I just finished my Project B assignment. I chose the first option of project b to build a data visualization. I originally was going to collect data about myself, such as how many times I use the internet or how many times I call home to the US but I was very bored with that idea after just a couple of days of observing my boring life. I liked the idea of collecting data from a song so I chose the song 'I'm Yours' by Jason Mraz off of his new album. I made a chart of the chords he uses in the song as well as when they are used in sync with each other. I made a graph of all the Singles Charts that the song appeared on, where the charts were, and what number on the list the song appeared. I also made a chart of some selected words in the lyrics and how many times they were used in comparison to each other and other words. Finally, I made a chart of the release dates of the singles because I though it was relevant to the placement of the single on the Singles Charts. The reason I chose this option is because I thought it was interesting to see all the different ways you can chart or show different elements of any data, including song lyrics. I played around with several different web page creators but most of the ones I tried to create a page on were locked or cost a lot of money to download. I used Google Docs to create the graphs and spreadsheets and then I arranged the data onto Tumblr, including an audio clip of the song and a full copy of the lyrics. The chart images are a direct link to the Google Doc spreadsheets and can be enlarged. I selected the different types of graphs to show different ways in displaying the information. Have a look! http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/399449

My First Australian Blog

This is my first blog for a unit I am taking at UC. I have never blogged before, and definitely not in Australia. Originally from the United States, I am from a small town in Colorado. I've been here for only two weeks and I love it so far. The only downfall is that right now in Colorado, the weather is extremely hot because it is summer there. Colorado is rarely hot since we are in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. It is very cold here and today I am wearing a sweatshirt, hat, and jeans in the middle of my "summer". Weather aside, I think Australia is beautiful from what I've seen. The people in Canberra are very friendly and I have been fortunate enough to meet people from all over the world just on res. I hope to travel a lot while I am here.