Kudos to the art director at the WSJ who chose a center-line distribution to make it look like a sperm instead of a more traditional baseline distribution, which would have looked like a normal chart. Should have used orange for the dots though. I give it a 9-out-of-10

In this week's blog post, an only-peripherally-work-related review of a uniquely awesome book. For all the current and former 28-year-old single office workers in the crowd! datasoapbox.com/book-review-...

Book Review: Book From the Ground—From Point to Point - Data Soapbox

Strictly speaking, Book From the Ground: From Point to Point (BFG) is unrelated to research communication. Loosey-goosey speaking, I learned about it in a work-related book (Joyful Infographics by Nig...

datasoapbox.com

When possible, use simple and familiar data visualization techniques. Complex data visualizations can be visually appealing, but they can also be more difficult to understand. If a visualization gets overly complex, consider alternate chart types for the sake of understanding.

What lessons from YOUR grade school days do you still use in your job? I talk about three of mine in my latest blog post: datasoapbox.com/lessons-from...

Lessons From My Grade School Writing - Data Soapbox

As I’ve mentioned previously, when I was a kid, I liked to write. Recently, I was reflecting on the quality and kinds of writing I did as a kid, and I realized that some lessons I learned back then th...

datasoapbox.com

Important information about screen readers!

Accessibility Awareness@a11yawareness.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Screen readers are software applications that convert on-screen content into audio, reading aloud what’s displayed on your laptop or mobile screen. In this blog post, @tetralogical.com debunks common myths about screen readers. tetralogical.com/blog/2025/10...

Over recent years, charts and graphs in data reports have improved a LOT. But graphs in academic journals are still pretty rough. Here's my take on the two ways to improve them: datasoapbox.com/quick-journa...

A Quick Journal Graph Revamp - Data Soapbox

Recently, a colleague asked if I could provide examples of good data visualizations to share with an academic research center. Thanks to widespread education and evangelism, there are many good (or, a...

datasoapbox.com

What's a data object, and why are they innovative as hell?! Check out today's blog post! datasoapbox.com/book-review-... Edited by @cybunk.bsky.social @tnagel.bsky.social Lora Oehlberg & Wesley Willett, featuring projects by @dietoff.bsky.social @flowingdata.com @kimsauve.bsky.social & many others!

Book Review: Making with Data - Data Soapbox

If you’ve been around Ye Olde Blog for a while, you may have seen me geek out about data art. So, when I heard about Making with Data (MWD), I had to check it out.* MWD features more than 25 physical ...

datasoapbox.com

Related to our previous post- if you had a grant terminated, Pro Publica wants to hear from you. Your work was funded because it was good, important science meant to help Americans. Reach out, and make your voice heard. www.propublica.org/getinvolved/...

Did You Work on a Terminated NIH Grant? ProPublica Wants to Hear From You.

The National Institutes of Health is canceling grants that are seen as conflicting with the Trump administration’s priorities. We want to hear from researchers who have been affected.

propublica.org

OMG, did Office implement a color accessibility checker in the past week?!?!

Thanks for the feature, @boldjourney.com.web.brid.gy! boldjourney.com/meet-lori-pa...

Meet Lori Palen - Bold Journey Magazine

We recently connected with Lori Palen and have shared our conversation below. Lori, so many

boldjourney.com

Thanks so much to @bunsenbernerbmd.bsky.social (and Dad Guy, Jason) for having me on the latest episode of the Science Pawdcast! Check it out to learn more about some cool paint, furry strategies to prevent work rage, and science communication! bunsenbernerbmd.buzzsprout.com/413041/episo...

Episode 19 Season 7: Cooling Paints, Anger Management, and Dr. Lori Palen with Data Soap Box - The Science Pawdcast

Innovations in science are making daily life better through passive cooling paint and insights into pet interactions. In the Science News section we explore technologies that could transform how ...

bunsenbernerbmd.buzzsprout.com

Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.

I am once again pitching my romantic comedy: - two academics start dating - discover they are each other's terrible reviewer - hijinks ensue Working title: Love is Double-Blind

Office assistant dozing on the job…

Among others, my 10-year-old needle-hater is going to be pissed!

