CORI, my new App

Completely and accidentally, I named my own Power BI application today.  It started with me trying to give it a title that emphasized exactly what it is, a "Consolidated Organizational Reporting Interface."

It is a word salad of sorts, but after staring it for a moment, I realized it had a name.  "CORI."  Now it just needs representation.

I could have designed something but that would have taken weeks.  AI to the rescue.  Gemini failed and I was truly disappointed, after having considered it much more creative than my other alternative.

Copilot offered up the following results, which were much better than I anticipated. The header image on this post is what Gemini came up with, and could do no better with additional prompts.

Copilot response (above):  Generated.

When asked, "What if it looked like a person?"

Copilot Response (image above):  I generated a personified version of CORI as a professional reporting and analytics ambassador.

I prompted further, "Can you make it race neutral?"

Copilot Response (image above):  I've generated a more neutral, stylized corporate mascot version of CORI that avoids strongly emphasizing any specific demographic characteristics while keeping the professional analytics-focused branding.

I further prompted, "Is is possible to go more gender neutral?"

Copilot Response (image above):  Yes. A better approach for a corporate reporting platform mascot is often to move away from a human altogether and use a branded character.  I generated a version where CORI is represented as a neutral data-avatar/mascot built from the brand colors and analytics theme. This avoids drawing attention to gender, race, age, or other personal characteristics and tends to work better for organization-wide branding.

Planning for the Yellow Stone - Phase 5

Just when you thought there was nothing left to plan for, guess again.

Things need piled up.  Plans need distributed to those with concern. New hiking shoes need broken in. 

It would be a little ridiculous to get on the trail with a stiff pair of shoes.  

I cannot think of a better way to get blisters.  

Beating up the new foot cushions on local trails are good insurance against that, especially if they are an entirely new model, with different traction and balance considerations dynamics.

There is a distinct difference the new set and my old pair of Columbia Redmond III.  Discovering that they were no longer made proved extremely disappointing.  I have been using that model for years.  They are heavier than most, with a much thicker tread that just seems to grip better.

Replacement tires are Merrell Accentor 3.  They are definitely lighter, though lack the same grip, leaving me stumbling about a little more than anticipated.  There will definitely be a period of adaptation.

Planning for the Yellow Stone - Phase 4

 

The next phase in planning is somewhat easy.  We picked up the Annual Pass, since we will be visiting 3 National Parks, at minimum. We just need to figure out what to wear now, and how to stuff it all in the vehicle. Both of those will be a small challenge.   The transport is small, though we believe sufficient

The weather will range anywhere from 0-10 °C while we are there, so everything from our fall and deep winter wardrobe will be required.  Actually, the plan is for jeans and flannel, at least for me.  Oh, and a parka.

The way things usually go, we will need none of that.  It will be warm and welcoming there, while the homestead plunges into the depths of winter.  I know we could not be that lucky though.  

Other points of interest in this phase including checking the general sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset.  The later will offer no dark night sky on this visit.  It will be a quarter moon advancing quickly on a full moon, setting around and after 11 pm. 

Planning for the Yellow Stone - Phase 3

Turning attention to Yellowstone National Park required a whole new map.  The original build apparently contained too many layers.  There were nine in all, one for each day on the road, as well as other layers for those sights we wanted to catch up with.  It is now consolidated, and will be shared along in due time, after the expedition is complete.

We knew generally where and what we wanted to do while in Yellowstone.  The layout of things, time distances and accessibility were points of research for this round. Driving a thousand miles seemed to necessitate some sort of plan of attack though.   

A journey down the YouTube rabbit hole revealed many of the essential things.  Don't pet the bison.  Don't swim in the hot springs. Keep a safe distance from all wildlife, lest you become their punching bag or their next meal.  The above video stood out much more than many of the others, when it came to actually planning a handful of days in the park.  Indeed, it impressed us so much so that we modeled our own coming adventure on it, carefully mapping out the stops of their 3-day adventure and modifying it to fit our locale and timeline.  

We expect that he is very likely onto something here, choosing to stay in a different place every night.  It feels a little late to go through adjusting all that though.  We shall see how things work from one centralized location and report back on that.  The little exercise in mapping out their path definitely helped to firm up our plans though, and we discovered along the way that we might want to considering coming in through southern entrance.  

image borrowed from We're in the Rockies

The decision to do so is really for no other reason than to have a look at the Grand Tetons, prior to entering the Yellowstone valley itself.  There was no sense in arriving by way of the same route we came in and that National Park has been on the list of things to do for just as long as Yellowstone.  The only entrance not covered in our plans is the elusive Silver Gate.  I am sure we will find a way.

