Nu är ju frågan – ska det bli den här mannen:

…eller den här mannen:

…på fredagkvällarna framöver?

Gudrun har goda chanser att bli vågmästare.

So I know I have already shared some of this via twitter but I have found a blog that I really really love! It is Information is Beautiful by David McCandless who tries to visualise everyday data from the Guardian in a meaningful way. The Kyoto: Who’s On Target? went down particularly well with the engineers in the sustainability group at work ahead of the Copenhagen summit this month. It did take a while for me to get my head around I must admit and it is a pity Scotland performed so badly!

The visualisation that really struck a cord was the Billion Dollar Gram (which I found through the Billion Pound o Gram post). What upset me about it was the little red block tacked on the bottom right hand corner. The one that is less than ten per cent of the size of the estimated Iraq war total cost (the big purple block, top RHS), $38 billion dollars less than our UK bank bailout package and almost half the size of Walmart’s revenue in 2009. Yes that is the one that sums up the $200 billion of African debt to western nations.

It really makes me question our choices and commitment to ideas like sustainable development that bailing out the banks is acceptable but wiping out Africa’s debt in one fail swoop is a different matter. Just a thought I’m going to throw out there but would feeding and educating every child for the next five years ($465 billion), saving the Amazon rainforest ($21 billion) and shifting world energy supplies to solar and renewable sources ($515 billion per year) not be better investments than a war which is currently being questioned as to whether it was even legal in the first place?! What would be interesting, after World Aids Day yesterday, would be to see the cost of treating HIV/AIDS worldwide in billions compared to the global pharmaceutical market’s profits?

Hans Rosling has some interesting thoughts on our perceptions on the developing world and uses data in an interesting way in a talk available on TED . I like the way he presents the data that is again sometimes on a scale that can be difficult to comprehend. The data he uses (or very similar data) can also be played with on the World Bank website as an interesting way to pass the afternoon…

See more at gapminder.org

Hans Rosling is the Zen Master of presenting statistics. Hans proves what we all know, even if our teachers from yesteryear did not:  Statistics are not boring. Statistics tell a story. Hans gave this talk at TEDIndia a couple of weeks ago.

Watch Now: http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_asia_s_rise_how_and_when.html

Wow! that would be one word which summarizes the event. The speakers line up was impressive and the audience were the most riotous I’ve ever seen! Where else would you find CEOs, VPs and students from VIT, IIT etc all gathered at one place, discuss about everything and (gasp!) Jump for rhyming stories like kids!

To start with, I started late . But nevertheless, I did not want to wait for breakfast there, so had a Pongal Vada at Hotchips. This actually helped me in finding a good seat ( it was first come first serve, every time!). I somehow managed to get the same seat till end. This is not the first time I’m going to IIT,  but every time I go, it makes me miss it. Lovely place! The IC & SR auditorium itself is well furnished and world class. I first thought of taking my laptop and doing a live blogging/tweeting of the event. Thank god I did not. It helped me listen.

Then the induction or reception, what ever you would call, was simple and smooth. No hiccups or searching through endless cards. Well organized. Great work guys.

8.40 AM. The auditorium was already filling up. Anil Srinivasan was rehearsing. Little did I imagine what was coming!

9.00 AM sharp! the show did not start!

9.05 AM It has started sometime ago!

Then,

Kiruba was eager to display the video of Chris Anderson explaining the idea behind TED and TEDx. But the problem started here, videos wont play! Sadly these hiccups with softwares continued till the end, and the irritating ‘Stay Offline’ messages in between Satya’s talk. But these were the only negative points. The other think I could think of was lack of seats. Anyone knew why? I thought they sell tickets based on count of seats available. But from now on, I have nothing bad to say, only good and very good things!

I will discuss the first session here. It started with Anil Srinivasan and Sikkil Gurucharan providing us with a breathtaking music combo of Western classical Piano and Carnatic vocal. I could seriously not tell that I am listening to some western instrument. As Anil rightly said, it provided a good frame for the painting called Carnatic music. They were a passionate people, who enjoyed performing as much as the audience. Anil had found his life partner at TED India, so seems like a great place to go next time . Also the performance was preceded by some good talk by Anil, in which he explained about the West and East ‘amalgamation’. Sheer brilliance and passion.

Then came Krupa (Krupalatha Martin Dass) who runs the SUKURUPA home and school in Bangalore for children with distressed parents and broken childhood. Hers is a story of true ‘calling’ one hears often. Another thing which I learnt today and realised perhaps are how women are so strong willed and passionate. Almost most of the rock stars of  the day barring Romulus and Bawa were ‘Five point something’. But their achievements are too tall.

