list.

The "Las Vegas Turnaround" design by John M. Quick is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Photoshop Tutorial: Replacing Colors

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:36:00 +0000

If your graphic design work has involved tracing, line drawings, logo creation, or similar tasks, you have likely run into the fill color problem that is demonstrated below.

Here I have a nice, clean outline. But, when I change the fill color to green using the Paint Bucket Tool in Photoshop, my smooth line turns into a jagged, pixelated one.

Fortunately, Photoshop can easily achieve the desired effect using the color replace method. The following images demonstrate how to successfully replace one color with another.

As you can see in the example above, using the color replace method allowed my smooth line to retain its shape while also changing its color. The plain text instructions for using this method can be found below. These correspond to the orange number bubbles in the screenshots above.

Select the layer containing the object that requires color replacement.
Go to Image > Adjustments > Replace Color...
Use the Eyedropper Tool to click on the color that you would like to replace
In the Replacement area, Click on the color swatch above the word "Result" and use the color picker to select your desired replacement color. In the Select Target Color window, click on the OK button.
In the Replace Color window, Click on the OK button to complete your color replacement.

Photo Road Trip: Michigan To Arizona

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:22:00 +0000

On August 2, 2009, my father and I set out on our first cross-country road trip. The goal of the journey was to move me from my former home in East Lansing, Michigan to my new residence in Tempe, Arizona. It was a three day trek with approximately 30 total hours of driving time. Along the way, we got to see many diverse landscapes of the United States, including the farmland of Illinois, the Ozarks of Missouri, the vast ranches of Texas, the reservations of New Mexico, and the mountains of Arizona. Each time we made a stop, I took a geotagged picture with my camera. Below is an embedded Google Earth map of our journey that I created with my images. The first picture was taken in Benton Harbor, MI and the last was near Peyson, AZ.

Update: It seems that the images rarely work in these embedded maps. However, you can still add this project flawlessly to your desktop version of Google Earth using the following method.

Start by downloading the KML/KMZ file
Double-Click on the KML/KMZ file to launch Google Earth
The project will be added to your Temporary Places folder
Click on the radio bubble next to the project to select it.
Save the project to "My Places" by going to File > Save > Save to My Places.
Click on the grey arrow beside the project located in "My Places" to reveal its contents.
Click on the radio bubble next to the "Images" folder to display the photos on your Google Earth map.
To automatically zoom into the project area, double click on the folder icon beside the "Images" folder.

2009: A Year In Mad Libs - August

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:17:00 +0000

August

Your eyes are like two smelly pools of chlorine...

Monday, August 3 - Letter To A TV Editor

I think today's sitcoms are just as squirrelly as the golden toads of the past. What needs to be eliminated is the lumpy laugh bread.

Tuesday, August 4 - Show And Tell

I would like to show the class a picture I caught when I went swimming. I had never fished before, but my aunt likely taught me how to bait a hook with a Taliban and then how to cast it into the lake. I damn fishing!

Wednesday, August 5 - A Mathematics Test

Johnny bought a pencil for $385 and a loose-leaf val-mart for $1.75. If he had ten dollars when he left home, how many balls would he end up with?

Thursday, August 6 - Elephant

The elephant weighs 16 tons. It has a tired trunk, which it uses like we use our butts or our noses. When it is hot, an elephant squirts urine on its back with its sweaty trunk.

Friday, August 7 - My Dream Girl

The girl of my dreams has grimy pink hair scented like roses. Her eyes are like two smelly pools of chlorine. In my dreams, I see her wearing a greasy dress.

Saturday, August 8 - Note To Teacher

Please forgive my daughter for missing her hungry classes. I had to take her to the dentist to have her cars measured for braces so that she will have straight periwinkle emissions.

Monday, August 10 - Geography

Geography is important because it teaches us where all of the continents, countries, states, and Asians are. It also helps us learn the capitals of all the Americans. If you don't study it, you might start traveling to London and end up in Rwanda.

