Guessing competition: name that graph!

I haven't offered any points for quite some time now and don't intend to start up in earnest anytime soon. But as a one-off, I though I would offer this guessing competition. There will be an arbitrary number of points for a correct answer and for most amusing answers. What is this graph representing? And how would you describe the trend?

Points update

During this relative lull in posting, I will also be giving the monthly points tables a break. However, I ought to tidy up the June table, which was dominated by the usual suspects. Ten bonus points go to Peter J; five to Anthony and three to Jonathan. This very nicely brings Pete into equal third with Jonathan.

June points table

Well, I've now had twelve monthly points tables and we're back to June again. May's table was quiet, but then so was the month as a whole. Ten bonus points to One of Freedom, five to Jonathan, and three each to Doug Forbes and Sair. There are 547 points currently on offer.

June points table

15: Peter J
12: Anthony
10: Jonathan

Ten points for guessing the blogger who appears in this image.

May points table

April's table saw H. Goldsmith pick up a comfortable win and so ten bonus points. Five go to Jonathan, three to Moffitt the Prophet and one to Anthony. There are currently 530 points available.

May points table

12: One of Freedom
10: Jonathan
8: Doug Forbes, Sair
6: Emergent Pilgrim

Eight points for picking the country.

April points table

March's points table was dominated by a huge 219 point run from Moffitt the Prophet, all achieved in the first half of the month, smashing the previous record (at least since I've been keeping count each month). The second half of March saw something of a comeback from long-time leader Anthony, who responded once he saw his formidable lead being whittled away. Overall, March managed to squeeze past July 2007 for the highest points scored in a single month with a total of 329. As usual, the top four get some bonus points: ten to Moffitt, five to Anthony, three to Peter J and one to H. Goldsmith. There are still around 534 points on offer.

April points table

34: H. Goldsmith
11: Jonathan
5: Moffitt the Prophet
1: Anthony

Ten points for the first to correctly guess what this is. Fifteen for the location. No one individual is to answer both.

March points table

February's points table was dominated by Anthony, who gains ten bonus points. Five to Matt Lemieux (a.k.a Matt) in a distant second place and three to Moffitt the Prophet for coming in third. Although Anthony has a formidable lead, there are currently around 715 points still on offer.

March points table

219: Moffitt the Prophet
45: Anthony
20: Peter J
17: H. Goldsmith
10: Joshua, Mandy
8: Psychodougie

UPDATE: Only seven eleven days into March and already Moffitt has equalled surpassed more than doubled Anthony's record for most points scored in a single month (=79, set back in December 2007). How high can he go?
The record for most points awarded overall in a single month is still comfortably held by July 2007: 321 points split between 19 competitors.
UPDATE: March 2008 just managed to surpass July 2007: 329 points split between 7 people.
Eight points for correctly identifying the building.

February points table

January was very slow month all round: fewer posts, fewer visitors, fewer points. Thus, the only bonus points awarded are ten to Meredith and five each to Mister Tim and One Salient Oversight. For those with a sharp eye, creative wit, solid Googling skills or lots of time, there are still around 632 points available.

February points table

42: Anthony
16: Matt Lemieux
5: Moffitt the Prophet

Five points for the first to correctly name the city. Eight for the first to correctly name the main building in the background. Twelve for the name of the ceremony taking place. No person to claim more than one set of points.

January points table

December was thoroughly dominated by Anthony, who set a record (at least since I've been recording points each month) with 79 points in a month and so scores ten more for coming first. Five for Jonathan, three for Geoff C and one for H. Goldsmith. There are still around 579 points left.

January points table

20: Meredith
15: Mister Tim, One Salient Oversight

Fifteen points to the best suggestion for a new church sign. This one has now been up for more than two weeks and we need something new.

December points table

November saw more activity and a broader spread of points than October or September, in fact it was more like August, July or June. Ten points to Anthony for taking out first place and continuing to cement his enormous overall lead, five to Nico, three to Matt Lemieux and one to Martin Kemp. There are currently 517 points on offer, which is easily enough for someone to overtake Anthony.

