Author: Brendan Barry
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Just a Wee Bit Warm
This past weekend was a hot one in Philadelphia (and many other places across the eastern United States). As we enter July, the Philadelphia Inquirer published an article examining climate change’s impact on summer temperatures. Spoiler: it’s hotter. The article included two interactive line charts. The first one plotted the average high temperature of July…
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My First Half of Music (Records)
Two Christmases ago, my mother gifted me a record player. Ever since I have been slowly buying records—and then listening to them. And over the last year I have been recording those record plays and with 2026 now half over, I decided to run the numbers and see where I am at. As context, my…
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Bye, Bye, Blue Boxes
Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled the executive branch can largely replace the leadership of executives at Senate-confirmed federal agencies at the White House’s discretion. The big exception? The Federal Reserve. The New York Times produced a datagraphic looking at how Trump has changed the boards of nominally independent federal agencies. The graphic works really well…
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A Messi Hat Trick
Messi. Messy. Get it? The World Cup continues across North America, including in my own hometown of Philadelphia. Argentina has not played in the city, but even here in Philadelphia, you could hear of Lionel Messi’s scoring three goals—a hat trick—against Algeria a little more than a week ago. Messi, the famous Argentinian footballer, then…
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A Dan Miller Coronation?
Six weeks ago I created a small interactive chart on the news that Wes Streeting, the then British health secretary, resigned in order to challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party. Six weeks hence, Starmer has resigned. Lo and behold, my interactive graphic still works: British Governments of My…
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Stone Hard(ing)ly Beats Wood
At least in chronological dating. I debated posting this today or Monday, given that this weekend is a three-day holiday in the States, and that the selected graphic—in this case an illustration—explains the alignment of Stonehenge and—the focus of the BBC article wherein this graphic appears—a prehistoric, pre-Stonehenge, well, henge of wood posts only a…
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New(ish) Data for the Old Country
One of the most popular pieces of content on my website over the last several years has been a datagraphic I designed, which explores the Slovakian census data from 2011 on the Carpatho–Rusyns of Slovakia. I wrote about it for Coffeespoons back in 2012. The Carpatho–Rusyns, as they are known in the United States and…
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Colonel Mustard in the Refrigerator
Happy Friday, all. I have been eating a lot of leftovers and things scrounged up from fridges this past week, and being home today it shall likely be the same. But that does not mean you want to be looking into my refrigerator and seeing just what condiments I have available. Spoiler: (pun intended) it…
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Big Beautiful Ballroom
Last week the BBC published a look at the new White House ballroom promised by President Trump. The ballroom required demolishing the existing East Room. Instead of focusing on the legality of the move, I want to focus on the ever increasing cost of the project. The article does include a great before/after photograph of…
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USAI! My Eyes!
Of all things, this came to me through social media I follow for news about the Red Sox. But it’s Friday and after seeing this I definitely need a drink. The AI-made map purports to show the locations of World Cup home bases for the various competing teams. It certainly shows…uh…something. It does not take…