Stop motion video: Food you can buy for $5 in different countries

 Food, infographics, video  Comments Off
Apr 242013
 

This stop motion video from BuzzFeed shows how much food you can buy for $5 USD in different countries. For example, five bucks will get you 7 pounds of rice in the United States and 12 pounds in China. The video is straightforward, but the animation of food appearing and disappearing — or rather, added and taken away — lends well to the context that you wouldn't get from a quick chart.

The gut instinct seems to be "Hey, we should all move to China." Better follow that up with non-Chinese salaries.

Personal space per person in various countries

 infographics, population  Comments Off
Apr 112013
 

Personal space

How much space is there per person in different countries? Andrew Bergmann for CNNMoney took a look.

Population density measures the amount of people in a given area, generally per square kilometer or mile. It's difficult to get a clear image of what these vast spaces actually represent, so I thought that it would be interesting to flip the equation on its head and figure out how much space there is on average per person.

The interactive shows 20 countries and each is represented by a circle sized by average square feet per person. Of course, as with population density, this data is broad with land distribution and usage to consider, but it's informative from a general viewpoint. Although the math might be slightly off in the square feet calculation. Or maybe that's just rounding.

I'm surprised I haven't seen something like this before. See population density from the more traditional point of view here, here, and here. Oh, and here. I think the last one is my favorite.

How a cab driver makes money

 infographics  Comments Off
Apr 032013
 

Cabbie money

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, cab drivers and chauffeurs make a median salary of $22,400 per year, or $10.79 an hour. (I believe that's not including tips.) Using about three months of fare data from a single driver, Alvin Chang for The Boston Globe showed how a driver makes a living day-to-day.

Time runs left to right, and each column represents fares collected in a day. A driver starts each day in the red when he or she leases a cab for $125, which includes gas, and then works into the blue.

After an animation plays out over a few seconds, you can click to zoom in and see specific fares. I expected to drag left and right once zoom, but the chart just zooms back out. I suspect the interaction is mostly there for people on mobile devices. I also wanted to scrub the vertical line that indicates time to see details for spikes or days no fares were collected.

So there's still a bit to be desired here, but the data itself is interesting, which makes it worth a look.

Signed Collector’s Edition Posters – limited time only!

 dataviz, diagram, infographics  Comments Off
Mar 222013
 

Due to popular demand, we’re bringing back our art prints store. But for one week only!

It’s a great chance to bag yourself a signed limited edition or two – or to plump up your stash of future gifts.

For the first time, you’ll be able to own:

» signed editions of Colours in Culture (6-colour print with gold & silver!)
» our time-bending glow-in-the-dark print of Timelines.
» a re-released Left vs. Right, very sweetly printed on beautiful Munken art-paper
» 2 print and 4 print collector’s sets, signed or unsigned, for a great price.

Check them out.

It’s a one week only flash sale. Because it’s a massive undertaking for us to process all the orders. So we have to close the store Wednesday 27th March 00:00 midnight PST.

(If you prefer to print your own, we also have a selection of instantly downloadable PDF’s of our images.)

All proceeds go towards supporting the site and paying for staff and contributors.

Mega-thanks!
David

 Posted by on March 22, 2013

How to be Interesting by Jessica Hagy

 infographics  Comments Off
Mar 202013
 

How to be InterestingJessica Hagy, the one who made Venn diagrams on index cards popular, has a new book out today: How to be Interesting.

You want to leave a mark, not a blemish. Be a hero, not a spectator. You want to be interesting. (Who doesn’t?) But sometimes it takes a nudge, a wake-up call, an intervention!—and a little help. This is where Jessica Hagy comes in. A writer and illustrator of great economy, charm, and insight, she’s created How to Be Interesting, a uniquely inspirational how-to that combines fresh and pithy lessons with deceptively simple diagrams and charts.

The book started from this, which could probably also stand in as a guide on how to enjoy life.

Choosing the right seat

 Humor, infographics  Comments Off
Mar 132013
 

Musical Chairs by Alex Cornell

It can be tricky picking the right seat at a dinner party. So much depends on how many people there are and what shape the table is. Luckily, Alex Cornell provides a guide on where to sit and when to arrive to get the best seat of the night. The 4-person circle is your best bet.

This is the ideal setup. You are safe sitting in any seat. Regardless how interesting everyone is, you pretty much can’t go wrong. Note: as the diameter of the table increases, so too does the importance that you sit adjacent to someone you like.

Sorry for always sitting at the lonely end seat in the 7-person rectangle. [via kottke]

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