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.

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.

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 – Atley G. Kasky and Robert Di Ieso, Jr. – 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...

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.

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.

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.

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!

The folks over at AllBusinessCards have generously donated 1,000 business cards to three lucky FlowingData readers. Uh, read that as three FlowingData readers will each win a set of 1,000 business cards. Design your own or pick from a template.

How Do I Enter?

All you have to do is pay me one thousand dollars. No, I'm totally kidding. Ten thousand. A million?

Okay, okay, nevermind. I'll make it easy on all of you. Simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post. If you're too lazy, just copy someone else's comment (and let it weigh on your conscious for the rest of your life :).

Do this by today at 11:59pm EST. I'll randomly pick three winners. One entry per person, and as always, make sure you leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. Winners in the continental United States get free shipping and internationals just have to cover shipping. Good luck!

Two years ago on June 25, 2007, I wrote the first post for FlowingData. It was rambling gibberish, and I really had no idea what I was doing. I was just randomly gibbering to no one in particular. It's a little different now. Still random at times, but a little less so.

Somewhat surprisingly, I've only missed a handful of days over the past two years. This will be the 675th post on FlowingData, plus 5,271 comments and another 644 posts in the FlowingData forums. Oh and let's not forget the 26,400 caught spam comments. Thanks, Akismet.

Here are the most popular posts over the past year:

1. 27 Visualizations and Infographics to Understand the Financial Crisis
2. 5 Best Data Visualization Projects of the Year
3. Visual Guide to the Financial Crisis
4. Pixel City: Computer-generated City
5. Watching the Growth of Walmart Across America, Interactive Edition
6. Little Red Riding Hood, the Animated Infographic Story
7. Maps of the Seven Deadly Sins
8. 17 Ways to Visualize the Twitter Universe
9. 40 Essential Tools and Resources to Visualize Data
10. 37 Data-ish Blogs You Should Know About

We also just passed We're also up to almost 18,000 subscribers today, which continues to amaze me. FlowingData had 2,600 subscribers at the one-year mark. I can only imagine what FlowingData will be in another year. As you might remember, I had to transfer FlowingData to a better server to keep up with the increase in traffic. This of course wouldn't have been possible without the sponsors. Thanks for the support, sponsors.

Finally, a big thank you to all of you who send me suggestions and share links with others via social media sites like Twitter, Digg, and del.icio.us. You've all helped shape FlowingData into what it is today.

Here's to another year of data.

I finally upgraded to the most recent Wordpress, and everything seems to have succeeded without any hitches. I always get a little nervous when I upgrade. I backup everything nightly, but it's a hassle when something goes cukoo. Please do let me know if you see anything weird.

Threaded Comments

One significant change you should notice is threaded comments. You can now directly reply to others' comments at the end of posts. I'm really happy with the results. Your comments add a lot of depth, new ideas, and character to the blog, and now it's that much easier to have a real conversation. Enjoy.

For the longest time I've been obsessed with data visualization and infographics in print, specifically posters. Visualization on the Web is great, but there's a limitation with screen real estate, and data in print has always just felt so much sexier. I remember when I was at The Times and I saw my very first graphic online. It was cool, but it was even cooler when I saw it in the paper the next morning.

Enter the newest and maybe my most favorite FlowingData project - FlowingPrints. Read more →

Quick announcement: I'm offline for a couple of days to attend my sister's graduation in California (congrats, sis!). Check out the FlowingData archives when you start going through data visualization withdraw. FlowingData will return to regularly scheduled programming on Thursday.

I finally got around to putting all the FlowingData projects together. As many of you know, I like to post my own experiments once in a while (a few that I forgot that I had even done), but I never had them all together; now you can find them all in one place. I also moved some stuff around so that everything is more unified. Lastly, there's a new growth map up, alongside Target and Walmart, for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

I just started the FlowingData NCAA tournament bracket. Join now. Try and beat me if you can.

The great thing about the tournament is that that you're gonna hear tons and tons of statistics on what players have done, who's favored to win, and who is without a doubt going to lose. Throw a huge dose of raw, human emotion and competitive spirit, and without a doubt, a lot of the data will mean absolutely nothing. I love it.

To make things interesting, to the winner goes a $20 Amazon gift certificate. If I win, nobody gets anything. Muauahahaha. Go on. I dare you. Join now and make your picks. Hurry though, because there's only a couple of days left.

Our 10k giveaway is now complete. Congratulations to all the winners, and a big thank you to all of you who participated. I thoroughly enjoyed some of the entries, especially the reader introductions (nice to know you all are living, breathing humans :) and the data visualization definitions. It just goes to show how diverse FlowingData readers are.

I also want to take one last chance to thank the 10k giveaway sponsors. They put up some really awesome prizes for all of you. Please do give them a visit if you get the chance. Here's a recap of all the prizes and where they came from:

• Tableau Software Desktop Personal Edition - Tableau Software
• (3) Death and Taxes 2009 Poster - Jess Bachman from WallStats
• 389 Years Ago Poster + Limited Edition Color Variant - Also from WallStats
• SiSense Standard, one-year subscription - SiSense
• (3) FusionCharts Professional License - Infosoft Global
• Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data
• Processing: Creative Coding and Computational Art
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Again, a big thank you to all of you. Thank you for reading FlowingData and keep spreading the word - statistics is the new sexy and data visualization's future is bright :).