Xi-nnie the Pooh Purges the PLA
Examining How We Measure Our Lives
Commentary, critiques, and observations on information design and data visualisation
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Read on…: Xi-nnie the Pooh Purges the PLA
This past weekend, Xi Jinping, the leader of China, purged the top leadership of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the armed forces of the People’s Republic of China. Purges themselves are nothing new as Xi has solidified his iron grip on the country and its political leadership in the Chinese Communist Party. But unlike his […]
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The Philadelphia Beat is Pretty Big
Read on…: The Philadelphia Beat is Pretty BigEarly last week I read an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about where the city’s police officers live, an important issue given the city’s loose requirement they reside within the city limits. Whilst most do, especially in the far Northeast, the Northwest, and South Philadelphia, a significant number live outside the city. (The city of […]
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Space Is Cool
Read on…: Space Is CoolWell we made it to Friday. One of my longtime goals is to see the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights. My plan for the winter of 2020 was to travel to Norway, maybe visit a friend, and then head north to Tromsø and take in the Polar Night and, fingers crossed, catch the show. Then […]
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The Phoenix Rises from the Charcoal
Read on…: The Phoenix Rises from the CharcoalTo be clear, climate change is real. We know humanity drives the bulk of it via emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gasses, e.g. methane. Electricity generation plays a significant role in the total output, though not all means of generating power are equal. Wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear, for example, produce no carbon emissions. […]
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A View Beneath the Ice
Read on…: A View Beneath the IceI love maps. And above the ocean’s surface, we generally have accurate maps for Earth’s surface with only two notable exceptions. One is Greenland and its melting ice sheet is, in part, contributes to the emerging conflict between the United States and Denmark over the island’s future. The other? Antarctica. Parts of the East Antarctic […]
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The Sun’s Over the Yardarm
Read on…: The Sun’s Over the YardarmAfter all, matey, ’tis Friday. For those unfamiliar with the expression, what is a yardarm you ask? On traditional sailing vessels the tall thing holding the sail is the mast. Back in the day it was often crafted from a tall tree—see the critical timber industry of New England and the white pines provided to […]
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Turning the Pyramid Upside Down
Read on…: Turning the Pyramid Upside DownLiterally. Last week amongst all the things, the administration released new dietary guidelines, including a brand new food pyramid. The guidelines needed some tweaking as dietary and nutritional science evolves. The administration made a big deal about replacing the old pyramid with the new pyramid, and you can see the comparison here. I am not […]
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Flow Diagram from Hell
Read on…: Flow Diagram from HellWell, not hell, but xkcd. The last several months I have had to use a number of websites where the user experience broke down and I was forced to switch to using a phone. Only to have the phone try and direct me back to the website. Nightmarish stuff, people. So Happy Friday! Credit for […]
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When the Ship Hits the Fan
Read on…: When the Ship Hits the FanOn Friday I flagged this article from the New York Times for the first post in the new year here on Coffeespoons. The article discussed a Venezuelan oil tanker fleeing US Coast Guard and US Navy forces attempting to interdict the vessel as she steams into the North Atlantic. Whilst the article led with a […]
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Off on the Road to Rhode Island
Read on…: Off on the Road to Rhode IslandYesterday I read an article from the BBC about this weekend’s shooting at Brown University, one of the nation’s top universities. The graphic in question had nothing to do with killings or violence, but rather located Rhode Island for readers. And the graphic has been gnawing at me for the better part of a day. […]