hi Alexander,

Love the Viz!

On the Zodiac signs, obviously this is not related to the movement of the planets!, but there is some interesting research looking at people who excel in certain jobs, and their month of birth. The theory (who's general thesis is 'Talent is overrated, and it's about early encouragement') is that those born on the boundary between years (Dec/Jan) are potentially 1 year older than the children in the same year. At this early age being 364 days older can have a big impact, and so they are generally top of the class. This means they got lots of encouragement (people like doing things they think they are good at!), and so this sets them on that path. This pattern on Dec/Jan is generally more pronounced in Sport (where at an early age being 364 days older, can means you are bigger/stronger than your peers (I'd need to check the actual data, but remember reading 70% of Premiership footballer were born in Dec/Jan/Feb). This pattern is also seen in academic fields, where the boundary is July-August (the boundary for school semesters).

...Capricorn (which I had to look up!) is on the year boundary (Jan), so may have some influence...although the theory would usually expect this to over-index in physical disciplines, like sport...Maybe to small a data-set (or the theory is wrong!!)

Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing

...yeah who'd have thought that medieval superstitions wouldn't end up explaining how the world works!!

There's a great book called 'Talent is Overrated', which looks at the subject in much greater depth than just birth month

Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else: Geoff Colvin: 9781591842941: Amaz…

Obviously the Freakonomics crew have done some sums on the matter too!

'SuperFreakonomics': Why Raw Talent and Genius Are Overrated - ABC News

Freakonomics » The Disadvantages of Summer Babies

and here is a more formal report on the subject

http://www.ifs.org.uk/bns/bn122.pdf

I'm sure like all these things the real influences are far more complicated, but an interesting theory never-the-less, and does have some statistical credence

very interesting article (thanks for sharing)...and definitely something I need to remind myself of constantly!! It's weird how knowing (and agreeing with) the 'law of large numbers', doesn't stop my brain from inherently believing it's counterpart 'the law of small numbers'!!

Have you read 'Thinking Fast, and Slow'? Thinking, Fast and Slow: Amazon.co.uk: Daniel Kahneman: 9780141033570: Books

This covers our natural bias to see patterns, when no pattern exists (and why we do). It's also one of the most fascinating books I've ever read (...a real life changer!)

Great discussion!

I really like the viz!  It has a great look and feel.  You had asked a couple of questions in your original post:

Used parameters to act like filter. Couldn't use regular filters because the grid would collapse.

Or is there a way to better filter the photos?

Tableau does have an option that keeps columns and rows in a view, even if filters eliminate anything that would be in the row or column.  You can turn on this feature by selecting from the menu "Analysis --> Table Layout --> Show Empty Rows / Columns"

When I did this in your view, I could use the regular quick filters for Zodiac, Birth Place, etc... and the grid did not collapse.

Another quick note: I noticed you used copies of dimensions on Rows and Columns.  I think you did this to get the formatting of the grid.  If so, then you could simplify the view by removing the copies and adjusting the formatting.

By moving the levels for the dividers, you can get the grid look without extra fields.

Best Regards,

Joshua

hi Alexander,

Many thanks for sharing this. It's not a book I've come across....just read the summary blurb...and definitely next on my list of books...looks like it's got some interesting stuff on Sports Stars and January births.