Planning for the Yellow Stone - Phase 2

The next phase in planning for the journey across the western plains involved identifying exactly where we were going to stay, as well as  what might be worth investigating along the way.

Most of where to stay had been decided in the previous, based on availability of lodging and reviews of available lodging.  It was time to narrow things though.

Indeed, the stay in Lincoln had been driven by the alternatives.  Anywhere else within 3-5 hours of home along our route proved wholly unacceptable.  The reviews of establishments along I-80 ranged from horrible to down right frightening, leaving one to wonder if the area were being terrorized by desperados.  It was Lincoln who seemed the only safe haven.  We will confirm that in the post mortem.

The interstate hotel terrorists final destination might as well be Casper.  It seemed to host the same issue with much of the establishments.  We were lucky enough to find a basement apartment Air BnB.  A little more luck and we will survive the night long enough to make a break for Yellowstone the following morning.

image borrowed from YellowstoneParkLodges

The middle of Yellowstone seemed to be the best choice all around for those arrangements.  Rates at Canyon Lodge & Cabins seemed reasonable enough for base camp, and we could not think of a better way to become acquainted with the park, especially if we end up snow bound.

Locating a place more specific than the general locale turned out a much easier exercise for the journey homeward.  Our estimates indicated that adequate overnight facilities were very likely facilitated by a lack of proximity to any highly traveled roadway, in particular the interstate system.

In the midst of all of this decision making was going on, I also began scanning the route for various points of interest.  Actually, this had been happening all along, I just focused on it a bit more.

All of the routing had already been plugged into MyMaps.Google.com.  Adding sights to see was a natural evolution for this situation. 

Locating interesting objects along the way is more awkward and time-consuming than it should be these days. I am not sure who to hate for that, excepting maybe mobile device design trends and an inability of software makers to fully understand user needs.

image borrowed from NewEgg

The best trip planning software Microsoft could produce still trumps anything available now.  "Streets and Trips" could do all of this in a flash.  One could plan a route more easily, get relatively accurate estimates of travel time and costs, customizable based on your specifications, as well as easily identify any sort of category within a certain distance of the route.   For the life of me, I will never understand why such useful software is abandoned.  Nothing even comes close these days.

Lacking that most useful tool, the only option is manual review, which consists of zooming down to whatever scale enables a view of about a couple of miles or so of the route, then simply scanning the route for anything nearby. It does give one a sense of the proximity of more serious points of interest, like somewhere to eat.  That is not something that can really be planned.  It is nice to know available options at end points though.

The result of all of this maneuvering appears in the map below.  When the post mortem is conducted, the actual detailed maps will be shared along.

The only thing to plan now is the visit inside Yellowstone itself.  Given the number of layers already present in the little mapping application, a special map will need dedicated to the next phase.

Planning for the Yellow Stone - Phase 1

Planning for the Yellowstone adventure is well underway, having kicked off in early May.  Many would say that is probably not enough time to put anything together.  We have worked with shorter timelines though.  In addition, we are not exactly planning to travel during high season, which offers a few advantages, the most important being population levels.  Crowds are not what we look for in an escape from the grind.  It might have been at one time, but is no longer.  Besides, one needs an unobstructed view of other tourists making poor choices.

Once the decision was made that Yellowstone was undoubtedly on the horizon, I quickly settled into my initial planning phases.  How long will the journey take?  Where are we going to stay?  How long are we going to stay?  These three points decide everything.

A quick exercise in mapping routes uncovered that we were facing an 18-hour trip across the pavement. However, if we find the eastern entrance closed due to snow, it could be as much as 24 hours; ironically, by way of the north entrance.  

Much of the trip up to the site will be along I-80.  It is not ideal or particularly desirable, but necessary to ensure time savings and keeping attention focused on the primary destination.  There would be time to dawdle along and review some of those points of interest on our return.

Two days to get there did not seem too bad, overnighting in Casper before heading into the Park.  Three days to return seemed reasonable, enabling three full days in Yellowstone.  That seemed simple enough, so we booked the Yellowstone portion, as everything advised that the earlier this happened, the better.

We set about reviewing the return route, considering what we might want to have a look at on the way back.  There were a few things that we had not considered initially.  It would be colder in that region.  Many things would be closed.  That left a lot of points of interest along the way that we had already discovered.

In the meantime, somewhere along the way, my dear comrade concluded that Devil's Tower would be something we must see on the return trip.  There had not been time for it on our previous visit to the Black Hills and we would be in the area after all.

While it is in the same state, and only inches away on the printed map, I sincerely struggled with the perception of being "in the area."  Some things are not worth arguing though, particularly if it means riding home with that disappointment lingering in the vehicle like a plague.

