#project

so i finally pulled together a quick prototype of the late bronze age trade routes (c 1600‑1200 bc) and decided to throw it into both tableau and an excel vba macro just to see which one actually looks decent rn

• data source: oxford atlases + raw cuneiform shipment logs (i digitized ~300 entries)
• tableau: drag‑and‑drop, built a geo‑coded line map, added a parameter slider for "trade volume" (uses a simple calc field)
• excel vba: wrote a short macro (sub drawMap()) that loops through rows, plots points on a scatter chart, then connects with shape lines pretty clunky but i can embed it in a single workbook

what i noticed:

• tableau handles zoom/pan smooth af, plus you can publish to web for free
• excel macro is portable, no extra license, but the UI feels ancient and the lines jitter when you resize

i’m looking for feedback: which tool would actually survive a real research presentation? any tips on cleaning up the cuneiform dataset or adding a temporal animation without learning python? tbh i’m open to any hacky suggestions lol

i've been tinkering with a cheap 2‑stage levitation kit (magician's choice #M-112) and trying to mount it on my touring bike frame the goal: a quick flash levitation of a small prop (like a coin or mini card) while riding through low‑light trails here's the setup i tried:

• base: 6061 aluminum bike rack, welded to downtube, uses 1/4‑inch m6 bolts (same as standard rack mounts)
• illusion rig: magi‑cable 7‑ft #C14, hidden in the chainstay, connected to a spring‑loaded platform (model SFX‑P2)
• control: custom arduino nano (v3.0) with a 2‑sec delay, triggered by a pressure sensor on the rear brake lever
• power: 18650 li‑ion cell, 5v regulator, lasts ~3h continuous

the biggest issue i hit rn is the vibration messing with the cable tension, causing the platform to drop too early i read that using a dampening sleeve (titanium‑coated #D-9) can reduce resonance, but i haven't sourced it yet also, the legal side: some folks on this forum argue that adding any non‑essential gear is unsafe, but i think if you balance weight properly (i keep total extra < 300g) it's fine

anyone who’s done a similar rig or can point me to a better vibration‑isolating mount? also, i heard about the "Miller's Quick‑Flip" (model QF‑7) for faster release—does it actually work on a moving bike or is it just stage‑craft? tbh i’m leaning towards ditching the arduino and going full mechanical with a spring latch, but i need data

thanks for the input, will post results soon

i spent the last month testing a new 3‑in‑1 trolling rig that plugs into an on‑board temp sensor the rig auto‑tunes casting angle when the water dips below 4c here's the gpx trace for a 12hr run along the pine ridge stream and a quick analysis of the drag curves hope someone can point out a glitch in the temp compensation algorithm or an oversight in the buoyancy model lol it would be great if a peer review could confirm the trends rn