Carl T. Bergstrom@carlbergstrom.com · last yr.

This is absolutely terrible news. With the shifting regulatory climate (i.e., antivax ratfuckery), Moderna has withdrawn their application for their eagerly anticipated COVID-flu combo vaccine. This vaccine offered better protection than getting each shot separately. h/t @merz.bsky.social

Dataviz + fashion? Love!! from @reuters.com www.reuters.com/graphics/USA...

Why Met Gala looks have gotten bigger and bolder

A look back at red carpet pictures from the mid-1990s to 2024 shows how exaggerated outfits have become a hallmark of the event.

reuters.com

It is a little weird to me countries aren’t more aggressively, formally trying to take advantage of the U.S. science brain drain. Once in a lifetime opportunity to buy low on Non-Dumbass Americans with PhDs who just wanna look into microscopes and quietly cure ass cancer as our country eats shit.

I enjoyed workshopping with students from UNC’s Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine (CiTEM) today! Pretty sure it was my first time with a skeleton in the audience. 💀

Representative Deborah Ross@ross.house.gov · last yr.

Trump and RFK Jr. continue to gut funding and halt critical public health research. That's why I led a letter with @repkamlagerdove.bsky.social about how cuts to women's health research will put women's lives at risk.

Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you.

Sign of the day…

Despite all of the chaos in the US right now, our native mason bee cocoons are hatching, and this is one of my favorite spring events. See the cute little bee face?! We also hung my Christmas gift in our butterfly garden, a hex bee house from @crown-bees.bsky.social. #MyBeeHouse

Today’s fascinating science facts, about hippo testicles and fat/muscle:

Nome@nome.bsky.social · last yr.

I have been doing entirely too much earnest posting about deep things recently, I need to do a proper thread about hippo testicles or something just to keep myself sane. Oh by the way hippos have migratory testicles.

Human brains > ChatGPT datasoapbox.com/my-job-is-sa...

My Job is Safe (for Now) - Recent ChatGPT Exploration - Data Soapbox

Over the summer, Data Soapbox had an exhibit booth at a scientific conference. In a sea of many event highlights, the lowlight was an early-career faculty member approaching the booth to say that Chat...

datasoapbox.com

Teen Vogue@teenvogue.com · last yr.

Use of AI like Chat GPT among Gen Alpha for schoolwork is on the rise. Some students say it's not worth the risk. ⤵️

Yes!! datasoapbox.com/on-my-soapbo...

On My Soapbox About "Accessibility" - Data Soapbox

As I’ve mentioned previously, researchers are often scared of the wrong things in research communication. I often talk about this issue in relation to the content, or “what,” we communicate. Today, I ...

datasoapbox.com

Accessibility Awareness@a11yawareness.bsky.social · last yr.

A key tenet of communications is "know your audience." This a great rule for accessibility as well, because your accessibility efforts must be focused on what your audience needs. This includes, among many other things, using language you know your audience will know. This will vary by audience.

Interesting take!

Maurice J. Casey@mauricejcasey.com · last yr.

Being a historian, people ask me if I think the US is living through Germany 1933. I answer no, analogies are always imperfect but to me it feels more like Russia 1999: a blatant theft of state assets and liberals in a fugue state, refusing to believe the arc of progress is bending against them.

To all my #sciart and #scicomm and #firedfed folks - I’m working with several volunteer science artists on a series of illustrated profiles of recently dismissed fed scientists and science communicators. If you want to help here are details! www.linkedin.com/posts/fromth...

Paige Brown Jarreau on LinkedIn: #sciart #scicomm #art #illustrators #scientists #terminated | 23 comments

Update - this is really happening! I'd love to organize a "faces of" wrongfully terminated scientists, in illustrations that communicate the careers and the… | 23 comments on LinkedIn

linkedin.com

You have died of procedural norms.

Could it be?! Is NC senator Thom Tillis actually growing a conscience and a spine?! youtu.be/JBEvqjQ6axE

Sen. Tillis Delivers Remarks on the Senate Floor

YouTube video by Senator Thom Tillis

youtu.be