Tag: science

  • Historical Chicago Snowfall

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    by

    Brendan Barry
    in ,

    Snow should fall upon Chicago this afternoon and it may measure up to a few inches in depth. But much of this winter has been below average. And that is much the same from last year when snowfall did not even reach 20 inches. I went through NOAA data to look at the last decade…

  • Setting Up a Snowstorm

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    This weekend I researched meteorological data for a graphic that I will post tomorrow. But in doing that research I came across a series of weather infographics from WGN that are better than the average. The one below details the snowstorm due to impact the Chicago area and how it will form (along with the…

  • Forecasting Snowfall

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    So that fishy little storm the Weather Channel called Nemo—you may have heard of it—put a little snow across New England. Last week the New York Times published an interactive infographic that looked at when and where the snow would be falling, from New Jersey to New York to Maine. The times are cut into…

  • The Sky Is Falling…No…Wait…It’s Just a Dream(liner)

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    Boeing has been having some problems with its new aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner from cracked windshields to oil leaks to perhaps most problematic battery problems. Over the course of the last week, the New York Times has published a series of small graphics to complement stories about the problems and the investigations. The first graphic…

  • 2012 Was the Hottest Year on Record

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    2012 was the hottest year since 1895. That’s 117 years by my count. Of course just being the hottest year ever recorded does not mean everywhere was warmer than usual. Some places were cooler. And the New York Times looked at the US pattern of warmer and cooler than average temperatures. Below the map are…

  • The Threat of Climate Change

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    We are warming the planet. And like ice cubes in a glass of water on a hot summer’s day, Earth’s ice caps will, over the course of centuries, begin to melt and contribute to a rise in sea level. Unfortunately, most of the world’s population lives close to shorelines or the rivers connecting continental interiors…

  • More Evidence on Why You (I) Need a Good Night’s Sleep

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    The Washington Post looks at sleep and how lack thereof may lead to various health problems, including Alzheimers, diabetes, and others. Maybe this means I have a reason to sleep in the mornings now…probably not. Credit for the piece goes to Bonnie Berkowitz and Alberto Cuadra.

  • US Healthcare State Exchanges

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    Later this month the Affordable Care Act mandates states decide on how they wish to implement the state healthcare exchanges. The Guardian’s US interactive team has created this interactive application to track the state decisions. Each state is clickable to provide further details on what has been decided. Credit for the piece goes to the…

  • Twinkle, Twinkle, Little—Damn That’s Bright.

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    We’ve had a lot of the rough and gritty politics of late. So now for some  bright and starry-eyed idealism. Well, maybe less idealism and more stars. Lots of them. Courtesy a Google Chrome experiment.

  • Uncertain Planet

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    Someday humanity will find a planet amongst the stars similar in temperament to Earth. One of the best star systems to explore is Gliese 581, a small and faint star some 20 light years away. Calculations show that there are a few planets that could exist in or near what is often called the Goldilocks Zone. The…