An algorithm must be seen to be believed.

~ D. Knuth

First i trust everyone is safe. Second its WEDNESDAY so we got us a Snake_Byte! Today i wanted to keep this simple, fun and return to a set of fun methods that are included in the defacto standard for plotting in python which is Matplotlib. The method(s) are called XKCD Style plotting via plt.xkcd().

If you don’t know what is referencing it is xkcd, sometimes styled XKCD, whcih is a webcomic created in 2005 by American author Randall Munroe. The comic’s tagline describes it as “a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language”. Munroe states on the comic’s website that the name of the comic is not an initialism but “just a word with no phonetic pronunciation”. i personally have read it since its inception in 2005. The creativity is astounding.

Which brings us to the current Snake_Byte. If you want to have some fun and creativity in your marketechure[1] and spend fewer hours on those power points bust out some plt.xkcd() style plots!

First thing is you need to install matplotlib:

pip install matplotlib

in this simple example we need numpy:

pip install numpy
import numpy as np
plt.xkcd() 
plt.plot(np.sin(np.linspace(0, 10)))
plt.plot(np.sin(np.linspace(10, 20)))
plt.title('Sorta Lissajous')
Sorta Lissajous

So really that is all there with all the bells and whistles that matplotlib has to offer.

The following script was based on Randall Munroe’s Stove Ownership.

(Some will get the inside industry joke.)

with plt.xkcd():
    # Based on "Stove Ownership" from XKCD by Randall Munroe
    # https://xkcd.com/418/

    fig = plt.figure()
    ax = fig.add_axes((0.1, 0.2, 0.8, 0.7))
    ax.spines.right.set_color('none')
    ax.spines.top.set_color('none')
    ax.set_xticks([])
    ax.set_yticks([])
    ax.set_ylim([-30, 10])

    data = np.ones(100)
    data[70:] -= np.arange(30)

    ax.annotate(
        'THE DAY I TRIED TO CREATE \nAN INTEROPERABLE SOLTUION\nIN HEALTH IT',
        xy=(70, 1), arrowprops=dict(arrowstyle='->'), xytext=(15, -10))

    ax.plot(data)

    ax.set_xlabel('time')
    ax.set_ylabel('MY OVERALL MENTAL SANITY')
    fig.text(
        0.5, 0.05,
        '"Stove Ownership" from xkcd by Randall Munroe',
        ha='center')
Interoperability In Health IT

So dear readers there it is an oldie but goodie and it is so flexible! Add it to your slideware or maretechure or just add it because its cool.

Until Then,

#iwishyouwater <- Mentawis surfing paradise. At least someone is living.

Muzak To Blog By: NULL

[1] Marchitecture is a portmanteau of the words marketing and architecture. The term is applied to any form of electronic architecture perceived to have been produced purely for marketing reasons and has in many companies replaced actual software creation.

2 comments on “Snake_Byte[9] XKCD PLOTS

  • Henry Feldman

    I didn’t know this existed but now that I do, I think all my plots going forward are going to be xkcd styled plots…

    • TCTJr

      Dr Feldman:

      thank you for the kind comments. i cant wait to see the plots!

      Happy Plotting!
      //ted

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