BIG NEWS! We've updated the website of the Open Visualization Academy, where you can see all its contributors: openvisualizationacademy.org This is the announcement in our newsletter: openvisualizationacademy.beehiiv.com/p/we-re-back... #dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVis 📊 1/x

I'll be taking this and you should too!

Yup, finally took the time to fix some things on my website. Now my Hope datavisualization is to be seen again. It is a personal project on the people who gave me #hope throughout my life, each their own galaxy in my universe 🌌 #dataviz #illustration www.studioterp.nl/hope-a-perso...

That these programs exist excites me. Someday, I'll find one close enough. You should definitely take a look.

Octavia Butler predicted our dystopian present. What can a futurist learn from her chilling accuracy?

As someone who has spent far too much time grieving and who works in tech, I'm going to level with you: The human brain isn't equipped to handle this. Grief means learning that person is gone. Digital interaction feels real to us. This sends mixed signals. Which one wins?

Today's distraction brought to you by, well, distraction... You think the task is simple enough, until self-service everything wins the day. If you need a distraction, enjoy. It'll make me feel less bad about mine. www.tableaufit.com/the-end-of-s...

Satire, art, humor, beauty, pleasure, creativity. These are not luxuries, they are necessities. We need all of these things to keep bringing light and hope to the world, in a dark time.

I'll also add it reduces the opportunities for any life-saving/changing acts of compassion. I paid cash for my first degree because I couldn't navigate financial aid. Many times, I ate one meal a day. Sometimes, someone's compassion saved me that day.

This weekend, I spent time learning to breathe with my body - to open wide and to use my arms, hands, and breath in alignment. From a taekwondo form. People hear I do martial arts and focus mostly on defensive abilities. But there's more. www.tableaufit.com/the-chasm-be...

More #grief posts... It's been 10 months today since my mother died. It'll also be my wedding anniversary in 2 days. September is coming which means: My mother will have been gone a year, My stepfather 4 years, My best friend 6 years... It's heavy carrying these and so many other losses.

Yes Apple, I know you updated. For the 20th time today, no, I don't want to learn how to type to Siri. Please stop. I remember the days when tech didn't harass you about minutiae. Yes, I saw it and I don't want it. So tired of hostile design patterns everywhere. They are a product of fascism.

📣 In this short essay, I describe how actions of the current administration constitute ➡️ state terrorism ⬅️ and outline how US universities (and professors and students and staff) can survive state terrorism, as people before us have survived. academeblog.org/2025/08/05/h...

Things I'd love to study formally in an #academic setting (advanced / terminal degree): Ethics, particularly applied at the intersections of #dataviz and society Communication, specifically how groups vary with the lens thru dataviz Communication, thru medium and 📊 Not a complete list...

CW: #grief What is mourning without ritual? I've had 3 big deaths in the past few years with little to no mourning rituals. What happens when you have no one to grieve with, when there's no one to show up? What happens when you yourself have no traditions?

Additional note to companies rolling out AI as the first line. When you attempt to label AI as "human help" eventually all your customers learn to treat real people like crap. Label your AI appropriately.

The medium is the message. You're on your device, performing intimacy in so many ways - comforting a friend thru chat, supporting others by elevating their posts, and even providing care by telling others your working hours aren't theirs. But what if those people aren't real? 📊 🧵

What do you do when you strip it all away? Existential 📊 thread. The question came up again recently: what do you do? My generic answer: I work in data. When people ask for more details, I may expand: I freelance, I make products, I teach... None of this really answers the question, not well.

And this is why users ask for the data. 📊 Because in 2020, stimulus checks were mailed. Rather than spend in uncertain times, more Americans banked the money. Why are less saving now? How many are unemployed and burned through savings? How many just don't have the extra to save? ...and so on.

*slams it down* I finished it My article About AI use, impacts, etc, with lots and lots of links It's uh Really long

A part of my grief journey has been adding in inefficiencies. I'm a natural optimizer, so this is work. The inefficiencies are where joy actually lives.

My mother's birthday is tomorrow. IYKYK, grief loves to pop up near these days (and fill as much time as possible). I decided to make a visual showing how you change with grief. (Also apt with just everything) www.tableaufit.com/mini-project...

Sometimes, I wonder if social media has peaked...

I really try not to write about AI. Too many conversations forced my hand (again)... www.tableaufit.com/love-it-loat...

Take time to watch this talk... Especially if you are thinking about recalibrating, reimagining, or any other re-(verb) word you want to throw at it. So much resonates. It's honest, personal, and will get you thinking. I know I sure am.

