Announcements

Comment to win a copy of ‘Beautiful Visualization’ – winner announced!

June 21, 2010 to Contests • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Continuing with the 'Beautiful' series, O'Reilly has released their newest one, Beautiful Visualization.

This book examines the methods of two dozen visualization experts who approach their projects from a variety of perspectives -- as artists, designers, commentators, scientists, analysts, statisticians, and more. Together they demonstrate how visualization can help us make sense of the world.

Like others in the series (e.g. Beautiful Data, Beautiful Code), Beautiful Visualization is a compilation of essays from twelve people and groups who work in the field, and it's a very mixed bag. Regular FD readers will recognize many of the names: Fernanda Viegas, Martin Wattenberg, Aaron Koblin, Robert Kosara, Nick Bilton, and Jer Thorp, among others.
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FlowingData stickers!

June 17, 2010 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

I love the Apple logo and all, but my Macbook really needed some pizazz, and what says pizazz more than a FlowingData sticker? Nothing. Honest to goodness, I feel like a new man, and now you can too.
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Comment to win free copies of ‘Beginning Python Visualization’ – Winners announced

March 26, 2010 to Contests • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter
You know when you're going through old junk and find something really awesome that you completely forgot about? Well that's what happened to me the other day, and lucky for you it's free e-copies of Beginning Python Visualization. Four of them, actually.

Simply leave a comment below by Sunday, March 28, 11:59pm EDT for a chance to win, and then come back to this post on Monday to see the winners. Let's make it a round of desert island. Name the five movies that you would want to take with you if you were stranded on a desert island.

I'll get it started:
- Back to the Future
- Forrest Gump
- Billy Elliot
- Shawsank Redemption
- The Sting
Good luck!

P.S. Here's my review of Beginning Python Visualization, in case you missed it.

Winner Announced

Congratulations to the four following people. You should have received your redemption codes via email by now.
- Rob
- Casey
- JanWillem
- Peter
Thanks everyone else for participating, and good luck next time.
Cleaning house.

February 24, 2010 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

I'm transitioning to a new server right now, and let me tell you. Moving three years' worth of files and content is no fun at all. Where's a sysadmin when you need one? I'm also realizing how out-dated some of my software is, so like any move - in the physical world or digital - I'm in the process of upgrading everything. Bear with me. It might be a bumpy ride.

If you catch something that's a bit off, please do let me know in the comments. I'll really appreciate it. Thanks.
Status Update for the World Progress Report

February 3, 2010 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Just a quick update for those who ordered the World Progress Report. It's been with the printer this past week, and I expect to have the prints physically in my hands tomorrow. I'll start mailing them out as soon as I get them. Thanks for your patience.

By the way, together we raised around $2k for Haiti earthquake relief. Way to go, FD readers.

Update (2/5/10) - First batch of prints went out today.

Update (2/12/10) - Second batch went out today. Last batch, mostly international orders, go out next.

Update (2/18/10) - Last batch of reports went out today.
Buy a Print. Support Distaster Relief in Haiti. Please.

January 14, 2010 to Announcements, Mapping • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Unless you live under a rock inside a cave in the remotest area in the world, you know a huge quake struck Haiti on Tuesday, and much lies in ruins. The New York Times just posted some before and after satellite images, and it's a horrible thing to see. Buildings gone. People gone.

It pains me to think about what if that were to happen to me or my family.

To this end, I'm donating all proceeds from World Progress Report orders, along with this month's FlowingData revenues, to UNICEF's relief efforts. The Report, after all, is an effort to relate to the rest of the world. It only seems fitting. It's not much in the grand scheme of things, I guess, but at least it's something. As they say, every little bit counts.

Again, I'm taking orders for one week - through January 21. Do some good and get something good too. I'm including How America Learns with all orders now. Buy a print now.

Or if the World Progress Report just isn't your thing, you can donate directly to UNICEF.

I mean, seriously, there are 27,000 of you + me. We can make a big difference together.
Merry Christmas, and See You Next Year

December 25, 2009 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you're having a great holiday season so far. Good food, good company, and more good food.

This will be my last post for the year, but don't fret. FlowingData will return to its regularly scheduled programming January 1. Take a look through the archives if you start to go through withdrawl. Don't worry - it's all going to be okay.