December points table

79: Anthony
42: Jonathan
15: Geoff C
12: H. Goldsmith
8: jm, Matt Lemieux
5: Moffitt the prophet
3: Aric Clark

Five points for naming the city in the image above. Once someone has guessed correctly, there will be eight for the name of the church in the centre of the image. And then once both of those are taken, I'll give twelve to someone else again for the approximate compass direction the camera was facing. Finally, once all the other points are gone, I'll give fifteen to someone who can name the structure on which I was standing to take this shot. No more than one attempt per person please.

November points table

October's only point-scorers were all seasoned guessers, each already over 100 points. As usual, ten more go to Jonathan, five to Moffitt the prophet, three to Martin Kemp and one to Anthony for taking out the top (and only) four spots. There are still around 444 points on offer.

November points table

31: Anthony
20: Nico
15: Matt Lemieux
14: Martin Kemp
12: Duncan Andrews
10: Carlie
7: Tim R
5: David Ould, Michael Jensen
4: Erin King, Joshua, Moffitt the Prophet, Rachel
3: Steve

Ten points to anyone who doesn't recognise this building. Bonus points for creative mis-recognitions.

October Points Table

September was a quiet month for points, perhaps because I introduced a new system (unannounced) of only offering points a few days after each relevant post was put up. I did this on the suggestion of a friend in order to avoid having the substantive discussion swamped by guesses. I will continue this system for the time being. In any case, Moffitt the prophet scores ten bonus points and Matt Lemieux gets five for being second. I keep a list of all available points on offer, which is usually up to date. At this point, there are over 450 points available.

October points table

32: Jonathan
23: Moffitt the prophet
12: Martin Kemp
5: Anthony

Twelve points for correctly naming this Sydney bridge.

September Points Table

The August points table is now complete, and as usual, I've now awarded ten points to Hecta, five to Poncho, three to Donna and one to Dave Saxey and Matthew Moffitt for taking out the top four spots.

September's competition scoreboard:

22: Moffitt the prophet
12: Matt Lemieux

At this point, there are over 370 points available, and more may well be offered during the month.
Twelve points to the first non-Sydneysider who can explain why this area of Sydney is in the news this week.

August points update

This month's points table is dominated by newcomers, yet there have not yet been any guesses as to who might win. Get in early to pick your favourite.

August points table

Starting back in June and continuing in July, I have been keeping a monthly points tally in addition to the overall scoreboard. I'll again award bonus prizes for those who topped the month. So ten points to Jonathan, five to Matthew Moffitt, three to Andrew and one to JRS. Overall leader Anthony also picks up another eight for correctly guessing the winner at the eleventh hour.

The competition for August is now officially open complete:

43: Hecta
24: Poncho
23: Donna
15: Dave Saxey, Matthew Moffitt
13: Martin Kemp
12: Michael Canaris, Michael Jensen
8: James
5: Anthony, Tiger
2: Lara

There are, at this point, over 300 points already available for the taking, plus many more to be offered in the coming weeks.
Eight points for the first to predict correctly the ultimate winner of the August points table. One guess per person. You may not nominate yourself. Five more points for correctly naming the building in the above image.

July points update

The month is only half over, but there has been much activity on the July points table. After Matt Moffitt established a strong early lead, first Andrew, then Jonathan have drawn near. The latter has just slipped ahead. But it's still wide open with hundreds of points available. Remember, there are points for picking this month's winner. Apologies to those who consider this a frivolous distraction from the rest of my blog. Apologies to those who consider the rest of my blog a frivolous distraction from this.
Ten points for the best suggested title of this work.

