430: quantum of sollazzo
#430: quantum of sollazzo – 13 July 2021
The data newsletter by @puntofisso.
Welcome to another edition of Quantum of Sollazzo, drafted while I’m starting my first long bout of annual leave in six months! Scroll down for this week’s “Six questions” interviewee, the outstanding Nithya Subramanian, whose data illustration work I’ve been following for a few years.
Matteo Moretti of design studio Sheldon and one of my future “Six questions” interviewees, is leading this very interesting project, Hyperobjects near and far, a design workshop that aims to shorten the distance between people in Venice – tourists and residents alike – to the global phenomena they’re involved with, including global warming and COVID-19. Hyperobject is a term created by philosopher Timothy Morton indicating a phenomena that invisibly conditions our present: we can feel their effects, but not touch or see them.
The pages in Italian have a bit more content than the English version for now (but are easily automatically translated). Keep an eye on it as it promises to be really interesting.
Quite a few jobs are available this week in the data space!
First of all, quite a few roles in the space of graphics and design are being advertised at the Wall Street Journal, as reported by Soph Warnes in this Twitter thread.
Dan Barrett, Head of Data Science at Citizens Advice, is looking for a Data Science Lead.
Last but not least, The Economist is looking for two Data Visualization Trainees, as reported by “Six Questions” graduate (:P) Marie Segger.
All three are fantastic organisations with great data teams – apply, apply, apply and, as Dan says, consider applying even if you don’t think you have all the skills required and approach the job poster for a chat.
Also, wow – a physical event in London on July 27th, with statistician Prof Sir David Spiegehlalter speaking on an intriguing topic: “Naughty Numbers in the News”. Free tickets are available here.
‘till next week,
Giuseppe @puntofisso
Six questions to... Nithya Subramanian
Nithya Subramanian is a Data Designer at her own studio PoppadomCo.
What is your daily data work like and what tools do you use?
I work in the intersection of data, semiotics, and storytelling. This means that I take on writing, storytelling and graphic design projects that pull in these different directions that I then try to resolve. I find the tension between data and storytelling fascinating, because we tend to think of data as a bloodless abstraction. But how to not lose that connection between the necessary abstraction of the data and the messiness of the story? I think that’s where semiotics comes in: signs and symbols – from within the story’s context and the wider culture – that a designer can use to their advantage to embed layers of meaning within a visualisation.
The tools I use vary by the project, and range from watercolours to code, although Photoshop and Illustrator usually play a part. Government data often comes in PDFs, so I find Tabula invaluable. Otherwise, the only thing I always have at hand is a notebook and pen.
Tell me about a data project that you're proud of...
I recently finished this embroidered data visualisation of the plastic waste that was collected from beaches in three different countries. It was an exercise in patience: laying thousands of stitches as I counted them down in my spreadsheet. But looking at the data this way, instead of, say, in a column graph, made me think differently about it.
I also feel somewhat ambivalent about plastics (it’s highly visible, but maybe not the biggest problem the planet is currently facing) and thought embroidery was a good way to express this. The final visualisation is hopefully something that makes the viewer thoughtful, and not immediately incensed.
...and a data project that someone else did and you're jealous of.
There are many, but one that I keep returning to is “I am a Book. I am a Portal to the Universe” by Stefanie Posavec and Miriam Quick. It’s such a delightful book! I never would have thought of it in a hundred years, so I’m just thrilled it exists.
The other one is this aural data visualisation of the Case-Shiller home price index by the NPR Planet Money team, where they actually got a baritone from Juilliard to sing out the changing index. It was *so* clever.
If I say "dataset", you think of...
This Yes Minister clip. It taught me to be healthily skeptical of datasets even as I work with them.
Give someone new to data a tip or lesson you wish you'd learned earlier.
Get suspicious the moment you get too excited about an idea. I find excitement clouds judgement. Either your idea isn’t very good and you’re too excited to see that, or it is, but in your rush to execute it, you’ll miss chances to make it better.
Data is or data are...
I say “is”, but “are” doesn’t bother me. What I always get confused by is whether to pronounce it as dah-ta or day-ta.
Topical
How climate change is affecting your area
Automatically translated from the original German, this is one of those spectacular interactive articles by Funke Interaktiv for the Berliner Morgenpost. Explore. Be scared. Take action.
“Hot days, tropical nights, heavy rain: the extreme weather is increasing. Climate researchers are now showing possible changes in the 401 districts and urban districts by the end of the century - and what consistent climate protection can achieve.”
Homosexual activity
Equaldex reports that “Homosexuality is illegal in 69 countries and punishable by death in 6.“
As usual, Equaldex shows why it’s a great resource for information on LGBT+ related issues.
Peter de Vries
As you might have heard, Dutch investigative journalist Peter de Vries is fighting for his life after being shot in Amsterdam. Former Bellingcat verification team Henk Van Ess has written two intriguing Twitter threads on how he approached an online investigation to identify the alleged shooter.
Tools & Tutorials
Vectorizer
“Convert raster images like PNGs, BMPs and JPEGs to scalable vector graphics (SVG, EPS, DXF).“
WHOIS History Search
“Learn about the domain registration history of a given domain name.“
Albeit not fully open/free, this service does give you some credits and it might be useful for investigations.
Data thinking
Building a data team at a mid-stage startup: a short story
“The backdrop is: you have been brought in to grow a tiny data team (~4 people) at a mid-stage startup (~$10M annual revenue).“
A great long read Erik Bernhardsson, which comes with strong hints of “The Phoenix Project” (although with a happy ending). It’s full of great quotable excerpts.
(via Guy Lipman)
Dataviz & Interactive
Are extraterrestrials extra patriotic?
“In America, UFO sightings peak on the Fourth of July”. The data team at the Economist knows how to have fun.
This also reminds me of a curious story about US President Jimmy Carter, which became known as the Jimmy Carter UFO incident (for extra fun, look for the funnily titled Atlanta Constitution article in the references).
Color naming across languages reflects color use
“Across 110 languages, people can describe warm colors (yellow, red) more quickly than cool ones (blue, green). Why? Warm colors are more likely to describe objects (People holding handsCat) & cool ones backgrounds (Deciduous treeWater wave). Industrialization increased the number of objects & thus the colors we name”.
Here’s the tweet and here’s the academic paper.
How much hotter will it get in your lifetime?
“When looking at charts about the increase in global temperature, I sometimes find myself asking: What exactly does that mean for people living now — especially younger generations?“
This is a really good chart by Hans Hack at Datawrapper, with methodolgy and data attached. By the way, don’t miss Datawrapper’s regular Data Vis Dispatch.
Streetonomics
“A form of computational social science that studies human behavior and cultural trends through the quantitative analysis of street names. Being aware of the origin of street names can transform a simple neighbourhood walk into a trip back through time.” A brilliant project by Daniele Quercia and colleagues, with an interactive explorer, a divulgative article on FastCompany, and an academic paper.
AI
AI Academy for Small Newsrooms
“A 6-week programme to help small newsrooms leverage the power of artificial intelligence. This FREE online programme offers a deep-dive into the potential of artificial intelligence to journalists and media professionals from small newsrooms. It is designed by the JournalismAI team at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and powered by the Google News Initiative.“
Algorithms in charge
I take issue with the concept.
Become a GitHub Sponsor. It costs about the price of a coffee per month, and you’ll get an Open Data Rottweiler sticker (and other stuff). Or you can Buy Me A Coffee.
quantum of sollazzo is also supported by ProofRed’s excellent proofreading service. If you need high-quality copy editing or proofreading, head to http://proofred.co.uk. Oh, they also make really good explainer videos.
