The Pudding ran an experiment that asked people to trace a shape. They would string together the sketches to make a flipbook to see where a single line or a circle would end up. They published the results: Every shape devolved into a scribble, which I feel is a metaphor for information on the internet. They also ran a sidequest that tested anonymity and the tendency to draw inappropriate things online. While the results were underwhelming, I appreciate the effort to see how many times a phallic sketch appears. Four times out of several thousand. See also the Aaron Koblin works — a collaborati ..read more

Hong Kong banned single-use plastics often used for food takeaway containers. For South China Morning Post, Kaliz Lee and Davies Christian Surya describe the ban and the scale of the waste. It’s a lot of plastic. Tags: garbage, plastic, scale, South China Morning Post ..read more

I’m Nathan Yau, and this is The Process, the newsletter for FlowingData members that looks closer at how the charts get made. Every month I collect tools and resources to help you make better charts. Here’s the good stuff for April. Become a member for access to this — plus tutorials, courses, and guides ..read more

The Marshall Project highlights research on excess mortality in U.S. prisons: The slowdown in admissions meant that prison systems reduced the number of younger people exposed to COVID, while the older people already inside were left there. That’s because incarcerated people are generally older than those likely to be sent to prison. By the end of 2020, Bureau of Justice Statistics data shows the number of people in state prisons under 55 fell by 17%, while the 55 and older population was down by 6%. Prison deaths spiked almost everywhere across the country, varying in magnitude from state t ..read more

When we’re young, we tend to have fewer responsibilities, which means we can sleep and wake up later. Then work and parenting come along, and our schedules grow more structured. We can see the shift in the percentage of people who are sleeping, given their age. Read More ..read more

One of the challenges of understanding the weight of climate change is that it’s a slow process. You likely won’t see the full effect in your lifetime. So, for The Tardigrade, Julia Janicki and Daisy Chung placed your timeline against others to show how your future and others’ futures differ. Projections are from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and show the timeline up until you turn 100 years old. You might recognize the visual form, which is based on Ed Hawkins’ climate stripes. Tags: climate change, future, Tardigrade ..read more

Using a series of graphics, Reuters explains Israel’s defense against rockets, also known as Iron Dome. A key part of Iron Dome is its control system’s ability to discern what incoming targets pose a threat. If an adversary’s rocket will land harmlessly – in an unpopulated area or in the sea, for instance – it will not be intercepted. That makes it ideal for “saturation” scenarios in which an enemy tries to fire so many missiles that not all of them will be shot down, said Uzi Rubin, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. Tags: defense, Israel, missile, Re ..read more

For The Upshot, Emily Badger and Francesca Paris compare the rates of existing mortgages against current rates for new loans. A stacked area chart shows the large share of existing rates that are lower, which means a lot of people aren’t so eager to move, relative to the past 20 years. I’m in that dark maroon group. Higher mortgage rates, higher listing prices, and higher property taxes. Doesn’t seem fun. Tags: mortgage, Upshot ..read more

Small changes over time or small differences between categories can easily look insignificant, even if they’re worth noting in real life. Here are chart options for you. I’m Nathan Yau. This is The Process, the newsletter for FlowingData members that looks closer at how the charts get made. Become a member for access to this — plus tutorials, courses, and guides ..read more

As I peel myself out of bed in the morning after again not going to sleep at a civilized hour, blurry-eyed, I wonder what hours others sleep. Certainly, I must be in the majority. According to the National Health Interview Survey from 2022, I am not. Two-thirds of adults get at least 7 hours of sleep. Read More ..read more