Blog

Data visualizations to explain our world.

This blog focuses on research, design, and the presentation of data visualizations on the web. I also write about penguins, healthcare, and books I've read.

Learn about data visualization here, explore an overview of my work below, or even better, send an email to get in touch.

Books

Paved Paradise

How parking explains the world

Scatter plot showing Titanic survival analysis by gender and class. Categories include children and adults among females and males, across 1st, 2nd, 3rd class, and crew. Data from R project.

Data viz

Titanic survival analysis

A ship of gold in the deep blue sea

Data viz

Choked Up

The link between child poverty and air pollution

An open book with each page on a different medium, rock painting, Clay tablet, Chisel stone, Bible, newspaper and screen

Books

Nexus

My review of Nexus

An image of Saturn, showcasing its iconic rings. The planet appears with a smooth, yellowish surface, partially in shadow, against a black background. The rings are clearly visible, casting shadows on the planet.

Technology

The Planets

A chart showing healthcare spending per capita vs life expectancy for OECD countries.

USA

American Sickness

World flight paths shown as bright violet lines across a dark world map.

Technology

Global Flight Map

World flight paths

Line chart showing expected population growth from 1960 - 2100.

World

UN Population Projections

Stacked bar chart showing percentages of terrorist attacks in the U.S. by ideology from 1994 to 2020. Categories include far-right, far-left, religious, and other. Far-right attacks increase significantly in the later years. Data source: CSIS.

USA

Domestic Extremism in America

The enemy within

A bubble chart depicting bank failures from 2008 to 2018. The largest bubble, representing Washington Mutual Bank ($307B), is dated around 2008. Bubble sizes decrease significantly over the years, with minimal failures visible from 2014 onwards.

USA

The Big Short

US bank failures

A stacked bar chart depicts global renewables growth from 2000 to 2023, highlighting substantial increases after 2016. A quote by Brett Christophers discusses Chinas significant impact on perceived global growth rates.

Power Up

Charging Forward

China leads the way in renewables

Comparing hot sauces on a matrix of tangy to sweet, smoky to spicy.

Data viz

The spice is nice

Hot sauce power rankings

Comparing Rio in 2012 and 2016 after the Olympic construction boom.

World

Rio: A city transformed

An olympic revitalization effort

Lunar landings: debris on the moon graphic.

Technology

Space Waste

Mapping lunar debris

A step chart showing the progression of SpaceX rocket flights by year since company inauguration.

Out there

SpaceX

Reusable rockets are becoming reality

How 'democratic' is Congress? graphic.

USA

How 'democratic' is Congress?

US Presidents assassinations graphic.

USA

Assassinations

Days since a US President was last shot

Very Peri, Pantone color of the year graphic.

Design

Pantone® color of the year

US Presidents by birth year graphic.

USA

Time in office

US Presidents by birth year and age.

Code

Frontend Fundamentals

Intro to HTML

A scatter plot showing the relationship between the Human Development Index (vertical axis) and Corruption Perceptions Index (horizontal axis) for various countries. A red trend line indicates a positive correlation, with high HDI linked to low corruption.

World

Corrosive Corruption

A graph showing global surface temperature changes from 1880 to 2020. Points transition from blue to red, indicating a rise in temperature over time. The y-axis represents temperature change in Celsius, and the x-axis shows years. Data by NASA.

World

Global Temperature Trends

It's getting hot in here.

Map of the United States showing states with same-sex marriage legality: fully legal (blue), fully illegal (red), and mixed legality (green). Data source: Wikipedia.

USA

Altered States

Marijuana laws in the United States

A grid of 36 colorful icons representing various charts and graphs, including bar, pie, line, and scatter plots, each depicted in a minimalist style.

Code

Charts & Graphs

Data visualization options compared

Artwork depicting students with obscured faces at desks, surrounded by a red, graffiti-like background.

USA

Thoughts & Prayers

Mass shootings in America

A cartoon Tony Soprano in a white robe holds a newspaper, standing in front of a burning dumpster with ducks nearby. A Bada Bing! sign and car are in the background under a dramatic sky.

TV

The Sopranos

The Sopranos by the data

A heatmap ranking the popcorn at 29 NBA arenas based on five qualities: butter, crunchiness, freshness, presentation, and saltiness. Top arenas: Mavericks (24), Nets (23), and Heat (22). Scores are color-coded from light to dark orange.

Sports

Steph Curry's Popcorn Problem

Line graph showing the decline in U.S. union membership from 1970 (29.3%) to 2018 (10.5%). Notable events: 1970 Postal Worker Strike, 1981 PATCO strike, 1993 NAFTA, and 2018 Janus v. AFSCME ruling impacting union density.

USA

State of the Unions

Union membership is on the decline

A bar graph titled Monthly Background Checks from 2000 to 2023. The graph shows a general upward trend, with notable spikes around events like Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, and January 6th. Total checks peak at over 4 million.