See you all next year.
Best of FlowingData 2009, and What to Expect in 2010

December 18, 2009 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter
It was another interesting and sometimes exciting year for FlowingData. To think, I was beaming when there were 7,000 of you at the beginning of 2009. Now there's almost four times that many of you, just over 26k. It's crazy. I'm scared. Hold me.

Here are the top posts of 2009 based on traffic:
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Comment to win free copies of The Visual Miscellaneum: Winners announced!

December 4, 2009 to Contests • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

As we all know, David McCandless of Information is Beautiful, launched his new book The Visual Miscellaneum. You can read my review here.

David was kind enough to provide a handful of copies to all of you. How to enter? Just leave a comment at the bottom of this post, and then come back on Monday to see if you're a winner. If leaving a comment isn't your thing, because it's just too crazy hard, you can buy it here. It's well worth it, and would also make an excellent gift.

Good luck!
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Black Friday Starts Now. 3 Prints for 1!

November 27, 2009 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Straight to the point. It's Black Friday. Here's the deal. Get 1 print for the price of 3. No wait, switch that. Get 3 prints for the price of 1 when you buy the series.

Use this code to take advantage: bfridayfps20

This deal ends on Sunday. Get some prints for yourself or as a gift to your data geek friend or dog today.

Remember: your order will help more prints go to local education.

What is FlowingPrints?

For those new to FlowingData, FlowingPrints is a pet project of mine to put data, well, in print. For this first series, I collaborated with two designers to create three original views of education in America - through data. Check 'em out now. They'll make your walls ridiculously smart.
FlowingData is On CNN – A new way of looking at the world

November 2, 2009 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Just a quick note. There's an article up on CNN right now by Manav Tanneeru about the growth of visualization: A new way of looking at the world.

There's a blurb in there about your.flowingdata, but mainly read it for the other sources. There's some nice tidbits from Martin Wattenberg, Ben Fry, et. al. Thanks, Manav for including me.
Join Us in Atlantic City this Sunday – VisWeek Workshop

October 7, 2009 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Like I mentioned before, Robert Kosara (EagerEyes), Andrew Vande Moere (information aesthetics) and I are hosting a workshop on Visualization on the Web this Sunday (October 11) in Atlantic City as a part of VisWeek. So if you're in town, make sure you drop by.

We accepted topic proposals earlier last month, and those will be presented (briefly) during the workshop, and we'll break into discussion from there. It'll be an informal event.

Even if you didn't submit a paper or register, you're welcome to join. Everyone is welcome. There should be plenty of space.

Find more information on EagerEyes. Remember, this Sunday, October 11, 2:00-5:30.
FlowingPrints – You Can Now Buy Individual Posters

September 29, 2009 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Just a quick a update. Some of you emailed me to say that you loved the series, but really, only had enough space for one, so... you can now buy individual prints.

The previously mentioned promotion code still works if you buy the complete series, which in the end actually gives you a price lower than that of two prints, so if you're going to buy two, it's better to just buy the set, and maybe give away the third. Nothing says I love you I like a data poster.

Finally, thanks everyone for the support. It was a rocky start, but I think I've got things under control now. It just goes to show you can plan all you want, but in all likelihood Mr. Murphy is going to poke his head in and stir things up a bit. I guess it keeps life interesting, right?

Make your walls smarter today.
FlowingPrints – I screwed up, so here’s the NEW deal

September 28, 2009 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Okay, I totally dropped the ball on this one. I must have proofread the designs a gajillion times before sending them out to print, but I missed a typo in one of them :(.

So here's the NEW deal: it's a pair of prints at a lower price, and you can still save $20 with the code in the previous post (or email, if you're subscribed to that way).

As a pair, we get two contrasting views into the data, statistical and illustrative.

Visit the site to find out more.

UPDATE: It turns out the "typo" was not a typo at all, so we have our complete series again. For my stupidity, I'm keeping the price at what it was when I only had a pair up, so you're essentially getting three for the price of two. Sorry for the confusion.
FlowingPrints is Live

September 28, 2009 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Finally, after lots of long nights, the first FlowingPrints poster series is now available.

Big thanks to everyone who helped me along the way and for all of your emails and feedback. I'm really excited about this project, and clearly, many of you are too. Thanks for all the support.

What is FlowingPrints?

FlowingPrints is a collaboration between statistics and design. I worked with two designers, Atley G. Kasky and Robert Di Ieso, Jr., to create a series of three prints that each provide a very different view into the state of education in America. We put data on paper.

