Examining How We Measure Our Lives
Commentary, critiques, and observations on information design and data visualisation
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Read on…: The Interstates and US Highways of, well, the US
On a day when I am going to be travelling across the Midwest for a holiday on Monday (hint, that means no post), what better topic than Cameron Booth’s interstate map as a subway map? Well, how about his most recent project? In it he combines both interstates, e.g. I-76, and US highways, e.g. US-30 and US-202. In his own…
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There’s No Diversity in Baseball!
Read on…: There’s No Diversity in Baseball!Well, okay, actually there is. But the cultural reference would have made even less sense if I omitted the negative. Anyway, in honour of the two baseball games I am seeing this week—last night’s and tonight’s Red Sox games—here comes this piece from Pew Research Center. It’s a simple but fairly clear graphic. We are looking at the ethnic breakdown…
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Economic Hardship Relates to Hate
Read on…: Economic Hardship Relates to HateAfter shootings in Kansas City, the Washington Post looked at hate crimes versus poverty. It turns out there is a somewhat positive correlation. Credit for the piece goes to the Washington Post graphics department.
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Allergens of DC
Read on…: Allergens of DCGood news and bad news, folks. The good news is that this chart does not apply to people living in Chicago, Philadelphia, or elsewhere. Unless—here’s the bad news—you live in Washington, D.C. In that case, well, prepare to die. You know, if you have allergies. The Washington Post has a nice graphic that outlines the arrival and peak seasons for…
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Understanding the Frequency of Events
Read on…: Understanding the Frequency of EventsHappy Friday. Credit for this goes to Randall Munroe, who helps you understand how often things happen.
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Comparing Urban Statistics
Read on…: Comparing Urban StatisticsSometimes when you are considering moving, you want to look at some broad statistics on the area in which you want to move. In Boston, the Boston Globe has put together a neat little application that does just that. Type in two settlements in the metro area and then get a quick comparison of the two. Credit for the piece…
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Chicago’s Disappearing Middle Class
Read on…: Chicago’s Disappearing Middle ClassPresident Obama has made a big deal recently about income inequality. The story in short is that the rich in the country are getting rich; the poor are getting poorer; and the people in the middle are fewer in number. Here in Chicago, this has meant that over the last few decades, many of the former middle-class neighbourhoods have been…
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Changing the Minimum Wage
Read on…: Changing the Minimum WageHere’s a piece from the New York Times where I have to quibble with some minor design decisions. The story behind the graphic is various state actions on the minimum wage compared to where President Obama wants the minimum wage raised. This is a good story and broadly I like the execution. But these arrows, these arrows pierce my design…