I think it was Sharada who made a documentary film called Shringaram came next. I am not very much knowledgeable or interested in what she was saying, entirely due to my ignorance. I could tell from the crowd that people loved her talk too.

There were a couple of TED Videos interspersed between the talks. Below are them.

Eve Ensler on Security and Insecurity:

Hans Rosling on the best stat’s you’ve ever seen:

The rest I will cover in subsequent posts.

Este tipo es un genio, y cuando un genio comparte su inteligencia con las demás personas, aparte de ser un genio es un maestro.

En la impresionante TED encontré esta conferencia de Agosto y me sorprendió. Me enloqueció.

Después de ver el video, les propongo que jueguen un poco con el software que permite hacer relaciones que ayudan a entender la dinamica del mundo, la historia, las relaciones, el desarrollo y lo social y económico de una manera espectacular. (aparte de otras muchísimas relaciones)

Impresionantemente recomendable!

“Asia’s rise — how and when” by Hans Rosling

Sorry for the dearth of posts recently. Since my Mac charger broke I’ve been more or less deprived of internet access. As my way of compensating, enjoy this TEDTalk featuring a bespectacled Swede, big nerdy graphs, and one big stick. In this video, Hans Rosling recalls his experience as an exchange student in India, and his revelation that the age of Western dominance was coming to an end. Through statistical analysis, he takes us through over 150 years of history and even into the future to predict the exact date in which the per capita incomes of China and India will exceed those of the US and UK. One of the funniest talks I’ve seen in a while.

Presentation Zen: Hans Rosling & the art of storytelling with statistics via kwout

Earlier this week, I urged librarians to think about ways to tell your library’s story.  Here is a cool post from Garr Reynolds’ Presentation Zen blog, “Hans Rosling and The Art of Storytelling with Statistics.”   Check out what Reynolds has to say about using data and statistics as story, and then check out the latest Rosling video that demonstrates how Rosling uses data to tell a story.

Talking at the US State Department this summer, Hans Rosling uses his fascinating data-bubble software to burst myths about the developing world. Look for new analysis on China and the post-bailout world, mixed with classic data shows.

Briefly, about Hans Rosling and his talk:

Even the most worldly and well-traveled among us will have their perspectives shifted by Hans Rosling. A professor of global health at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, his current work focuses on dispelling common myths about the so-called developing world, which (he points out) is no longer worlds away from the west. In fact, most of the third world is on the same trajectory toward health and prosperity, and many countries are moving twice as fast as the west did.

Found the software on the video to be quite fascinating, and looked into his website, Gapminder.org

Here is where the magic lies: a fact-based world view, powered by statistics. This is an inkling of an idea I had a while ago, somewhat akin to data-driven decision-making. His graphs and animations are easy to follow, aesthetically pleasing, and they contain all the important information you need to understand the significance of the trend.

Wie furchtbar klingt schon alllein die Formulierung “statistische Erhebungen”? Wie sehr erschreckt man bei der Anfrage nach faktischer Analyse von der Bedeutung und Zusammensetzung der Familienstruktur in Beziehung zu Gesundheit und Wohlstand innerhalb der letzten 50 Jahre?

Ich hoffe Ihr stimmt mir zu, wenn Ihr dieses Video gesehen habt: Es ist leicht sich für denselben Inhalt zu begeistern wenn die Information gut aufbereitet wurde. Bühne frei für Hans Rosling bei TED. [Tip: Wer sich für Bildung begeistert und Schule nicht mag sollte regelmäßig TED schauen]

PS: Daher auch meine Begeisterung für Open Government / OpenData. Wir zahlen mit unseren Steuern bereits, das die Daten über uns selbst gesammelt werden, die wir so oft auch noch selbst an verschiedenen Stellen einreichen. Warum sollten wir keinen Zugriff haben? Manche Entscheidung hätten wir in Sachen Wahlen, Volksentscheid und so weiter wahrscheinlich ganz anders getroffen.

PPS: Achte bitte darauf wie Hans die Entscheidung hochintelligenter Studenten zu einer Aufgabe und deren schlechten Ergebnissen in Vergleich zu der hohen Erfolgsrate von Schimpansen setzt. Viel Spaß.

Here’s a screen grab of a very cool interactive data visualizer now available to all of us compliments of World Bank. Thank you very much. I haven’t had this much fun exploring data in, well, let’s see? How about never. So, enjoy it while it’s free, ok?

Here’s what it does. It dramatically shows the change of data through time. The time series used in this Data Visualizer is a subset of 2009 World Development Indicators database. It contains 49 indicators for 209 countries and 18 aggregates from 1960-2007. Data includes social, economic, financial, information & technology, and environmental indicators. Think about it…that’s like a gazillion possible combinations. But, wait there’s more!