Guns

Checkmate

NICS background checks

Graph comparing median wages to affordable studio wages in select U.S. cities in 2022. Includes cities like New York, Boston, Seattle, Miami, and El Paso. Shows disparity where affordable studio wages exceed median wages in several locations.

Data viz

The Carrie Brandhaw Index

Map depicting parts of Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, and Russia, with the Black Sea. Red asterisks depict strikes in the sea near Crimea, highlighted in green stripes.

Ukraine War

Black Sea Fleet Losses

"Russian Warship, go fuck yourself"

The Palmer Archipelago penguins. Artwork by @allison_horst.

Data viz

Palmer's Penguins

An image showing five columns of NBA team logos linked together, representing tournament matchups or standings. Teams include the Bucks, 76ers, Hawks, Nets, Cavaliers, Heat, and others. Lines connect logos across columns, suggesting progression or timeline.

Sports

Basketball stats

Data visualization in the NBA

A scatter plot shows the relationship between gun ownership and firearm deaths per 100k people in various countries. The x-axis represents guns per 100k people; the y-axis shows firearm deaths. Data points are scattered with a trend line, highlighting the U.S.

Guns

Lethal Passage

Sensible gun control recommendations

Women at large machines, in the 1940s

Technology

Women in STEM

A scatter plot shows deaths per 100k people versus a gun regulation index. Colors range from light to dark red indicating higher death rates. A downward trend line suggests that stricter gun regulations correlate with fewer deaths. Data: Epidemiology Nov 2023.

Guns

Gun Regulation Index

Restrictive gun laws save lives

A world map illustrating the voyage of the HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836. The path is marked in colored lines, highlighting stops at the Falkland Islands and the Galápagos Islands. Map includes text about Darwin’s theory. Data by Marilyn Waldman.

Data viz

The voyage of Charles Darwin

Aboard the HMS Beagle

A series of five U.S. maps showing the growth of Wal-Mart stores by decade from the 1960s to the 2000s. Blue dots represent store locations, expanding from a few in the central region to widespread coverage across the country over time.

Data viz

Sprawl-Mart

The growth of Wal-Mart stores

A black screen displays 8:46 in bold white text, with a Start Timer button underneath. Below, it reads, On May 25th 2020, Derek Chauvin held his knee on the neck of George Floyd for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, resulting in Mr. Floyds death.

BLM

8 minutes, 46 seconds

A bar chart illustrating the timeline of events covered in Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. The events range from page 1 to 3,737, covering significant chapters like the foundation of Constantinople and ecclesiastical discord.

SPQR

The decline and fall of the roman empire

As presented by Edward Gibbon

A heatmap showing daily activity from 2019 to August 2024, with months listed horizontally. Color intensity ranges from light yellow indicating less time to dark red indicating more time spent. Activity varies across different months and years.

Data viz

Crossword Puzzle Stats

Hold my Oreo

Box plot compares caffeine content (mg) across five classes: Energy Drink, Medication, Hot Drink, Soft Drink, and Chocolate. Ranges vary, with Energy Drinks showing the highest and most variable caffeine levels.

Data viz

Caffeine Data Visualization

A line graph showing ages of the worlds oldest people from 1960 to the 2010s. Females are indicated by orange dots and males by blue. Notable figures include Jeanne Calment, who appears prominently with labels. Ages range from 110 to 122 years.

Data viz

World's Oldest Person Titleholders

Images of the 100 most famous women in history.

Femme Fatale

Famous Women

Data viz

OpenAI Timeline

From Sam to Sora

Trump that

The Failing New York Times

Illustration of four people interacting with large, floating digital screens displaying data and graphics, including a semi-circle dial. The scene suggests teamwork and technology in a modern workspace.

Essay

Data Visualization Glossary

$The image shows the entropy formula: \( H = -\sum_{i=1}^{k} p_x \log(p_x) \), where \( k \) is the number of possible outcomes, and \( p_x \) is the probability of a specific outcome.$

Math

Equations that changed the world

Eureka!

A plot graph showing various cities, with lines and dots connecting data points. Notable cities labeled include Fairfield, Conn., San Jose, San Francisco, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, indicating varying data ranges across the chart.

USA

Inequality in America

From 1980 to 2015

Music

Red Hot Chili Peppers Tribute

Suck my kiss

Abstract painting by Piet Mondrian featuring red, blue, yellow, and white rectangles separated by black lines. Titled Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow, 1930.

Art

Piet Mondrian in CSS Grid

Four scatter plots with green dots, each labeled 1 to 4, titled The same data graphed. A trend line with a shaded confidence interval is present in each plot. The x-axis ranges from 5 to 20, and the y-axis ranges from 4 to 12.

