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Last Year… in Charts
I love charts. And I love “year in review” style articles. This article is both. The New York Times does a great job of putting 2016’s top news stories (cough, Trump, cough) in visual context.
Speaking of Trump…
As anyone who’s ever made a mess of an Excel spreadsheet knows, there’s A LOT you can do to screw up data. In this piece, Five Thirty Eight looks at the ways Trump could impact the collection and dissemination of government statistics. Summary: Don’t expect outright tampering. Look for budget cuts “particularly within the government’s statistical agencies” and “willful miscommunication.”
Uber battles NYC over Sharing Rider Data
Uber is duking it out with The New York City Taxi & Limo Commission about handing over trip data for passengers, writes the Huffington Post. The Taxi & Limo Commission collects this info from city cabbies, but it hasn’t required Lyft and Uber to share… yet. As you might expect, Uber isn’t happy and says it doesn’t trust the commission to “safeguard the information.”
Still Looking for a New Years Resolution?
Want a resolution that’s easier than hitting the gym or cutting back on beer? Try a “data detox,” writes Vogue. There’s no kale involved. Simply clear your browser cookies and go to Google.com/history to check what Google stores about you. Just don’t get too carried away, or you might put me out of a job.
And Something Nice to Look At
Not convinced that data can be beautiful? Check out this project from two designers in London and (where else?) Brooklyn, New York. As they explain it: “Each week, and for a year, we collected and measured a particular type of data about our lives, used this data to make a drawing on a postcard-sized sheet of paper.” The results are pretty cool.