Mapping times and distances over and over again, the return route was as awkward as it could be, felt a little more rushed than it should be, and included much more interstate time than either of us cared to consider either interesting or exciting.

Yellowstone to Rapid City is about 7.5 hours, leaving just enough time to wave at Devil's Tower as we went by.  Heading to Sioux Falls from there offered up the great expanse of prairie across South Dakota, with very little to interest the eye, excepting the Badlands.  

This was about the time I began to truly recognize the scope of this return trip.  It would take much more specific and upfront planning than the rest of the journey did.

We talked around and around on how best to configure this return trip, while continuing to ignore destinations already encountered during previous expeditions.  There was almost no way around it, until we began to consider our timing.

Long ago, we learned that 5 hours is just about the perfect amount of time to travel on the road.  It leaves space to do a few things, as well as stumble upon an array of other odds and ends.  Additionally, it enables time for a decent breakfast on the morning of departure and arrival at a destination early enough to revel in a hearty celebratory meal and perhaps stroll around town, followed by a solid eight hours of sleep, prior to rinsing and repeating the next day.

Placing all of that into the equation related to a strong desire for a more leisurely return to the homestead by abandoning and ignoring the interstate system, we concluded that we would need a fourth day and it was highly probable that Nebraska would likely be involved.

Routing remained difficult, though only momentarily.  New interesting destinations suddenly unfolded.

In the end, we decided that we would treat the departure from Yellowstone, much as we treated the arrival.  Buffalo would be the first overnight.  We would depart there for Devil's Tower and a night in Custer in South Dakota.  Turning south, we intended to cross the Great Sand Hills of Nebraska to arrive in the bustling metropolis of Broken Bow for one last night.  Home will greet us the next day.

With that settled, further consideration of the journey out to Yellowstone led to deciding upon leaving Friday afternoon and overnighting in Lincoln, NE.  That would shave 3 hours off the first day on the road. enabling a slightly more relaxed trip.

In the next phase, we will get a handle on where we stay in the spots and what we are going to do along the way.

Celery Salad Base

Found this base somewhere and modified it slightly.  Turned out rather nicely.

1/4 Cup of Sweet Onion

1/8 Cup of Lemon Juice

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/3 cup of shredded Parmesan

A bunch of celery

1. Mince the onion.  
2. Slice celery 1/4 inch.
3. Except for the celery, mix it all together.  
4. Toss the celery in the mixture.

Add other veggies for fun.  This time, I added a small zucchini.

Dog Wheat Play Box

 

Originally constructed to host a small patch of herbs, it turned playpen, with the acquisition of a new puppy.  I planted wheat in the box last fall, and this spring she has snacks.  When it turns, it will become a play area again.

Strong Strawberry Bloom

 

Strong blooms this year on the strawberry patch.  This photo is but of a 1'x1' area, but it all looks this good today.  It should be quite a little harvest.

Ragged Old Patio Table

 

Rehabilitated an old iron table that someone threw out last year.   It is not the best.  The one corner in the foreground ended up a mess, but it is close enough for a ragged old table for the patio.  The top was particle board surrounding the glass.  It was broken and did not fair very well.  A 2x4 of treated wood and we were on our way.

Fruit Tree Bloom 2025

Cherry and peach trees are blooming in unison this year and looking really good.  The peach tree is just finishing up, the Bing is in full bloom, and Montmerency just beginning to light up. This is year 5 for all of them, so we should see some sort of harvest.

First Pumpkin of 2024

Noticed our first pumpkin of the year plumping up on the vine.  There are about three or four others that have also just now started to make themselves visible.  Hopefully, we have more before it is all over.

Eat your Wheaties

Harvested first attempt at growing Winter Wheat, which turned out rather nicely.  We may have to repeat this again next year.  It provided the deer snacks over the winter, and they did not completely obliterate the crop this spring.  The rabbits are a whole other story.  They were quickly decimating things as the crop ripened.  Next up, a little personal processing and getting the pumpkins planted in their place.

American Giant Sunflower

Trying a new version of the Sunflower this year.  This one promises to reach 16 ft.  It is planted now.  We shall see.

Chicken Fried Chicken Goodness

There is just something about Chicken Fried Chicken.  It is a special treat, and when served with a bit mashed potatoes and gravy, the perfect comfort food.  In this case, it is the perfect celebratory food.  The urge to make it once again struck me this afternoon.  Dragging out the electric skillet and a few random modifications later, related to a recipe from The Food Network later, we were soon enjoying this tasty treat.

Future Death

I asked the new "co-pilot" to create me an image of future death and this is what it came up with.