Examining How We Measure Our Lives
Commentary, critiques, and observations on information design and data visualisation
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Read on…: US Life Expectancy
Earlier this summer I looked at a graphic by Thomson Reuters that compared life expectancy changes across the world from 1990 to 2011. Last month, the Washington Post published an interactive graphic that explores life expectancy (along with obesity and physical activity) across the United States from 1985 to 2010. What I really enjoy about […]
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Infographics and Digital Posters
Read on…: Infographics and Digital PostersToday is the odd day where I don’t have an actual graphic to share, but rather one of those abstract theory wishy washy brainheady thinky things. It’s an article in Fast Co. that discusses an essay written by Kim Rees and Dino Citraro wherein they define the concept of digital poster. Think big, vertical, scrolly […]
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Boston’s Rising Tide
Read on…: Boston’s Rising TideSometimes maps just do not carry the visual weight of the potential impact of climate change, specifically rising tides. Swathes of blue over city maps from high altitude are intellectual exercises. Who works where? Where do I live? But when you can begin to see familiar buildings and sites swallowed up by a modest rise […]
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Urban Population
Read on…: Urban PopulationAt lunch, I felt inspired enough to create a quick chart that looks at some urban population statistics. A caveat about the data, it comes from the Census Bureau’s tables on the top-100 cities. So until a city appeared on that list, I did not chart it. The exceptions are 2000 and 2010, where I […]
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Overpaying for Underachievers
Read on…: Overpaying for UnderachieversMajor League Baseball is set to suspend Alex Rodriguez this morning—if the news reports are true. That will all but end the season for Rodriguez, though he could well play through his appeal so you never really know. But what does this mean for the Yankees and their offense? The New York Times put together […]
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Mapping Nuclear Reactors
Read on…: Mapping Nuclear ReactorsToday’s piece is a map from the Economist. It looks at the state of nuclear energy across the world. Slovakia caught my eye because when I recently traveled across that country I glimpsed from my train the massive complex near (I think) Trnava. Apparently those are also some of the youngest reactors out there. Credit for the […]
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Ye Olde Boston Mayoral Candidate Map
Read on…: Ye Olde Boston Mayoral Candidate MapA map? Again? I know. But trust me, this one is interesting. For those of you who do not know, Boston’s Thomas Menino is not running for reelection this year. By the time he leaves office, he will have been the mayor of Boston for over twenty years and so this year is the first […]
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Mapping Hepatitis vs HIV
Read on…: Mapping Hepatitis vs HIVI don’t often write about maps, especially of the choropleth kind. In many cases I choose not to because so many of the maps are one-dimensional: how fast is x growing across the world; which is predominant across the world, y or z? So I was pleasantly surprised by the Economist yesterday when they published […]
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Elections in Mali
Read on…: Elections in MaliFor those of you who did not know, the country of Mali held elections yesterday and results should be forthcoming. Those of you who regularly read or semi-frequently check my blog, you are likely familiar with the work I did covering the French-led intervention in Mali. I am a bit busy working on some other […]