Tag: line chart

  • The Paths to 270

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    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    There is one day to go until the presidential of 2012. But despite what many say and a fewer number want, the United States is not a democracy. It was never meant to be. Instead it is a democratic republic. We elect people who make decisions for us. Perhaps one of the most misunderstood ways…

  • Playing in the Swing States

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    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    The 2012 elections are now less than two weeks away and so let the sporting analogies begin. We’re in the home stretch now. Homeruns, field goals, and running out the clock. Et cetera et cetera ad nauseam. But over at the New York Times we have an interactive piece that looks at what they call…

  • Show Me Some Swing

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    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    Problems with my access to the tubes of the internets prevented me from posting this piece last week. But it’s still good and still relevant, especially in the wake of last night’s presidential debate. The New York Times and the FiveThirtyEight forecast came together to create this interactive flow chart, if you will, of the…

  • The Red Sox Were Truly Awful in 2012

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    The Boston Red Sox hired John Farrell this weekend to be their manager just one season after hiring Bobby Valentine for the role. There is a lot to be said about just who is to blame about the Red Sox’ awful season. But it was pretty awful. How awful? The Boston Globe shows us in…

  • Absentee Ballots

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    This graphic comes from a set by the New York Times that looks at absentee and mail-in ballots, which are particularly popular in western states. The representation of the absentee ballot from Minnesota in 2008 is then examined to see which areas were the reasons for discounted ballots. Follow the directions to the best of…

  • The Drop in the Unemployment Rate and How to Spin It

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    On Friday we received the monthly jobs report. And the furore that arose with it. Principally the anger stemmed from right-leaning commentators who believed that the non-partisan Bureau of Labor Statistics, a government agency tasked with collecting data on employment among other metrics, “cooked the books”/ “massaged the figures”/ flat-out lied to show a significant drop…

  • The Hispanic Vote

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    People make a great deal about the Hispanic vote and how it will affect the election. In every election I can recall. Granted, that’s only  a few presidential elections and a couple more Congressional mid-terms. But the problem is that Hispanics do not vote. In scientific-ish terms, the Hispanic vote is wasted potential energy—they could…

  • This Infographic Is Da Bomb

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    For your Friday comic relief comes the infographic of the week. The content is serious. But the graphic is laughable at best. And undercuts the message in my opinion. Seriously, it’s like the mobile weapons labs, but worse. All over again. Photo credit goes to Mario Tama at Getty Images, via the Los Angeles Times.

  • Average Household Spending

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    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    This tree map from the Wall Street Journal looks at an interesting subject: average household spending. How much are we spending on housing, on food, on transportation, &c.? But I’m not so sure that the main visualisation is necessary. I appreciate the big colour and splashiness, but the space use seems inefficient. Perhaps if the…

  • Life Expectancy Decline for Under-educated Whites

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    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    The New York Times published a chart looking at the decline in life expectancy for under-educated whites, i.e. whites who have not finished high school. The life expectancies of blacks and Hispanics offer a stark contrast, for while starting at a lower base, their respective expectancies are increasing.