And just for FlowingData readers, use this code by this Friday for $20 off: CQ4W9GWH

Visit the site to find out more.
Posters for People Who Love Data + Design

September 21, 2009 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Data graphics that aren't interactive are better in print, no doubt about it.

I realized this a few years ago while interning for a popular graphics department. It was one thing to see my graphics online, but it was always so much cooler to see them in the paper.

Online stuff is great, but it's fleeting. You glance, scan, and browse when you're online. You look, examine, and read when it's in print.

Plus, paper provides more space. Data needs room to breathe.

Enter FlowingPrints.

Data + Design Posters

Simply put, FlowingPrints is a project to get data in print. It's like FlowingData's better looking cousin.

I mentioned the project a while ago, and I'm happy to say that the first series will be available in less than a week.

I collaborated with two designers â€“ Atley G. Kasky and Robert Di Ieso, Jr. â€“ to create a three-poster series around a single theme: the state of education. We looked at several decades of data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Each poster gives you a different point of view, and each tells a different story.

The Authors

Atley is a graphic designer at GOOD and co-curates But Does it Float; Robert is a designer and illustrator who has done work for The New York Times, Time Inc., and Fast Company Magazine; and me, well, you already know what I do.

That should give you a hint as to what type of design you're going to see in these posters. Needless to say, it'll be a healthy mix of traditional statistical graphics and tasty eye candy, informative and fun to examine.

Be First to Know + Special Offer

This week, I'm putting in the finishing touches, and we'll be ready to go. If you haven't already, you can sign up on this page to be first to know when the series is available; I'll email you the minute FlowingPrints goes live. It'll be first-come, first-served.

There will also be a promotion code in the announcement email, so make sure you take advantage of that too.

More soon...
Friday Freebies: 5 Copies of Applied Security Visualization

September 4, 2009 to Contests • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

We passed the 20k-subscriber mark last week. Very cool, and a tiny bit scary at the same time. Thank you everyone for reading and spreading the word about FlowingData. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm looking forward to what the next few months brings.

Anyways, I've found that the best way to celebrate these types of milestones is with some free stuff :). Plus it's Friday.

Applied Security Visualization

I have five free copies of Applied Security Visualization to give away. While the book is geared towards network security, the principles behind each chapter can certainly be applied to other types of visualization. The book also includes free software for visualizing networks and assessing security.

How to Win

Super easy. Just leave a comment below that says what you're thankful for. You are not allowed to say you are thankful for free stuff, wise guy. Do this by Sunday, September 6, 2009, 8pm EST. Comments will then close, and I will randomly select five winners. One entry per person please. Good luck!

Update: I forgot about Labor Day. Extending the entry deadline to Monday, Sept. 7, 8pm EST.
I Found the Forest

September 3, 2009 to Announcements • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Someone I respect a lot said I should let go. And so I did.

We now return to our regularly scheduled data goodness. Thanks, all.
Friday Freebies: Beautiful Data is Now Available

July 31, 2009 to Contests • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

Beautiful Data from O'Reilly is now available! The book is a collection of articles from 39 data practitioners including Michal Migurski, Aaron Koblin, Jeff Heer, and plenty others, sharing their experiences with data, their methods, their thoughts, and most importantly, how beautiful data really is.

I was fortunate enough to write one of the chapters: Seeing Your Life in Data. I describe my experiences developing for the Personal Environmental Impact Report and the beginnings of your.flowingdata. I'm looking forward to reading all of the other contributions.

Two Free Copies to Give Away

Lucky for you I have two free e-book copies to give away. Want to win one of them? Leave a comment below by the end of today - July 31, 11:59 EST. Let's go with your favorite food this week. One entry per person please. Good luck.

P.S. If you're not one of the two winners, don't fret. Use the following discount code on the O'Reilly site for a 30% discount: ABF09.
Friday Freebies: 5 E-book Copies of Beginning Python Visualization

July 24, 2009 to Contests • Nathan Yau • Share on Twitter

It's Friday! I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the weekend, and what better way to start with some free stuff? I have five free e-book copies of Beginning Python Visualization to give away.

I reviewed this book last month, and I thought it was really useful. In fact, I still have it in arm's reach on my desk.

How to Win a Copy

As usual, I'll make this really easy. All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me why I should give you a copy. Make up a reason if you like. I could use a good laugh. Do this by 11:59pm EST today (Friday, July 24), and I'll select five random winners. Good luck!