A Data Visualization Newsletter

If somebody refers to the city of “Portland”, which do you think of first? Portland, Oregon? Portland, Maine? Or some other Portland altogether? The Pudding used data from a few different sources, including Wikipedia articles, to estimate the likelihood that somebody in a given U.S. county was referring to a specific place. As a fun exercise, try typing in the name of your hometown and prepare to be surprised.

Back in 2013, a small village in southern Guinea called Meliandou became the likely epicenter for the worst Ebola outbreak in history. So why did it start there? Scientists think that specific types of deforestation around Meliandou — whereby humans and wild animals are more likely to come into contact — increase the risk of these sorts of outbreaks. And as forest loss escalates across Africa, researchers worry about the consequences.

After a series of successful trials in the UK and US, the prospect of a four-day workweek doesn’t seem completely far-fetched. So how would you use an extra day of freedom each week? Using data from the American Time Use Survey, The Washington Post imagined how someone like you might split the time across things like sleeping, socializing, chores, and watching TV.

In a post-pandemic world, major cities across the world are dealing with two simultaneous challenges: a glut of unused office space and a major shortage of residential housing. So why not just convert office buildings into apartments? It’s a compelling idea, but as this article from NYT’s The Upshot shows, it’s tougher than it sounds.

In 1994, Iman launched Iman Cosmetics, becoming the first celebrity in the U.S. to launch her own beauty brand instead of just repping others. Fast forward to 2023, and Iman’s move is not nearly as daring; Bloomberg counted more than 50 celebrities, including Lady Gaga and Naomi Osaka, who have founded cosmetic, haircare, and skincare brands in the last three years. But as the broader economy wobbles, some of these brands are struggling to stay alive.