We’re swimming in data, but are we mining it intelligently?
David McCandless is a “data journalist,” and he has spent a lot of time thinking about how to sort through data and make the information relevant. In this TED talk, McCandless talks about data in a connected world, and how knowledge compression and smart infographics can help us put information to good use.
Hat tip to Tim Berry, who tipped me off to this video.
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When was the last time you clicked on the “Show Options” button at the top of the Google search results page? If you haven’t looked lately, take a peak. There are some good Web tools available to help you visualize the data.
My two favorites:
Timeline gives you a timeline of the data pertaining to your search term. A search for the term snowpocalyse pulled up a 1922 reference—along with a lot of current articles from around the world.
Wonder wheel puts your search term at the hub of a clickable wheel. A search for Pepsi, for example, includes spokes on Pepsi coupons, Pepsi employment, the history of Pepsi, and even Coca Cola. Click on any one, and you get a whole new wheel.
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