Math

Anscombe's Quartet

The importance of visualizing data

Graph titled Work in progress showing WeWork funding rounds from 2010 to 2023. Financial growth starts at $0B in 2010 and reaches $45B by 2021, with notable increases marked D, F, and the epic SoftBank round at G in 2019.

Work in Progress

WeWork Valuation

A balancing act

Map of the contiguous United States showing the area codes where rapper Ludacris claims hoes.

Inf-hoe-graphic

Where rapper Ludacris claims hoes

Based on "Area Codes" (2001)

Illustration of a framed picture hanging on a pink wall. The picture depicts a simple sailboat on water with two clouds. Below, a plaque reads Scene From Moby Dick.

Doh!

The Simpsons

My favorite dysfunctional family

A light grey poster with the word CHILL in the center. In the bottom right corner, text reads: OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH™ Defining the grey area between black as the white color Off-White™.

Design

"Off-White"

OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH™

Illustrated solar system showing orbits of planets and some moons. Sun is on the left, followed by Mercury, Venus, Earth with Moon, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter with moons, Saturn with moons, and Uranus with moons.

Space

The Solar System

Our pale blue dot

A circular emotion wheel displaying various emotions organized by intensity and grouped into categories: sad, mad, scared, joyful, powerful, and peaceful. Each segment includes related emotions from light to intense.

Design

The Feeling Wheel

Created by Gloria Willcox

Grid displaying numbers from 1 to 200, with prime numbers highlighted in red. The text at the top reads, All prime numbers under 10,000.

Math

Prime Numbers

What do you call a pig that does karate? Pork chop!

Punny

Word Avalanches

Illustration of a man at a laptop learning web development.

Reading

Developer Resources

A list apart

A survey form with three smiley faces: happy, neutral, sad. A red pencil marks the happy face. The text on the left reads Customer Satisfaction Survey with a teal and white abstract background.

Work

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

Infographic showing Net Promoter Score. It features a formula: percentage of promoters (smiley faces) minus percentage of detractors (frowning faces), with passives as neutral faces in between, ranked from 0 to 10.

Work

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Illustration depicting various airplanes from different eras, including early biplanes, a Concorde, and modern jet airliners, all set against a background of stylized clouds.

Technology

The Evolution of Flight

A collage of five sections with different images and text. From left to right: a vase with flowers and the word MOVIES, a close-up illustration with GO:OD AM, an eye with SWIMMING, a man in sunglasses with ON & ON, and a geometric portrait with CIRCLES.

Music

Mac Miller Tribute

Apple

WWDC16

Apple Worldwide Developer Conference

Abstract art on a blue background representing UI details and design.

Design

Practical UI Details

Diagram explaining the CSS empty selector a:empty{}. Shows an a element in green with no children or text, a hand pointing, and a tree diagram with a having two b children. Text notes empty elements lack children or text.

Code

CSS selectors

Line art drawing of a man in a hoodie walking alone.

Design

Wondering about social distancing?

From the NYT

An illustration of a pair of dice.

Math

Powerball & Random numbers

Abstract art of two lovers on a park bench.

Honest Dating Advice

It's not you, it's me

Cascading style sheets illustration.

Code

Cascading Style Sheets

The Notorious RBG.

Design

RBG in RGB

The ‘Notorious RBG’

Social Networking

Honest LinkedIn

Arthur's clenched fist from the children's cartoon Arthur on PBS.

Meme

Arthur's Fist

I'm shaking

Get fit or get fat

Ad rep

Get Fit

Literal radio buttons

Skeumorphism

Radio Buttons

A bingo card titled Conference Call Bingo with humorous phrases like Sorry, I was on mute, Child noises, Can you e-mail that to everyone? and Uh, X, youre still sharing! Each square contains a typical virtual meeting mishap.

Zoomies

Conference Call Bingo

Sorry, I was on mute

A stick figure person.

Comic Sans

XKCD Security Tips

Use a burner laptop

Optical illusion featuring multiple interlocking grey rings with a darker center. The arrangement creates a visual effect where the rings appear to spin. Above the image are the words Post and Spinning Rings Illusion in black text.

Design

Spinning Rings Illusion

A checklist titled Dont do these things with music-inspired items. The list includes: chasing waterfalls, forgetting about Dre, tripping, fearing the reaper, and more, with a selected blue car emoji next to Trip.

Fun

To-Don't List

Don't do these things

A humorous phonetic alphabet chart with words like Aisle for A, Knight for K, Pneumonic for M, and Tsunami for T. Each letter humorously uses a word with a silent initial letter.

ABCs

Phonetic alphabet

A computer desktop screen displaying a Windows XP interface with the Start menu open. The menu lists programs like Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. The background features a green hill and a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Technology

Windows XP

Hello World illustration in code

Blog

Hello World

Design

Blank page