Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Lab 6
http://mason.gmu.edu/~adement/Lab6_v2.html
(1) OK. I had issues. I used the 20% alpha to generate the color gradients; however, even after 5 states were selected, the color did not hit "100%" and remain constant. Apparently, the way the transparency is generated by the computer, the addition of more transparent layers just continues to deepen the color. As a result, up to 8 shades are possible if all maps are selected. Beyond 5 years, it becomes nearly impossible to distinguish between all the colors.
So...I went ahead and did all 8 maps but I only put 5 colors in the legend and I told the user to only pick 5. While the user could still check all 8 boxes (proving their inability to follow directions), the map becomes increasingly useless and the disobedient reader must extrapolate the colors (which serves them right). I couldn't figure out how to make the software police their actions and limit them to only picking 5 of the 8 years.
(2) Because of this same color problem, creating the legend was problematic. For example, 4 overlapped 20% alpha symbols on the map yields a significantly different color than one 80% alpha graphics object in the legend. As a result, to replicate the map shades in the legend, I had to generate symbols and overlap them just like on the map rather than just drawing objects and using the standard fill tool with different alphas (40%, 60%, etc.)
(3) I did the mapping with a plain white background and then decided to add a color to the background afterward. Turns out that because of the transparency of the symbols, adding a color behind them completely changes the visual perception of color for the symbols. This can have some shocking results. Fortunately, I found that a sick yellow shade behind the maps actually provided better gradient differentiation than using white alone. Picking the background color before the symbol color, however, is a design concern that would be better addressed at the start of a project.
(4) I wouldn't say this is my worst map but because of the color issues, it's now in the top 3 along with dot density and the Maryland cows. I like the whole faux-GIS idea, though.
(1) OK. I had issues. I used the 20% alpha to generate the color gradients; however, even after 5 states were selected, the color did not hit "100%" and remain constant. Apparently, the way the transparency is generated by the computer, the addition of more transparent layers just continues to deepen the color. As a result, up to 8 shades are possible if all maps are selected. Beyond 5 years, it becomes nearly impossible to distinguish between all the colors.
So...I went ahead and did all 8 maps but I only put 5 colors in the legend and I told the user to only pick 5. While the user could still check all 8 boxes (proving their inability to follow directions), the map becomes increasingly useless and the disobedient reader must extrapolate the colors (which serves them right). I couldn't figure out how to make the software police their actions and limit them to only picking 5 of the 8 years.
(2) Because of this same color problem, creating the legend was problematic. For example, 4 overlapped 20% alpha symbols on the map yields a significantly different color than one 80% alpha graphics object in the legend. As a result, to replicate the map shades in the legend, I had to generate symbols and overlap them just like on the map rather than just drawing objects and using the standard fill tool with different alphas (40%, 60%, etc.)
(3) I did the mapping with a plain white background and then decided to add a color to the background afterward. Turns out that because of the transparency of the symbols, adding a color behind them completely changes the visual perception of color for the symbols. This can have some shocking results. Fortunately, I found that a sick yellow shade behind the maps actually provided better gradient differentiation than using white alone. Picking the background color before the symbol color, however, is a design concern that would be better addressed at the start of a project.
(4) I wouldn't say this is my worst map but because of the color issues, it's now in the top 3 along with dot density and the Maryland cows. I like the whole faux-GIS idea, though.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Lab 5 - Macromedia Part 3
http://mason.gmu.edu/~adement/Elections_Lab5.html
Here's my map for lab 5. This was a bit odd because I couldn't get any sounds to work in the Geography Lab despite trying several computers and probably screwing up all the audio settings. So, I did all the actions in the lab for putting in sounds without knowing what any of it sounded like. Once I got home, I was able to test it in Blogger to make sure sounds were there. These are probably not the sounds I'd like to have used but since I didn't know what they were while building the map, they'll have to do.
Here's my map for lab 5. This was a bit odd because I couldn't get any sounds to work in the Geography Lab despite trying several computers and probably screwing up all the audio settings. So, I did all the actions in the lab for putting in sounds without knowing what any of it sounded like. Once I got home, I was able to test it in Blogger to make sure sounds were there. These are probably not the sounds I'd like to have used but since I didn't know what they were while building the map, they'll have to do.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Lab 4 - Macromedia Flash - Part II
http://mason.gmu.edu/~adement/NewElections.html
The link to the map is listed above. I had difficulties with a couple of things during this lab:
(1) I created a cool neatline and caret but when I went to publish, Flash told me that the viewer version didn't support the enhanced features even though it allows you to actually create the graphics on the screen; so, it published as just black. I ended up having to create less cool versions of the neatline and caret just to get the thing to publish what was actually on the screen. Kind of a cheesy bait and switch mentality on the part of the program...I'm sure my beloved Illustrator would not be so lacking in integrity.
(2) Because I used the boundary layer that required using the paint bucket rather than the fill tool, I ran into an odd problem. I was working with color schemes that had radial gradients. Apparently with the paint bucket, the center of the radial gradient is not placed at the center of the area to be filled but rather where the paint bucket touches the area. As a result, I got a flickering effect between years due to having touched the bucket to different parts of the states each time I colored them. It took some doing to minimize this through trial and error. I don't think the fill tool works that way...it just puts the center of the radial gradient in the center of the polygon being colored.
(3) Finally, I now know more about the Mason cluster/UNIX/etc. than I ever wanted to. I had flashbacks to my old days using DOS prompts. Whoever wrote the guides and manuals obviously wasn't expecting normal people to read them. It took me almost as long to figure out the cluster account as it did to create the maps. I'm armed and dangerous now, though. Watch out world...I'm Web-enabled!
The link to the map is listed above. I had difficulties with a couple of things during this lab:
(1) I created a cool neatline and caret but when I went to publish, Flash told me that the viewer version didn't support the enhanced features even though it allows you to actually create the graphics on the screen; so, it published as just black. I ended up having to create less cool versions of the neatline and caret just to get the thing to publish what was actually on the screen. Kind of a cheesy bait and switch mentality on the part of the program...I'm sure my beloved Illustrator would not be so lacking in integrity.
(2) Because I used the boundary layer that required using the paint bucket rather than the fill tool, I ran into an odd problem. I was working with color schemes that had radial gradients. Apparently with the paint bucket, the center of the radial gradient is not placed at the center of the area to be filled but rather where the paint bucket touches the area. As a result, I got a flickering effect between years due to having touched the bucket to different parts of the states each time I colored them. It took some doing to minimize this through trial and error. I don't think the fill tool works that way...it just puts the center of the radial gradient in the center of the polygon being colored.
(3) Finally, I now know more about the Mason cluster/UNIX/etc. than I ever wanted to. I had flashbacks to my old days using DOS prompts. Whoever wrote the guides and manuals obviously wasn't expecting normal people to read them. It took me almost as long to figure out the cluster account as it did to create the maps. I'm armed and dangerous now, though. Watch out world...I'm Web-enabled!