July points table

As announced last month, I have started a new monthly points competition in addition to the ongoing overall leader board. The winner for June was Rachel (who is about to start a series on why Christians ought to oppose nuclear power) - ten bonus points. Five to second-place Anthony (who still dominates the overall table); three to Ali, and one each to Mike Wells and Peter J in equal fourth. July's competition looks ended up like this:

58: Jonathan
47: Matthew Moffitt
37: Andrew
27: JRS
22: Martin Kemp
21: Anthony
15: Chris, Steve
14: Drew, Linden, Peter J
8: Michael Jensen
7: Zeekstar
5: Andrew Paterson, Mr Tim
3: Cecily, Honoria, John P., Rachel

For the points-hunters, there are currently at least 270 points on offer (or there were when I first posted this...).
Eight points for the first to predict correctly the ultimate winner of the July points table. This is getting a little self-referential, isn't it? Jessica has also just pointed out that it could result in a Catch-22. Bonus points if this happens.
Five points for explaining why Jessica and I have framed a red square on our main wall.

June points table

Yes, we're back, so the furious race for points is now over. I ended up awarding 96 in the comments to the previous post. As well as updating the overall leaderboard, I thought I'd take up a suggestion from Pete a while back and have a monthly points competition to give a chance to those who feel they are joining late. So in future I'll try to create a monthly points table near the start of the month and update it as the month progresses, announcing the winner at the end of the month (perhaps with some bonus points in the overall table). June's scores are currently ended like this:

41: Rachel
27: Anthony
18: Ali
15: Mike, Peter J
12: JRS
11: Drew
4: Christopher, Matt Moffitt
2: Andrew Paterson; Joanna; Mandy; Persephone
1: Lachlan B; One Salient Oversight

I'll say more about our break, as well as posting some book and film reviews in the coming days.
Twenty points for the name of this river that we spent some of our holiday near (I'll be really impressed if anyone gets it...). Fifteen if you can guess the poet whose work was in Jessica's backpack (we read some of his delightful works as a reward during breaks on our many walks).

Points update

I didn't think it was possible. Once Peter J from Barneys built his enormous lead on the points leaderboard, I thought that no one would bother chasing him. However, another old uni and MTC friend, Anthony, has scored all but five of his 120 points in the last three weeks to catapult into the lead. Now I'll need to offer more points to replace all those that Anthony has been claiming...
If you're new around here, I offer points for guessing various things (usually associated with the photos I post). There is a leaderboard and collection of links to unclaimed points over here. Everyone is welcome to join in.
UPDATE: Peter J has scored five points to draw even. I've also just released another 144 potential points in various places if you can find them. Now is your chance to catch them if you can grab some points before these two take them all.
UPDATE II: There has been a flurry of activity, and Peter J has dropped back into third behind Anthony and Michael Canaris (whom I had the delight of meeting in person for the first time at the State Election Forum).
UPDATE III: OK, new rule. One guess per post per person per day. I know this is slightly different from what I've just said in a couple of comments, but this will help keep me sane.

Pics and points

Photo phun
Ever since Matheson spurred me on to more picture games after this first one, I've been offering points to readers who can guess the locations (or some other feature) of various photos I've taken and posted.

One guess per post per person per day please.

And here's the present leader board:

668: Anthony
608: Matthew Moffitt
215: Jonathan
210: Peter J
176: Michael Canaris
147: Martin Kemp
119: H. Goldsmith
117: Andrew
68: Rachel
64: Linden, Matt Lemieux
58: Drew
55: -bw
53: JRS
52: Hecta
50: Meredith
45: Mister Tim
43: Matheson
42: Mandy, Michael Wells
40: Annette
35: Michael Jensen
33: jm
32: Nico (Zeekstar), One of Freedom
31: Lachlan B
30: Christopher
29: Poncho
26: Donna, One Salient Oversight
25: Dan, Stevie T
23: Aric Clark
22: Mark
21: Ali
20: AndrewE, Hugh, Steve
19: psychodougie
18: GeoffC
16: Dave Saxey, Emergent Pilgrim
15: Chris, David Ould, Jenny, Stuart, uptothehouse, Vaughn Smith
14: Joshua
13: Andrew Paterson, John P
12: Duncan Andrews
11: Doug Forbes, James, Sair
10: Carlie, Chris Tilling, David Entwistle, Duncan Lin, Jason Hesiak, Thuloid
8: Adrian
7: Tim R
6: Chris Terrynelson
5: Emma, Nicole, Tiger
4: Erin King
3: Cecily, Honoria
2: Joanna, Lara, Persephone
1: Sue, Joel Hunter