Tuesday, August 11 - Superstitions

If you break a marker you will have 16 years of noxious luck. Never vomit under a ladder.

Wednesday, August 12 - Email Etiquette

When blinking the perfect email, make sure that you smash your words correctly. Otherwise, people will think you are huggable and that you don't take enough time to hug your emails before you send them.

Friday, August 14 - A Spooky, Scary, Slimy Story

It was a dark and pixelated night. The wind was infuriating through the trees, and off in the distance, the wolves were howling at the cable company. I screamed so loudly, I woke up every imbecile in the forest.

Wednesday, August 19 - How To Enjoy The Beach

When you go to the beach, take along a big frankfurter, a thermos bottle full of mustard, lots of suntan bile, and a couple of folding loveseats.

Friday, August 21 - Love Letter

My burdensome darling, I can't stop thinking about the color of your cannonball, the way you wear your grenades, and the way you toss your boulder. I love you from the bottom of my tongue.

Monday, August 24 - Aunt Rose

When Aunt Rose was a little girl, she won a movie contest reciting a critique and singing her Chinese version of "Yankee Quizabuck Dandee."

Wednesday, August 26 - What Is A Dinosaur

The word "dinosaur" comes from the Greek words deinos, meaning satisfaction and saurus, meaning theory. No one has ever seen a fiery dinosaur.

Thursday, August 27 - Chinese Dinner

I recently had dinner at a new Chinese restaurant. I had the sweet and silky spare ribs. They were fragrant. The main course consisted of Egg Foo Turd. For dessert, I ordered those famous Chinese dishwasher cookies with sliced bread crumbs.

Saturday, August 29 - Advertisement For A Cruise Ship

Come aboard the famous cruise ship, "Love Marxist." You and your marxists will stay in a luxurious pool. Every night there will be entertainment by Chevy Chase.

Monday, August 31 - Bull Fighting

Bullfighting is a ferocious sport which is very popular in Iceland. A bullfighter is called a matador, and his equipment consists of a long, sharp mafia weapon called a cochebomba and a bright red tie.

Note: This was the 100th post on High-Technically Correct!

Hall & Oates & Charlie & Rocky

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 03:06:00 +0000

Hall and Oates

On July 31, 2009, I attended the Hall and Oates concert in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This was my first show since the Windsor, Ontario event on November 7, 2008. It was my fifth Hall and Oates concert to date and an excellent show. My sleeper pick for the night was Kiss On My List, which I had not previously heard live. However, much to my surprise, the song ended up being the grand finale during the second encore! Now, I have heard all six of Hall and Oates number one hits live in concert.

The complete collection of photos from this concert can be found on my Flickr account.

Setlist

Maneater
Family Man
Out Of Touch
Say It Isn't So
How Does It Feel To Be Back
Las Vegas Turnaround
It's Uncanny
She's Gone
One On One
Sara Smile
No Can Do
Rich Girl*
You Make My Dreams*
Kiss On My List**

On a side note, the surprise t-shits that I designed for my family's trip to Las Vegas for the August 15, 2008 concert drew a great deal of attention in Atlantic City. This design is now available online, so others can make their own versions of the shirt!

Charlie DeChant

After the concert, we ran into the saxophonist for Hall and Oates, Charlie DeChant. He was very friendly and humorous. I have no doubt now why he is known as "Mr. Casual." I also came across the bass player, Zev Katz, and percussionist, Everett Bradley. Everett, in addition to his typical explosively energetic performance, had a stunning vocal part in I Can't Go For That. It is nice to see members of the entire band get parts in the show, especially since they are all such talented musicians. I believe that Live From Daryl's House has greatly contributed to the exposure of the lesser known band members and made them all recognizable faces.

Running The Rocky Steps

On the way from Baltimore to Atlantic City, we stopped at the Philadelphia Art Museum, which is the site of the infamous training scenes from the Rocky movies. There, I got to take a picture of the Rocky statue, which has been moved from the front of the museum to an area below the steps. I also took a first-person video of myself running up the steps.