You establish what you want to appear on the x-Axis and the y-Axis. For instance, you select “Life Expectancy” on the y-axis and the GNI (Gross National Income) on the x-axis and hit the start button. Wow! These color bubbles representing all the countries of the world move and change through time from the 60’s right up to today. Go give this a try…you’ll be hooked, I’m sure of it.

I remember the TED presentations where Hans Rosling demonstrated this magic data visualizer. Now, thanks to the folks at Google and World Bank, we get to play with it, too.

Hey, and by the way…check out all the very cool things that the World Bank is doing to free the world of poverty. Awesome!

Jag är i tidningen igen… Och anledningen? Jo, häromdagen skrev Per Gahrton på Svenska Dagbladets nätupplaga att Wikipedia är en skendemokrati. Det hela var ett svar på en grej som började i september, skrevs om i media, fortsatte med att riksdagens talman blev involverad, och slutade med att jag skrev ett brev till talmannen där jag erbjöd mig att komma och visa riksdagen hur man redigerar Wikipedia på ett bra sätt. Skrev jag slutade? Nja, i ungefär en månad var det tyst. Sedan hittade Svenska Dagbladet mitt mail och publicerade det. En kort diskussion följde på Wikipedia (där en skribent framförde synpunkten att Wikipedia inte utger sig för att vara en demokrati).

Det var då Per Gahrton skrev sitt debattinlägg, där han antydde något försiktigt att vissa som skrev på Wikipedia hade en agenda. Ja, eller han skrev att det fanns “lobbyister som tycks ha möjlighet att ägna sig åt Wikipedia på heltid”. Han tog upp Jan Guillous artikel som exempel på ett ställe där snedvridna källor lagts in. Nu är det här ju inget unikt för Wikipedia, men strunt samma.

Jag skrev ett svarsinlägg där jag skrev om Vita huset, Jan Guillou och hur likt Wikipedia är omvärlden. Nu, ett par timmar efter publicering, har det kommit 33 kommentarer och 4 blogginlägg. Många har varit för och emot Wikipedia, vilket kanske är som det ska, men sedan finns det de som skriver om det jag skrev. Och där kommer intressanta saker fram. Uppenbarligen finns det de som tror att kunskap är något som finns separat från omvärlden, som tror att det är möjligt att skriva saker som är helt neutrala. Man kan försöka, och många som skriver på Wikipedia försöker verkligen. Det finns till och med varningsskyltar i några artiklar där det är extra svårt att skapa neutralt innehåll, till exempel politiska områden. Självklart var det sådana saker jag syftade på. Inte att Wikipedia skulle vara något slags tyckande-centrum, à la Flashback. Jag tycker att sådana varningsskyltar är en service för läsaren, ungefär som när Vägverket sätter upp skyltar om att vägen är slirig – inte tycker man att hela Vägverket suger bara för att de sätter upp en skylt istället för att göra något åt det. Tids nog gör Vägverket vad de kan åt saken. Likadant på Wikipedia.

Det finns också de som tycker att jag istället för att ironisera över Per Gahrtons inlägg borde ta upp problemen. Jo, det är ju så politiker brukar göra när någon kritiserar dem. Det ligger i människans natur att vilja försvara sig. Men för tydlighetens skull kan jag villigt erkänna att Wikipedia har brister. Det är, och nu kommer jag att avslöja något mer om människonaturen, i själva verket därför många av oss engagerar sig. Om Wikipedia hade varit felfritt redan från början, hade vi då suttit i timmar för att göra en insats? Det hade ju inte behövts. Jag skulle tro att det är där jag och Per Gahrton är som mest lika: vi vill göra en insats för att göra världen bättre på det sätt som vi bedömer som bäst och lättast. Han var med och startade det första nya partiet som kom in i riksdagen på 70 år (1988 års siffror), har suttit i EU-parlamentet och varit valobservatör i bl.a. Georgien och Indonesien och skrivit ett stort antal böcker. Själv har jag skrivit en av världens första böcker om Wikipedia, deltagit i SM i simning, blivit pappa till världens två bästa barn [neutralitet ifrågasatt] med världens bästa kvinna [helt sant!] och får ofta goda omdömen när jag hjälper folk med deras böcker. Lite olika banor, men poängen är att världen inte var felfri när vi började, och inte lär vara det när vi är klara, men kanske, kanske är den lite, lite bättre. Om Hans Rosling får yttra sig, och i egenskap av professor i internationell hälsa vid Karolinska institutet, tycker jag att han kan få det, har världen blivit lite bättre. Fast om Gahrton och jag har med saken att göra, det får andra yttra sig om.

