BP Deepwater Horizon Catastrophe

[dennis]

Just to keep count of how long this mess is going on, I've created a code replacement file that converts the date to a string with the day number of the disaster.  To use this code replacement file, enter "=bp{datesort}=" (assuming "=" is your code replacement delimiter) into your IPTC Stationery Pad, e.g. as part of your caption.  So for example, today the code would be:

bp20100616      Day 58 of the BP Deepwater Horizon Catastrophe

For you nerds out there, I've also posted an Excel spreadsheet that was used to create this text file.  Essentially you start off in the 3rd column of a spreadsheet and enter something like "=DATE(2010,4,20)" or whatever the first day of your event is.  Then you go to the 4th column and enter "1".  Then below the date you enter "=C1+1" where C1 is the cell with the start date.  And under the cell with "1" you enter "=D1+1".  Then you select these two cells and copy them to a range as needed.  Then you can go to the first column and create the code.  For example, "=CONCATENATE("bp",YEAR(C1)*10000+MONTH(C1)*100+DAY(C1)".  This puts the serialized date into the {datesort} format YYYYMMDD.  Then in the second column you enter your replacement, in this case: "=CONCATENATE("Day ",D1," of the BP Deepwater Horizon Catastrophe")".  Then you save out this spreadsheet as a tab delimited text file and voila!  Another nerd factoid: the last day of the year will be day 256 of the disaster.

Lets hope I don't need to create another code replacement file for next year, but that is being too optimistic I'm afraid.

--dennis

[mklass]

And the point of this is??

[Frantisek Vlcek]

And the point of this is??

Since no point for you, why did you bother posting? Gosh, the people today! Some netiquette would be nice. Code replacement section is for posting examples of uses of code replacement, which this certainly is, and a good one.

[dennis]

And the point of this is??

One point of this is to demonstrate how to go about creating code replacements for "Day N of Event".  I had wanted to do this for the Olympics but we were so busy with the athletes that I never got around to it.  Most events are shorter and of a fixed duration, so it normally wouldn't be necessary to go to the work of creating a spreadsheet.  But in this case it is "easier" to create a spreadsheet.

Also, this is a reminder of what a catastrophe the BP oil spill is by putting a number on it (like the news networks do).  Those who are covering the spill will likely find this useful as part of their IPTC stationery pad (in the caption field) so they can be sure it is correct.

--dennis

[mklass]

So if I had created one for the number of days until someone was ending their term of office, that would be OK?

Seem we're bordering on getting political here, and this isn't the place for it.

However, as an example of how to use code replacements for track day countdowns, I see it's value. Perhaps it should have been presented as that.

[dennis]

So if I had created one for the number of days until someone was ending their term of office, that would be OK?

Seem we're bordering on getting political here, and this isn't the place for it.

However, as an example of how to use code replacements for track day countdowns, I see it's value. Perhaps it should have been presented as that.

Mick,

There is nothing political about a disaster until you make it political and that certainly was not my intention.  I'm sorry if you see it that way.  Photojournalists that are there to document and cover this historic disaster should have no political agenda, only a duty to honestly report what they (or their cameras) see.  Unfortunately their cameras aren't seeing the worst of this disaster which is happening under water.

And BTW this is an example of counting up not down.  I'll leave it as an exercise for you to figure out how to do that for a politician, but you had best wait until their election is over before you bother.  Photojournalists don't generally make news by talking about the number of days until an event happens (although I suppose the historic inauguration of a black president may be different), they are there to cover an event that is unfolding.  And the BP oil spill disaster is going to be unfolding for a long time to come.  If you care about the planet I think it is important for everyone to know how long this has gone on.  If I could write a code replacement to count the millions of gallons of crude oil spilled or the billions of cubic feet of methane gas released I would, but that would not be political either.

--dennis