A Clean, Striking Chart — With One Smoothing Slip

April 30, 2025|
Line Charts
A Clean, Striking Chart — With One Smoothing Slip

This chart from @Barchart caught my eye right away. It shows a major economic shift—the top 1% of U.S. earners now hold more wealth than the entire middle class. That’s a powerful story—and the chart tells it clearly. Almost.

The layout is solid: two simple lines, a direct title, no distractions. You see the lines cross around 2023, making it clean and easy to understand.

Where the Sun Shines

Daylight & Solar Intensity Across Cities

April 15, 2025|
Heatmap
Where the Sun Shines: Daylight & Solar Intensity Across Cities
Credit: @naspli on r/dataisbeautiful

Came across this visualization by @naspli in r/dataisbeautiful and had to share. It shows how daylight and sun intensity change over the year in different cities—and it does it in a really clear, elegant way.

The differences between places are striking: steady‑state Singapore, dramatic Reykjavik, and even daylight‑saving nudges in New York and Madrid. Scroll on for the full set of heat‑maps and the quick write‑up.

Fragging Beautiful

A 3D Look at CS2’s de_dust2 Kill Zones

April 7, 2025|
3DDensity Plot
Fragging Beautiful: A 3D Look at CS2’s de_dust2 Kill Zones
Credit: @smartbackwards on Reddit

I came across this gem on Reddit and had to share. It’s a visual breakdown of where frags happen on de_dust2 in pro CS2 matches—and it’s a great case study in when 3D does work in data viz.

Shoutout to btrams (aka @smartbackwards) for this stunning visualization of frag density in pro CS2 matches on the iconic map de_dust2...

Online Gambling

Bar Chart Reveals How Online Casinos Dominate the Tax Revenue

April 2, 2025|
Bar chartsLayoutRevenueSports Betting
Online Gambling : Bar Chart Reveals How Online Casinos Dominate the Tax Revenue
Credit: New York Times

When we talk about online gambling, sports betting usually grabs the spotlight, especially with big events like the Super Bowl or March Madness. But this chart makes it crystal clear—online casinos quietly rake in far more tax revenue than sports betting, at least in these six states.

What makes the chart effective? Let’s go a bit deeper:

Waffling AI Citations

March 30, 2025|
Waffle ChartPie Chart
Waffling AI Citations
Credit: Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism

AI-powered search engines often talk a big game, confidently serving up quick answers to our queries. But the reality of their citations tells a different—and troubling—story.

Dashboards That Actually Get Used

Say Goodbye to Digital Collectors 👋

March 24, 2025|
DashboardsFrameworkLayout
Dashboards That Actually Get Used: Say Goodbye to Digital  Collectors 👋

We’ve all been there. Weeks of painstaking meetings. Countless brainstorming sessions. A significant chunk of budget invested into shiny new analytics tools. And finally—launch day arrives. Everyone gathers around, marvels at your sparkling new dashboard, and promises this tool will revolutionize how decisions are made.

But then, after a week or two, you notice something depressing: Nobody is using your beautiful dashboard.