FlowingData » Announcements

Introducing FlowingData Membership

Nathan Yau — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:45:01 +0000

It was about five years ago when I got into visualization. Before I actually made anything, I read books and guides that made suggestions and preached a handful of design principles, but when it was time to make a data graphic for publication, I didn't know what I was doing. Theory is great. Being able to apply it to your own data is better.

Back then — which seems like forever but isn't actually that long ago — there weren't many practical tutorials or books on how to visualize data. Visualize This is the book I wish I had when I was starting out. A steady foundation and an introduction to what's out there, written to my old self.

There's still so much more to visualization though. There are different points of view to explore, new software and methods to try, and growing data sources to play with.

That's where FlowingData memberships come in. Having great sponsors lets me write tutorials and longer articles occasionally, but memberships will allow me to write more and perhaps bring in others' expertise from time to time.

Here's what you get with FlowingData membership:

Monthly Tutorials: How to make and design publication-level data graphics.
Downloads: Source code and files to use with your own data.
Guides and Resources: Design principles and the best places to learn them.
Curated Links: Hand-picked links from around the Web that focus on the how of visualization.

Those who have Visualize This will recognize the style of the guides and tutorials (first members-only tutorial coming soon after this post). You can also check out past tutorials for a taste. Long-time readers will notice a new layout that's easier to follow, and writing online lends itself better to more code-heavy projects.

All this for the introductory price of $25 per year — less than a coffee a month. I'll also throw in a warm, fuzzy feeling from directly supporting an independent FlowingData. Your support helps ensure that the lights stay on, hopefully for years to come.

Become a member.

UPDATE: Paypal is acting up. Looking into it now.

UPDATE 2: Seems to be going okay again. It might take a couple of tries due to your awesomeness.

UPDATE 3: I think most of the kinks have been ironed out, but if you can't log in for some reason, please email me at nathan [at] flowingdata [dot] com. Thanks for the support, everyone.

Merry Christmas to you, from FlowingData

Nathan Yau — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:26:15 +0000

Thanks for making this a memorable year, everyone. Happy holidays!

Visiting Census

Nathan Yau — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:56:08 +0000

I'm visiting the US Census Bureau this week, so there's a good chance there will be a few days I don't post anything. Hopefully not though. I have a couple of things scheduled. But in case I go radio silent for a few days, you'll know why. It'll be back to normal next week.

Send your pictures of Visualize This in the wild (and win a goodie)

Nathan Yau — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 07:38:51 +0000

One of the best parts since the launch of Visualize This has been the pictures that people have sent me of the book in the wild. It makes it feel all the more real.

To have some fun with it, let's have a little contest. Take a picture of the book in your hands, on your desk, or wherever you like really, and send it to fun@flowingdata.com by this Friday, August 12, 2011. If you have a digital version, feel free to take a picture of your iPad or Kindle with the book open. I'll put all the pics together in a mosaic or something.

Then I'll choose five winners at random, and you can pick any print book you like from the Wiley Tech library (minus box sets). Good luck!

Flowing Datathon updates

Nathan Yau — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:08:36 +0000

Many of you now have Visualize This in your hands and have probably gone through a number of tutorials. Now it's time to put what you've learned into practice. I'm fleshing out the details of a Flowing Datathon. I don't know what it'll be like yet — other than it'll involve an interesting dataset over 24 hours and some prizes (and of course, fun) — but if you'd like to keep up-to-date either to get involved or watch, I've set up an email list.

Sign up here.

Oh, and if you have ideas for what would make the event special awesome, feel free to leave your suggestion in the comments.

Challenge: Visualize the impact of Wikipedia

Nathan Yau — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 07:08:13 +0000

If you're like me, you've probably used Wikipedia at least once in the past week (or day... or hour). It's had a huge impact on how we find information and keep history up-to-date. The online encyclopedia turned 10 this year, and to celebrate, WikiSym and the Wikimedia foundation recently launched a challenge: WikiViz 2011.

