Comments on: The history of timelines http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:14:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: KonstantinS http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1341228 KonstantinS Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:15:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1341228 my fave infograph is found here : http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/ it's mesmerizing how the globe with the colored rectangles and their size can pass all the necessary information. it's my small fetish and i view it on daily basis :) my fave infograph is found here : http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/

it’s mesmerizing how the globe with the colored rectangles and their size can pass all the necessary information. it’s my small fetish and i view it on daily basis :)

]]> By: jimh http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340810 jimh Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:58:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340810 A major point of Tufte's work is concerned with data resolution. A basic timeline with events superimposed on a graphic depiction of dates along an axis is a low-resolution figure. We only learn when certain things happened. He believes that any information designer worth his or her salt will provide at least two (and perhaps more) levels of resolution, and that anything less is a waste of space. He uses the Napoleonic march to Moscow as an example of high resolution- as you point out, we learn a lot more about that journey than one element by studying the figure. A major point of Tufte’s work is concerned with data resolution. A basic timeline with events superimposed on a graphic depiction of dates along an axis is a low-resolution figure. We only learn when certain things happened. He believes that any information designer worth his or her salt will provide at least two (and perhaps more) levels of resolution, and that anything less is a waste of space.

He uses the Napoleonic march to Moscow as an example of high resolution- as you point out, we learn a lot more about that journey than one element by studying the figure.

]]> By: DJ Schuldt http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340633 DJ Schuldt Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:19:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340633 Cartographies of Time: A History of the Timeline by Anthony Grafton and Daniel Rosenberg from Princeton Architectural Press is definitely my favorite book on the history of timelines. And it an absolutely stunning book. http://www.papress.com/html/book.details.page.tpl?isbn=9781568987637 Cartographies of Time: A History of the Timeline by Anthony
Grafton and Daniel Rosenberg from Princeton Architectural Press is definitely my favorite book on the history of timelines. And it an absolutely stunning book.
http://www.papress.com/html/book.details.page.tpl?isbn=9781568987637

]]> By: Fang Xianfu http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340592 Fang Xianfu Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:51:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340592 I love that book, and I love that map even more - it's beautiful! And one of the very first examples of a graph, too. Highly recommend Tufte's book for anyone trying to visualise large quantities of data (there's a fantastic star map in there too), or anyone who's ever been frustrated by people demanding that all numbers be displayed with a pie or bar chart. I love that book, and I love that map even more – it’s beautiful! And one of the very first examples of a graph, too.

Highly recommend Tufte’s book for anyone trying to visualise large quantities of data (there’s a fantastic star map in there too), or anyone who’s ever been frustrated by people demanding that all numbers be displayed with a pie or bar chart.

]]> By: Mussels http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340541 Mussels Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:18:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340541 For those interested in mapping, the above two maps (along with 68 others that do similar, but not identical mapping tasks) are on display at Northeastern University's Snell Library in the traveling Places and Spaces: Mapping Science exhibition. Very cool exhibit! For those interested in mapping, the above two maps (along with 68 others that do similar, but not identical mapping tasks) are on display at Northeastern University’s Snell Library in the traveling Places and Spaces: Mapping Science exhibition. Very cool exhibit!

]]> By: Jeb Adams http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340518 Jeb Adams Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:56:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340518 The amount of information in that latter timeline is mindboggling. It shows the size of the army vs time, some geography, the distance from France, the fucking weather! It's amazing. Where's the Visio template for this? The amount of information in that latter timeline is mindboggling. It shows the size of the army vs time, some geography, the distance from France, the fucking weather! It’s amazing. Where’s the Visio template for this?

]]> By: Selkiechick http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340515 Selkiechick Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340515 I have this book: http://books.google.com/books?id=5qx2AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA48-IA2#v=onepage&q&f=false And I love paging through it as a kid, trying to get a feel for what things were happening at the same time in the things we were discussing at school. Now that I am older, I want to spend a little time looking over the political parties chart on page 48. I have this book:
http://books.google.com/books?id=5qx2AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA48-IA2#v=onepage&q&f=false
And I love paging through it as a kid, trying to get a feel for what things were happening at the same time in the things we were discussing at school. Now that I am older, I want to spend a little time looking over the political parties chart on page 48.

]]> By: IronEdithKidd http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340469 IronEdithKidd Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:13:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340469 That goes without saying. That goes without saying.

]]> By: Cameron Postelwait http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340468 Cameron Postelwait Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:12:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340468 no timeline of timelines?  disappointing. no timeline of timelines?  disappointing.

]]> By: kerowhack http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340465 kerowhack Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:09:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340465 Yo dawg I heard you like timelines, so I put a timeline in your timeline so you can visualize chronology while you visualize chronology! Yo dawg I heard you like timelines, so I put a timeline in your timeline so you can visualize chronology while you visualize chronology!

]]> By: Optic http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340463 Optic Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:08:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340463 would you mind fixing that link, or giving the title of the book? That one is a 404 for me. Thanks! would you mind fixing that link, or giving the title of the book? That one is a 404 for me. Thanks!

]]> By: Mujokan http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340461 Mujokan Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:06:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340461 When I see that Napoleonic one I feel like I'm watching men in rags trying to cross a half-frozen river. When I see that Napoleonic one I feel like I’m watching men in rags trying to cross a half-frozen river.

]]> By: kerowhack http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340444 kerowhack Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:55:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340444 That should be right behind "never get involved in a land war in Asia." That should be right behind “never get involved in a land war in Asia.”

]]> By: mkultra http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340434 mkultra Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:48:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340434 Someone really should do an infographic timeline of infographic timelines,  which could then place a smaller version of itself at the end. Someone really should do an infographic timeline of infographic timelines,  which could then place a smaller version of itself at the end.

]]> By: IronEdithKidd http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340426 IronEdithKidd Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:41:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340426 Funny how the megalomaniacal pretenders to world domination ignore the historic outcomes of invading Russia in the fall.  Funny how the megalomaniacal pretenders to world domination ignore the historic outcomes of invading Russia in the fall. 

]]> By: fromnabulax fromnabulax http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340408 fromnabulax fromnabulax Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:19:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340408 Just as a point of interest, the explanation of the Napoleon time line is a bit too simple. The table shows in brown the population of Napoleon's army on their march to Moscow, while the incredibly fast dwindling black line displays the French on their retreat. Just as a point of interest, the explanation of the Napoleon time line is a bit too simple. The table shows in brown the population of Napoleon’s army on their march to Moscow, while the incredibly fast dwindling black line displays the French on their retreat.

]]> By: carabosse http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340403 carabosse Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:14:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340403 For anyone interested in maps or information design, I heartily recommend buying their book http://amzn.com/1568987633  It's beautifully put together, one of my favorite cartography books.  Now that GIS software has evolved to a new level of integrating time and space, these design ideas are especially worth revisiting for inspiration. p.s.  I like this even better than Tufte's books. For anyone interested in maps or information design, I heartily recommend buying their book http://amzn.com/1568987633  It’s beautifully put together, one of my favorite cartography books.  Now that GIS software has evolved to a new level of integrating time and space, these design ideas are especially worth revisiting for inspiration.

p.s.  I like this even better than Tufte’s books.

]]> By: Alan Olsen http://boingboing.net/2012/02/08/142830.html#comment-1340389 Alan Olsen Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:58:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=142830#comment-1340389 These timelines look like they were taken from "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information" by Edward R. Tufte.  (A very good book and highly recommended.) These timelines look like they were taken from “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information” by Edward R. Tufte.  (A very good book and highly recommended.)

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