Author: Brendan Barry

  • The Case Against Jerry Sandusky

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    Penn State is going through some rough times. The charges against Jerry Sandusky are most serious and the failure to do more than the legal requirement in reporting him has cost the university president his job and head coach Joe Paterno his job. Anyone familiar with the school or Paterno’s prior standing in the state—as…

  • What Your Favourite Map Says About You…

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    Do you have a favourite map? Because just like how we can determine your true character from your beards, attire, drink preferences, &c. we now can see who you are based on your map preference, courtesy XKCD:

  • Hispanic Growth in the Plains

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    There is a scene in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica where with the human population almost extinct, one character comments on the romances of two others by saying “they better start having babies”. The demographics of the United States are changing. Not that they were not changing prior to recent years; Native American populations were reduced…

  • Armistice Day

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    Today is Veterans Day. Originally it was called Armistice Day. At 11.00 on 11/11 in 1917, fighting ceased between the Allies and Germany. World War I was effectively over. Since World War I, in the United States, we have gone on to have World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the First Gulf…

  • 363 Days

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    We are now just under 365 days away from Election Day 2012. Without a doubt, I shall have many politically-themed graphics coming. People just have to start making them. But for now, the Economist kicked it off Monday—when it was 365 days—with a motion graphic piece that outlines some of the polling numbers and challenges…

  • To Compare the Fares of Cabs

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    If you live in a big city, you’ve probably been running late, missed the bus or the train, needed to get home safely at least once. So you’ve probably taken a cab. This interactive graphic from the Washington Post compares cab fares across a number of major cities in the United States. The cheapest cab…

  • Humanity’s Not So Finest Hours

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    Humanity is amazing. We have great emotional power for love, sympathy, compassion, &c. We have great intellectual power; we have/are mastering mathematics and science to explore the depths of this ocean and the surfaces of planets not our own. Yet with these great powers comes a great responsibility. And as we continue to reflect upon…

  • Can a Republican Win the White House?

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    It’s Election Day. Well, not really. But, Nate Silver and the New York Times have come together to release an election simulator, if you will, focused on the chances that a Republican will win the White House. You play with a few different variables to control the outcome: GDP growth and President Obama’s approval rating.…

  • Random is the New Orderly

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    Ever been on a flight where there is not enough overhead luggage capacity for everyone? Then they make you stow your bag anyway? Well, apparently that’s what’s happening in these days of baggage fees—which make airlines quite profitable. This diagram in the New York Times shows how American Airlines is changing from the more common…

  • 7 Billion Is a Big Number

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    We have seven billion living on the planet today. Or at least we think we do. Really, who knows? But for the sake of this blog post and many others like it along with news stories and water cooler conversations, let’s just say we’re at seven billion, okay? So where do you fit into the…