You too could share the glory of joining these illustrious individuals: get guessing! With about 365 points still on offer, there's plenty of opportunity to score big. For the sake of those who feel they've missed out or been too slow, I've gathered links to all the points still unclaimed.

For twenty points, pick the book (up), building,* best new sign, book,* book,* most recent relevant comment,* church,* IP address, building,* best image, object,* actual title,* river,* person.*

For fifteen points, pick the location,* location,* location of the camera,* Sydney location,* Sydney location, building,* building,* location,* best church sign, Sydney building,* suburb,* artist,* location,* body of water,* location of camera,* building,* location,* English town,* natural formation,* location,* three locations,* city,* city, Sydney suburb,* cathedral,* building,* last comment,* other mountain picture,* object off camera,* most creative title, region,* museum,* link to democracy,* novel,* standing stones,* whaling station,* cathedral,* location of painting.*

For twelve points, pick the volume, Scottish location,* Sydney location,* building,* reason,* author,* author,* ceremony,* Sydney building,* city,* building,* direction of camera,* Sydney location,* Sydney suburb,* building,* outside of this building, Sydney bridge,* Sydney suburb,* Sydney suburb,* reason,* city,* location,* location,* English location,* artwork,* reason, reason,* reason,* city, cathedral,* English town,* location,* most creative guess for off-camera object, similar photo,* country,* country,* country,* location of the camera,* leader,* leader,* city,* city,* history of sculpture,* country.*

For ten points, pick the city,* Sydney location,* bay,* region,* 3D image,* blogger,* building,* city,* mystery object,* full image,* Sydney church building,* book, location,* building,* city,* similar photo,* building, location,* cathedral,* title, country,* water location I,* water location II,* Sydney suburb,* country,* players,* game,* artist,* location,* building,* statue,* city,* most creative theory, structure,* ancient book,* biblical passage,* theme,* Sydney suburb,* town,* famous stone,* country,* country,* museum,* location,* structure,* person,* artist & title,* person,* city,*, artist,* location of the camera,* author* (see comments), artist,* city,* country,* city,* city,* city,* city,* location,* artist,* title,* location,* city,* country,* town,* city,* country,* country,* city,* country,* town,* location of the camera,* city,* Sydney church,* country,* location of the camera,* Sydney landmarks,* location of the camera,* artist,* Sydney location* or city.*

For eight points, pick the country,* chapter reference,* country,* reference,* country,* first picture,* building,* author,* conversation,* building,* English city,* city,* building,* building,* city,* Sydney church,* name and reason,* church,* title,* natural rock formation,* Sydney beach, country,* country,* country,* European city,* flag,* body of water,* winner,* town,* link,* English abbey,* rank,* winner,* psalm,* country,* building,* Sydney suburb,* other graveyards,* other shot of same object,* image doctoring,* special day,* artist,* city,* country,* country,* artist,* Barneys service.

And five points if you can pick the democratic institution,* comment, department,* country,* other cave pictures, city,* similar photo, city,* city,* artist,* location,* victim,* building,* state,* other images of beautiful mountains, building,* building,* statue, translation,* passage,* reason for red square,* differences,* activity,* species,* country,* location of the camera,* similar photo,* location of the camera,* previous shot from same spot,* city,* artist,* sculpture,* originally intended location,* city,* location of the camera,* similar photo* or the location of the camera.*
*Claimed since I first posted this.
Apologies if I've missed your points, please remind me.
And of course, ten points for both the name of the artwork above and for the gallery in which the photo was taken. Bonus points for creative guesses.