Marginalia

If it doesn’t fit anywhere else, it’s here.

How to change the world with data visualisation

“She may look at it because it has pictures.” That was Florence Nightingale’s withering comment, as she sent a report about public health reform to Queen Victoria.Nightingale was not much impressed with the Queen (“The least self-reliant person I have ever known”)....

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Assorted news and links

The Prime Minister made much the same false statement to parliament on 24 Nov, 5 Jan, 12 Jan and 2 Feb. @FullFact have repeatedly requested a correction and the Office for Statistics Regulation have written to his office to ask him to stop. The claim is important in...

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How to Truth with Statistics

“The crooks already know these tricks; honest men must learn them in self-defense.” – so wrote nerd legend Darrell Huff, in his million-selling “How To Lie With Statistics” (1954). It’s a delightful little work, full of deceptive graphics, spurious correlations,...

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Seven Games, by Oliver Roeder

I've been sent an advanced copy of Oliver Roeder's book Seven Games, and of course I'm delighted both by the premise and its execution. Roeder, a game theorist, puzzle fan and keen game player, dives deep into the world of high-level play of seven classic games:...

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The Expectation Effect, by David Robson

There's a fine line to walk between writing a book that argues that our mental state is surprisingly powerful, and writing a book that argues that if you ask the universe for a gift, the universe will respond. But @D_A_Robson walks the line skilfully here with The...

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Assorted links

Publication day approaches for the paperback of "The Data Detective" (1 Feb). As always, pre-orders of the paperback, positive reviews if you've read the hardback, spreading the word - all are so valuable and very gratefully received. The UK edition of the same book,...

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