If you want to use this lab as an opportunity to take part in the Forty Day Visual Feast, you may want to do the following:
- Find some interesting data. You could use the logs I provided, as they're very common. Or, you can find something more interesting to you. Infochimps has a ton of really cool, freely available datasets you can download. Additional resources can be found via the ReadWriteWeb.
- Invent an interesting visualization. You may want to do some Googling around the terms "data visualization" and the like. Edward Tufte's work is considered authoritative in this space. The best way to be inspired in art is to view lots of art, so don't be afraid to look and explore.
- Find the right tools. VPython might work for you, if you want to do 3D. The Python Imaging Library might make things easier. Python(x,y) has a lot of resources. Sage, also, combines a lot of horsepower surrounding math and visualization in a tasty, open, Python-friendly package.
If you want to dive in and start working on a visualization for the Feast, talk to me first. We can negotiate deadlines or expectations regarding this homework if you're targeting the development of a visualization for the Feast.