WikiViz 2011 is about visualizing the impact of Wikipedia. We want to see the most effective, compelling and creative data-driven visualizations of how Wikipedia impacted the world with its content, culture and open collaboration model. Potential topics include: the imprint of Wikipedia on knowledge sharing and access to information; its impact on literacy and education, journalism and research; on the functioning of scientific and cultural organizations and businesses, as well as the daily life of individuals around the world.

There are lots of small datasets within Wikipedia articles, but Wikipedia itself is also one giant (open) dataset. For example, we've seen the history of the world according to tagged events as well as back and forth discussions for deletion.

Can you find something good? Judged by Moritz Stefaner, Andrew Vande Moere, and Kim Rees, among others, winners get to attend WikiSym on the house and of course get a mention or two.

Visualization contests around the corner

Nathan Yau — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:07:19 +0000

The best way to learn how to visualize data is to grab a dataset and see what you can do with it. You can read as many tips and tricks as you want, but you're not going to get any better until you actually try. Contests are a fun way to do this.

Participate

So here are a handful of visualization contests to get your hands dirty. Hey you might even win a couple of thousand dollars. Not that money matters to you, because as well all know, learning is your reward.

Hacking Education — A contest for developers and data crunchers. DonorsChoose.org has inspired $80 million in giving from 400,000 donors, helping 165,000 teachers at 43,000 schools, and the donation site has opened up this data. Can do you do something with it? Deadline: June 30, 2011.

Data In Sight — A hands-on competition in San Francisco's SoMa district with surprise data sources. Some talks, lunch, dinner, and a 24-hour hackathon. Event date: June 24, 2011 (better to register your team early).

Tableau Interactive Viz Contest — This one is coming up the quickest, but is the most straightforward. Plus, you get a t-shirt just for entering. Grab some business, finance, or real estate data and go to town with Tableau Public. Deadline: June 3, 2011.

Know of any other data/visualization contests coming up? Let us know in the comments.

Friday freebies: Comment to win a copy of R Cookbook – winners announced

Nathan Yau — Fri, 06 May 2011 17:01:52 +0000

Want a free copy of R Cookbook by Paul Teetor? You're in luck, because I have four copies to give away, generously provided by O'Reilly. In case you're unfamiliar, here's my review for some background. Bottom line: It's a fine addition to the O'Reilly series of cookbooks.

How to Win

You know the drill. Simply leave a comment on this post by Sunday, March 8 at 11pm PST. This time around, let's go with... your favorite number. Yeah, tell me what your favorite number is. Then I'll choose four winners at random on Monday.

Obviously make sure you use a valid email address, and only one entry per person please. Good luck!

Update: Winners announced! You should have received an email if you were picked. Thanks for participating, everyone.

Comment to win a free HistoryShots print – winners announced

Nathan Yau — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 04:08:58 +0000

Happy Friday, everyone. Leading into the weekend, HistoryShots has kindly put three prints up for grabs to decorate that plain wall of yours with data and information. HistoryShots has been around for a while, but in case you're not familiar, they "create elegant graphics and diagrammatic art that visually tell stories about subjects, time periods and events." Some are vintage reprints from the 1800s and others are original designs.

How do you win a free print? Go to the HistoryShots list of available prints, and then come back here and leave a comment saying which one you want by Sunday, March 27 at 10pm. I'll pick three winners at random. Good luck!

Update: Winners picked. If you won, you've received an email from me. Thanks for entering!

Friday freebies: Visual history posters from Timeplots – winners announced

Nathan Yau — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:01:30 +0000

It's Friday, and the weekend's staring you in the face. You look like you need some free stuff. Timeplots has kindly put up three visual history prints up for grabs. In case you're not familiar, Timeplots takes complex history stories, like the American presidency or the changing nature of the Senate, and puts them in visual form.

How to win

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below by ~~Monday, March 7, 2011~~ Tuesday, March 8, 2011, 7:00pm PST. Let's go with... your favorite food. Yeah, that should be fun. I'll pick three winners at random, and they will have their pick of any one of the five prints Timeplots has to offer. I'd probably go with the Senate one myself.

One entry per person, please.

Good luck!

Update: If you were one of three lucky winners, you should have received an email from me by now. Thanks all for participating! If you still want one, you can still buy them over on Timeplots.