People such as Jesse Singal, Washington Post's Megan McArdle, or NYTimes's Pamela Paul and Azeen Ghorayshi laid the groundwork for this discriminatory decision. They are directly responsible for it. If criticized, they'll use "objectivity" and "balance" as a shield, as their ilk always does.

Skrmetti seems like one of many modern SCOTUS decisions that future generations will look back on as the Dred Scott of our time

The NYT was cited in the Supreme Court ruling used to strip trans people of healthcare. This is EXACTLY WHY the “just asking questions” crowd of centrist edgelord journalists are dangerous. They launder transphobia through faux neutral “debate” and act like it’s intellectual curiosity

It’s worth naming that the reason people already have these “neutral” alternative phrases in their back pocket is because this is the language white supremacist scholars use to hide their hateful work. And now they’re asking all of us to use it to legitimize them.

Trans rights are human rights. This wrong decision by an illegitimate Supreme Court* allows cis minors to get gender-affirming care, but denies that same care to trans kids — an unconstitutional double standard that treats trans people as 2nd class citizens.

Musing on the socials - probably not one of my better choices... I was once told my life's battle was between creating and destroying. Perhaps that's why I look at AI in these terms. The delta between what we could make and do make is wide. 🧵

the implications of this SC case are *so immense potentially* (read: SCARY AS FUCK) in my last newsletter I pretty much begged my cis media-type followers to please read (and share with your colleagues) this new @transjournalists.org guide to covering it... www.transjournalists.org/2025-skrmett...

This looks really interesting.

Lay users still assume democratic norms while tech has fully embraced fascist/autocratic ones.

As fascist governments do. This obliterates faith in facts, leads to rumor seeking/ sharing (see Kate Starbird work for dangers here) and further eliminates against any level of solidarity. Follow Dr. Calarco for further expansions on this topic (esp latest discussions on meritocracy).

I'm attempting to get better about creating micro-joys as a friend calls them. Today's oatmeal includes saffron, rose water, and pistachio.

Longer nuanced thread about AI friends: We didn't just arrive at this point. We've cultivated towards it. You, sitting on your phone, reading this post, how often do you hand your device over to someone else? Maybe for a minute, under your very watchful gaze. Maybe to your child for a break.

No Zuck, AI is not your friend.... www.tableaufit.com/hidden-data-...

It will surprise no one that this is also a Nazi tactic. A lot of focus ridding the country of disabled folks, big anti-smoking push (sub Red40 here?) and little real public health info, as a way to distract from the quickly deteriorating health conditions of German citizens under their rule.

Really looking forward to today’s data visualisation class, where I’ll be going behind the scenes to walk through the little design decisions that can transform a chart. Free to watch for anyone interested: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/designing-... (Recording will be available later)

Fascism. theanarchistlibrary.org/library/umbe...

Career highlight: @jburnmurdoch.ft.com showcases my paper collaboration during his webinar. Some behind the scenes notes: We originally went into this paper to see if we could overtax and "over-text" the audience. At least with line charts and what we designed, we did not hit that limit. 📊

I've backed off social for a number of reasons. What communities are you cultivating and where?

I'm going to start looking for companies selling against forced AI. What have you seen so far that isn't shoving it on you and that specifically sells on the option? #AI 📊

There is a LOT going on. If you are feeling overwhelmed and struggling with how to narrow down your activism/organizing focus, we have a One Million Experiments zine from our co-founder @prisonculture.bsky.social that can help you do just that. Making A Plan: millionexperiments.com/zines/making...

The zine has helpful exercises to help guide you through clarifying your work and what you want to focus on, as well goal-setting, capacity checks, and helpful reminders. Please feel free to download and print out copies, and share with your networks: millionexperiments.com/zines/making...

Go ahead and judge my book by its cover. We put a lot of thought and care into it. 📊 Backstory here: www.tableaufit.com/maybe-you-sh...

I don't often do this, but the word is CENSORED. When you willfully suppress and remove information that was / is freely available elsewhere, that is CENSORSHIP. You can then fill in the gaps with PROPAGANDA.

URGENT request for help: I need to build a case (soon) that justifies the "broader impact" of my research (yes, this is related to recent events in the US). If you have ever used Chartability or Data Navigator in your work in any capacity, I would love to know! Please email ([email protected]) or dm me.

To create your own reference window, yes, reading is helpful. Not sticking to just dataviz as the subject works even better for me. You learn along the way which voices resonate and to follow your own path.