I've been working with Processing for a few weeks now. Some people have asked me when I'm going to start delving into the data set for my final project. Good question. The answer is that I'm still trying to get some of these theory and technical tools down. I've been having a lot of fun exploring the Processing language, and comparing it to my experience with Actionscript/Flash Read More...
I'm not anything resembling a visual genius, but I like to believe I have enough of an eye that I can tell what works and what doesn't. The reason Tufte's books are so helpful is that they tell me why something works, and give me rules so I know what I can and can't do. That's why I have great appreciation for the Tufte chapter of the week: "The Smallest Effective Difference" in my ongoing exploration of "Visual Explanations Read More...
At Medill, there's a wonderful tradition called the "Medill F." Make a factual error of any sort, and you fail the assignment. The sadistic part of me likes it -- a journalist's job is to tell the truth. If you miss the mark, you've failed the public, and failed at your job for the day. Harsh but true Read More...
Computer-assisted reporting is important because of its potential for reporting and analysis. Visualization is important to present the information to readers. They both fall under the responsibilities of Ted Mellnik, database editor at the Charlotte Observer. His passion for data is as clear from a conversation with him as it is from his work Read More...
"Visual and Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Making Decisions," Edward Tufte, Visual Explanations This chapter gave practical examples of something I've been saying from almost the first day of my data analysis journey -- that it's absolutely fundamental that the decisions behind the analysis are shown to the reader/user Read More...
For the past week, we've been hearing a lot of media coverage focusing on issues both encouraging and discouraging, looking with excitement at the beginning of a new decade. But what captured my attention most recently was the release of unemployment figures from the end of 2009. If you look at the glass as half full, it's got to go up from here sometime soon, and if you look it as half empty, we're not starting in a strong economic place Read More...
In this first set of reading, I learn that the principles of simplicity, accuracy and more are as true in data visualization as they are in a text story. Edward Tufte, Visual Explanations, "Images and Quantities" In Tufte's first paragraph of Visual Explanations, he discusses the importance of readability -- a concept I see as having a strong parallel to the usability so often discussed in a more modern era Read More...
Tomorrow, Jan. 4, means the beginning of an end to my formal graduate education. It's the first day of my final quarter at Medill. I'll be returning to the Evanston campus for the first time since June 2009, primarily for an independent study on data visualization with Medill professor Rich Gordon Read More...
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