From the category archives:

Dissemination

The US Budget Deficit in Plain English

13 December 2011

How can you explain the US budget deficit in layman’s terms? Try a paper bag and an old style font, that displays some fairly simple math.

Does this help you to understand the entire budget process and problem better? Do you think it is too simplistic?
[Via Samantha Adams.]

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What Religion Are You?

21 April 2011
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We are told that religion and politics are the two topics that one should avoid discussing. I’m going to ignore that advice today — sort of.
When religion and politics travel in the same cart, the riders believe nothing can stand in their way. Their movement becomes headlong – faster and faster and faster. They put [...]

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The Science Network – A Social Network Parody

18 April 2011

You don’t get to 11 million papers without a few dodgy results.

So, what do you think? Did he or didn’t he invent PubMed?
[Via Jane G.]

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Save the Data

13 April 2011

Welcome to my own version of NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard-ism).
Yes, I know the US federal budget needs to be cut, but not my programs.
Seriously. :)
The Sunlight Foundation writes:

Some of the most important technology programs that keep Washington accountable are in danger of being eliminated. Data.gov, USASpending.gov, the IT Dashboard and [...]

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Tsunami — Animation of Cause and Effect

24 March 2011
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The great Indian Ocean tsunami that struck 11 countries on 26 December 2004 killed an estimated 150,000 people and left millions homeless. The epicenter of that 9.0 quake was near the west coast of Sumatra, underneath the Indian Ocean.
On March 11, 2011, the Honshu Tsunami, caused by a 9.0 earthquake with its epicenter off of [...]

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Earthquakes — Animation of Cause and Effect

18 March 2011
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What causes an earthquake?
We are told by the media in the aftermath of an earthquake that the ground moved and major “faults” shifted and collided because the earth’s “plates” are adjusting.
But what does that mean in layman’s terms?
Podders79 created this “Animation-Earthquake Guide” based on BBC archives to explain the how and what behind [...]

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NOAA Maps Shows Honshu Tsunami Wave Heights Around the Globe

15 March 2011
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How can you display wave height in a meaningful way, particularly when a tsunami strikes after a major earthquake?
NOAA researchers and staff took the maximum predicted wave heights from buoys positioned in the Pacific as the Honshu Tsunami spread across the Pacific on March 11, 2011. Using that data, they created the dramatic images [...]

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Debtris (Visualization of Debt)

23 February 2011
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How does the cost of the Iraq War compare to US credit card debt? What about the worldwide costs of the financial crises from the late 2000s to the present? How do those costs compare to African nations’ debts?
Information is Beautiful provides those answers and more in his first animation, entitled “Debtris“. I have embedded [...]

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CBS News Examines the Internet and Our Right to Privacy

21 February 2011
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What if you are asked to resign your position because of a complaint about photos you posted to Facebook that you thought were private and for friends only — but weren’t? What if in the pictures you are perfectly sober, but simply posing with two glasses of alcohol, and reference a site that has a [...]

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Americans’ Valentine’s Day Plans via Social Networking Sites

14 February 2011
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Happy Valentine’s Day!
Are you honest about your relationships status on social networking sites? Do you display the name of your significant other on your site? How have you spent this past Valentine’s weekend? How will you spend today? Did you buy or do you plan to buy a gift for your significant other?
These questions and [...]

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