BY Kate Rockwood -  Web de www.fastcompany.com

1. Melinda Gates, cochair and trustee, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Nimbly throwing the foundation’s bucks behind both big-picture, tech-oriented, long-term solutions and modest, immediate action plans, Melinda Gates is a formidable force in the fight for health care in developing nations.

2. Anthony Atala, director, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
The first doctor to bioengineer a human bladder and successfully implant it in a human, Anthony Atala and his staff are now busy growing 22 different tissues–from heart valves to fingers–planting them at the forefront of this (ahem) growing field.

3. Jay Parkinson, founder, Hello Health
Mixing non-conventional payment structure (monthly subscription fee, PayPal but no insurance) and eyebrow-raising communications (e-mail, instant messaging, even house visits), Jay Parkinson’s Hello Health offers a wildly popular alternative to the current model of high insurance costs and eight-minute office visits.

4. James Heywood, cofounder and chairman, PatientsLikeMe
Following his brother’s diagnosis with ALS, Heywood launched PatientsLikeMe–think of it as a social-networking health site on massive steroids. People with like diseases input clinically validated data, helping them empathize and learn from others’ experiences, while physicians and researchers can tap into the rich info to further treatments.

5. Thomas Frieden, director, Center for Disease Control & Prevention
Picked by Obama to head the Center for Disease Control & Prevention, Frieden earned his stripes first by fighting tuberculosis in India and then as the vocal force behind many of NYC’s most aggressive public health initiatives in recent years–from posting calories on menus and banning trans fat, to reducing public smoking–proving that sometimes the most creative way to tackle a problem is head on.

6. Peter Neupert, vice president of Health Solutions Group, Microsoft
A multi-trillion-dollar industry still limping along on handwritten notes? Not for much longer, if Neupert and his HealthVault team, part of Microsoft’s electronic health record initiative, have anything to say about it.

7. Steve Case, founder and CEO, Revolution Health Group
First he cofounded AOL, then Steve Case turned his attention to health care. Now everyday users of the extensive online portal can create profiles, answer each other’s queries, rate their doctors, and deploy an army of widgets–all aimed at democratizing health information.

8. Hans Rosling, professor of global health, Karolinska Institute in Sweden
We’ll admit it: Rarely do we think of statistics as a particularly creative field. But Hans Rosling’s trend-revealing software–which first garnered major attention when it helped identify a new paralytic disease in Africa–is dramatically reshaping views of global health and poverty trends.

9. Douglas Melton, codirector, Harvard Stem Cell Institute
Douglas Melton’s pioneering work to create new stem-cell lines that could replace malfunctioning cells in the pancreas that are linked to diabetes would earn him praise enough. But it’s his creative solution to use adult skin cells–thereby sidestepping the embryonic stem cell debate entirely–that will smartly keep Melton and his work clipping along, sans controversy.

10. Anne Wojcicki, cofounder, 23andMe
Others may have figured out how to crack the DNA code, but it’s Anne Wojcicki who’s lured the masses (and Silicon Valley celebs) to offer up their saliva for private genetic testing during swank “spit parties.” She and her partner, Linda Avey, are now compiling customers’ privacy-protected data into a research-ready database.

The first set of talks just got over, and it was marvelous !

Starting off was Prof. Hans Rosling. If you haven’t heard of him, you should check out his previous Ted appearances here and here. He has an absolute novel way of presenting statistics — the fun way. He was his usual best today, and the gist of his talk — the average income in India will surpass the average income in the U.S. on 27th July 2048. Go figure.

The next speaker was Devdutt Patnaik, a mythologist, who has a mythological way of looking at everything — behaviours, businesses, mindsets and attitudes. Invoking the mythologies of many civilizations, the talk centered on why India is India.

Third was Mallika Sarabhai, my least favourite performance of the session. She is a genius, no doubt, but her blend of art and issues didn’t quite strike as seamless. I didn’t quite agree with some of her theories either. I hope she isn’t another Arundhati Roy in the making, but all that’s just my opinion.

Last was singer Usha Uthup, who gave a scintillating performance. That she sings in a million languages is no secret, but the way she put together her music for unity and peace, was awesome. If only this had come before the Nobel was announced.

Again, you watch the talks live here.

Meanwhile, I am doing some frantic sleep math to accommodate as many talks as I can.

Sometimes some facts & figures can change your view of the world… Tourism development  is often seen as a sustainable way out of poverty. This week Natural is educating 143 tour operators from 28 developing countries on the Scandinavian tourism market under the flag of CBI´s Export Coaching Program in Rotterdam.

Enjoy Hans Rosling´s inspirational speech at TEDx Tokyo, showing that the world is reasonably on track when it comes to fight poverty.