A fun research article that analyzes the walking styles (also known as “gaits”) of various animals. The article especially focuses on the gait differences between primates and other mammals.
The article can be found here http://jeb.biologists.org/content/209/11/2042.full.
This book explores the process we go through to make choices. It includes an analysis of why many people make the decisions they make and why they avoid others. There is a hefty discussion about people insisting on being able to make decisions, even though they do a poor job at making them (think health care, in which common people decide about their medical treatment despite being in the care of a highly trained doctor). Even though they make poorer decisions, they are happier for the opportunity to make them.
Interest fact: Reactance is what happens when a freedom is eliminated or threatened, people revolt by expressing the newly removed or forbidden freedom as a rebellion.
I recently completed another picture in my series of graphics (someday I will name them so that I can more easily refer to them). Once I am done with the graphics I have to export them to raster images so that the photo printer can print them. Previously, I have had to export them at 450 DPI (dots per inches, in printing lingo: the higher the DPI, the better the picture). While 450 DPI is good (most printers can only handle 300 DPI), I would always rather store the images at a higher DPI than a lower one but the graphics software could not handle a higher DPI. Then I found out that I just needed to open my Illustrator files in Photoshop and use Photoshop to export the images. Now I am able to enjoy glorious 1000 DPI. I know that such is beyond all reasonable uses, but I still take comfort in knowing that they are well preserved.
Some years ago, I produced a delivery map for work. The map was glorious and communicated what days we delivered where, how often we delivered there and the price that we charged for the delivery. The map was a critical part of selling delivery to our customers and allowing the salespeople to correctly communicate delivery expectations to their customers.
A few years after releasing the map, we upgraded our systems to an automated routing system that would control the delivery schedule and charges based on the Zip Code on the sale. I stopped updating the map because it was inaccurate compared to the upgraded system in that it allowed for the personal interpretation of the schedule and delivery charge for the borderline cities, interpretations that would not match up with the system’s automated schedule and charges. Additionally, the map was built using old graphic software and we would need to spend several hundred to purchase new software and spend several hours to rebuild the map. Just a few months after I retracted the map I was hit with a request to update it.
The salespeople wanted to be able to quote, with some confidence, when we could deliver out to a customer’s home and how much it would cost before running a complete sale. I cited my reasons and denied the request. Another request came a few months later, again I denied it. Finally, the owner of the company requested a revised map. I explained my reasons and he went back to the Store Managers only to come back to me and say, “Daniel, they want the map. Make it happen.” I fought the request: it would be expensive and would surely lead to several upset customers and salespeople.
Then it struck me: they did not want a map (that was all they knew); they wanted to be able to easily know when we go where and how much it would cost. I proposed an easy to maintain spreadsheet and was greeted with an overwhelming response in the affirmative. In fact, the salespeople preferred the spreadsheet over the map.
This provided a valuable lesson to me: give them what they need, not what they want because often they do not know what they really want, they just know what they had.
A fun discussion on various techniques that can be used to lie using maps (as the title implies). The book is not as devious as it sounds; part of its intention is to help map and chart makers avoid simple mistake and help more effectively communicate information (some information should be suppressed to avoid overwhelming the viewer). There is also some use in knowing how people might use maps and charts to lie so that the contemplative user can more intelligibly discern when he is being deceived.
Interest fact: Ottawa Canada was left off of a AAA tourism map because it did not have direct international flights, even though it is a major Canadian city.