Microsoft's vision of the future
Want to see how Microsoft envisions the future? Check out this video. A lot of attention to the visual aspect, to be sure, and a lot of isometric displays, glass-panels, and data transfers between different hardware elements. Is this a realistic vision? How close are we? [Source: istartedsomething.com]
George Washington's First State of the Union Address
Just found the transcript (with picture!) of George Washington’s 1st State of the Union address as published on 21 JAN 1790 – http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/George_Washington%27s_First_State_of_the_Union_Address. Fascinating!
My favorite book: Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur
Sir Thomas Malory is, in my opinion, one of the greatest writers in the English language. He had a flair for elegant prose, covering topics rich in imagery and zest. I had the great fortune of meeting P.J.C. Field, the editor of the Oxford (Eugene Vinaver) Le Morte D’Arthur several years ago on a trip through the U.K. I just found a new widget that shows images from the Malory text and thought I’d post it here.
Statisticians: The new "cool"?
Google’s Chief Economist, Hal Varian, says “the sexy job in the next ten years will be statisticians.” Sounds great.[Source The McKinsey Quarterly (http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Hal_Varian_on_how_the_Web_challenges_managers_2286), via the Flowingdata blog (http://flowingdata.com/2009/02/25/googles-chief-economist-hal-varian-on-statistics-and-data/).] What will data visualization look like in 10 years? Will the goals change? Will there be a fundamental shift in what data mean for businesses, or just how it’s reported? Time will tell, but in any event… I’d better start working on my statistics :)
Quotation of the week...
“Arguing with a Wagnerite is like sticking your finger in an electric pencil sharpener.” (Terry Teachout, “Why Israel Still Shuts Wagner Out”, Wall Street Journal, Sightings, 1/31/09)
Rolex 24: Amazing finish!
Can’t believe the finish at the Rolex 24! Amazing. After 24 hours of racing, less than 30 seconds separated the top 4 LMP cars. WOW. What a great race. Glad to see Brumos on the podium… x2! I wish the TV would show more of the GT-class, though. (Congrats to TRG for pulling off the victory there!) Now, to get ready for 12 Hours of Sebring. Can’t wait… Go Brumos!!!
Options for watching the inauguration...
LifeHacker has a nice write-up listing some ways to watch the inauguration tomorrow: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/ZzH3mAEEhsQ/lifehackers-guide-to-catching-the-inauguration-from-anywhere From that article: “The Official Sites: Just in case you don’t have it bookmarked, add the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies' official site to your list of viewing venues. The JCCIC will have live video streams (with closed captioning), and the site itself has a wealth of information on everything inaugural, including clips of previous presidents' ceremonies and tons of minutiae (including recipes for inaugural luncheons, like Obama’s “brace of American birds.
Choosing a good chart...
Found a great decision graph on how to pick the right chart type for your next presentation(s): http://extremepresentation.typepad.com/blog/2006/09/choosing_a_good.html Writen by Andrew Abela, it displays visually how to choose (what he thinks is) the best type of graph for a particular need. Clear, concise, and useful, it’s a good way to get started. The comments have some other ideas and pages with similar info.
Periodic Table of Visualization Methods
Ralph Lengler and Martin Eppler show a variety of many different visualization methods, arranged as a periodic table. Six categories differentiate the various entries by visualization type: Data, Information, Concept, Strategy, Metaphor, and Compound: http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html (version 1.5; no date). Make sure you mouse over the “elements” to see samples and learn more! Great idea!
Political contributions: Do you know who's supporting whom?
Check out the GoodGuide political contributions map: http://www.goodguide.com/contributions