T. from Data Rocks
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datarocksnz.bsky.social
T. from Data Rocks
@datarocksnz.bsky.social
2.4K followers 2.4K following 910 posts
Dataviz | Information Design

The person behind The Dataviz Bookshelf, The Data Design Manifesto & The Design Matters newsletter series.

I don't use autocorrect. I own all of my typos.

https://www.datarocks.co.nz
Posts Replies Media Videos
datarocksnz.bsky.social
One of the most beautiful pieces of work I have ever seen!
jerthorp.bsky.social Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · 9d
It took me about three months to get here but...

Here's a 🪶 for (nearly) every species of bird, with colors extracted from wikipedia descriptions.

10,151 species.

#dataviz #birds #data
A wheel-like visualization of bird feathers colored from wikipedia descriptions
November 5, 2025 at 6:44 AM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
Silly thing, but I'm very happy with my new socks.
Picture of feet wearing a pair of socks with artwork inspired by Wassily Kandinsky.
November 4, 2025 at 7:50 PM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
Linux is pretty good, actually.

Also, big opportunity for companies to start making their official Linux versions of popular software, if they don't have it already.
October 16, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Reposted by T. from Data Rocks
wisevis.eu
Refiz estas pirâmides etárias dando-lhes alguma interatividade e explorando outra paleta de cores. Experimentem brincar com os países e os anos, é giro. #datavis
www.wisevis.eu/piramides-et...
Pirâmides etárias 1950-2100
Pirâmides etárias interativas onde pode observar a evolução demográfica dos países numa forma eficaz e esteticamente apelativa.
www.wisevis.eu
October 15, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Reposted by T. from Data Rocks
simongerman600.bsky.social
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is to be commended for their bad statistic jokes. Well done!
October 14, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Reposted by T. from Data Rocks
annaecook.com
Alright, here we go, this should hopefully capture what I'm looking to do and how I'm planning to go about it.

annaecook.com/writing/2025...
October 13, 2025 at 6:14 PM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
😍
anlugonz.bsky.social Ana Lucía González @anlugonz.bsky.social · Oct 10
This dataviz love letter by Giorgia Lupi and @pentagramdesign.bsky.social using open data from NY transport and "assigning behaviors, movements, and idiosyncrasies to each MTA train" has just brightened my day
www.pentagram.com/work/a-data-...
Animation
www.instagram.com/reel/DPkAziW...
‘A Data Love Letter to the Subway’
A data-driven animation for Fulton Center commissioned by MTA Arts & Design for its 40th anniversary.
www.pentagram.com
October 11, 2025 at 6:57 AM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
Weekend
Photo of Spot, Data Rocks' Executive Director of Toy Chasing Operations enjoying the weekend. A Calico kitten's face closeup. The kitten has her eyes closed and her tongue out, looking like the emoji 😝 She just had a big play session and is grooming. Her human is hugging her gently, wearing a pink hoodie in the background.
October 11, 2025 at 6:46 AM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
Brilliant.
This, alongside the webdesign one, will probably be my most forwarded Oatmeal links forever.
October 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
6 years ago, I decided that I could probably make a living out of this #dataviz design thing. And it worked!

Thanks to everyone who's been part of this journey so far! 💜
Photo of a business card resting on top of a notebook, surrounded by coloured pens and pencils, in shades of purple, pink, orange and yellow, which match Data Rocks logo and brand colours on the business card. The business card is daek purple, with a logo composed of geometric forms that together assemble a puzzle in the shape of a mount, with a negative space shaped like a diamond in the middle. Each geometric form is a different colour: yellow, orange, purple, and pink. Underneath the logo, there is the name Data Rocks in elegant sans serif yellow letters, followed by a yellow like and the name Thabata Romanowski under it.
October 4, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Reposted by T. from Data Rocks
newsroom.co.nz
Week in Review:
Comment from Auckland University: Students starting to learn with AI is the difference between using a calculator after understanding math versus never learning math because calculators exist.
When students' brains go quiet
newsroom.co.nz
October 4, 2025 at 4:02 AM
Reposted by T. from Data Rocks
wisevis.eu
PT: Novo artigo: sobre a criatividade em visualização de dados para, hum... não criativos.
EN: New post (in Portuguese): on creativity in #datavis for, hum... non-creative people.
www.wisevis.eu/criatividade...
Sobre a criatividade em visualização de dados
Onde se argumenta que a criatividade em visualização de dados não se resume a um resultado estético.
www.wisevis.eu
September 29, 2025 at 9:30 AM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
Que aprender visualizacao de dados em Portugues?

👇

#dataviz #dados
wisevis.eu wisevis @wisevis.eu · Sep 23
I pre-launched a #datavis course in Portuguese (pt-pt), covering from curiosity to how-bad-bar-charts-are, and beyond. I'm not aware of more online #datavis courses here, not sure if there is no offer or no demand. If you understand Portuguese, please take a look.

www.wisevis.eu/curso-visual...
[Curso] Visualização de Dados
Curso de Visualização de Dados Bem vindo ao curso de Visualização de Dados da Wisevis. Este curso é destinado a todos os que querem explorar, analisar, e comunicar com dados de forma visual. Ao...
www.wisevis.eu
September 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Reposted by T. from Data Rocks
wisevis.eu
I pre-launched a #datavis course in Portuguese (pt-pt), covering from curiosity to how-bad-bar-charts-are, and beyond. I'm not aware of more online #datavis courses here, not sure if there is no offer or no demand. If you understand Portuguese, please take a look.

www.wisevis.eu/curso-visual...
[Curso] Visualização de Dados
Curso de Visualização de Dados Bem vindo ao curso de Visualização de Dados da Wisevis. Este curso é destinado a todos os que querem explorar, analisar, e comunicar com dados de forma visual. Ao...
www.wisevis.eu
September 23, 2025 at 11:16 AM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
This will be beautiful to see! I cannot wait!
albertocairo.com Alberto Cairo @albertocairo.com · Sep 25
BIG NEWS! We've updated the website of the Open Visualization Academy, where you can see all its contributors: openvisualizationacademy.org

This is the announcement in our newsletter: openvisualizationacademy.beehiiv.com/p/we-re-back...

#dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVis 📊

1/x
September 25, 2025 at 11:50 PM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
Me, 7 years ago, wondering what the hell a PowerBI model schema was and why did it have to be shaped like a star.
September 24, 2025 at 2:53 AM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
I did a thing!

Today is Data Rocks Chief Purring Officer's first adoption anniversary, so I made a silly little poster to celebrate, because why not!

www.behance.net/gallery/2350...
Poster celebrating the 1 year adoption anniversary of a black cat named Ozymandias (Ozzy). The poster has a textured background with multiple polaroid-style photos. Header: "OZYMANDIAS" is written in large handwritten letters on the left, with "Adoption Anniversary 1 year" in smaller text on the right. Top left photo: "First Pic!": Shows a small black kitten in a carrier. Text: "Ozzy was adopted on 21st September 2024, with 9 months. He weighted 3.2kg" Second photo labeled "First Vet Visit": Shows hands holding the small black kitten at the vet table. Text: "He went to the vet four times. Two of those were poop related" Top right photo: Shows him investigating a fluffy yellow duck toy. Caption: "If this poor duck could talk..." Text: "His favourite toy is a yellow fluffy duck that moves and quacks." Right photo labeled "Catio!": Shows the cat in an outdoor enclosed area. Text: "Ozzy's favourite place is his catio, no matter the weather." Middle left photo: Caption: "A very scary vet trip". Shows Ozzy lying on his bed. Text: "Ozzy is afraid of heavy rains and strong winds, but when he hugs his ESPie (Emotional Support Plushie), everything seems less scary." Middle right photo labeled "First backyard walk": Shows him outdoors climbing a tree. Text reads: "He's a very smart boy. He knows how to walk on a leash, high-five, sit, spin and lay down on command. He also knows 'out' means getting out of the counter, but he often chooses to ignore it." Bottom left photo labeled "Baaah!": Shows two sheep in a field. Text: "He was once visited by two sheep" Center large photo: The main image shows Ozzy as a fully grown black cat with bright green eyes sitting in a red and white striped box looking up and to the left. Bottom right photos: Two close-up shots of Ozzy's funny faces with captions "What?!" and "weeee!!!" Text nearby reads: "Ozzy is very chatty and expressive" Bottom text: "He has grown up to be a big fluffy boy, at 5.2kg!" Footer: Created with love by @datarocksnz
September 21, 2025 at 12:31 AM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
One tiny thing that annoys me to no end is how the professions list for tax purposes seems to have not been updated since the 70s. How do I classify what I do? Data Analysis? Design? Consulting? Education? I do all of these. And then I have to select an industry. IT? Business? Education? Services?
September 16, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Reposted by T. from Data Rocks
sonjakuijpers.bsky.social
Contemplating on my profession as a data illustrator I am often very conscious of the temporality of data and sometimes even wondering if what I create has meaning.
But, we do need those insights, the lens on facts and figures to show trends, impact, status, get a sense
#dataviz #datavisualisation
September 12, 2025 at 7:31 AM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
Really good read, and all of it applies to data products, like BI dashboards, as well.
spavel.bsky.social Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · Sep 7
Understanding how people work together is hard. Ordering them to use ChatGPT is easy. So managers do the latter, and then express shock when productivity plummets.

That's because problem framing is a social task. If you skip it, your solution will be wrong for ever; "build to learn" won't save you.
Skipping alignment leads to zero-impact UX
Deliverable artifacts are only a small part of the social system that product development entails. Any "productivity" gained by ignoring that system is an illusion.
productpicnic.beehiiv.com
September 7, 2025 at 11:28 PM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
Looking for a new #dataviz follow?
Look no further!!

👇
mollzmp.bsky.social Mollie Pettit @mollzmp.bsky.social · Sep 4
I've been meaning to switch over to Bluesky for a while now. I've finally done it!

Realizing my first post ever was related to my work made me want to immediately follow up with one not about work.

So yeah, hi! Happy to be here! 👋

#NewHere #HelloBluesky
a man wearing a hat and a tank top is standing in front of a body of water
Alt: a man (Forrest Gump) is waving happily at you
media.tenor.com
September 5, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Reposted by T. from Data Rocks
mslopen.bsky.social
Seen a bad or misleading graph or figure in the media recently? I'd love to see it/share with my research methods class as they develop as consumers of research! Manipulative axes, really small sample sizes, misconstrued percent vs. percentile...show me what you've got! Thanks! #academicchatter
September 1, 2025 at 9:36 PM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
Oh, please, don't threaten everyone with a good time.
arstechnica.com Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · Aug 27
AI advocates have warned that if every author in the class action filed a claim, it would "financially ruin" the entire industry.
Authors celebrate “historic” settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action
Advocates fear such settlements will “financially ruin” the AI industry.
arstechnica.com
August 28, 2025 at 3:41 AM
datarocksnz.bsky.social
Without downloading any new images, where are you mentally?
Tom Scott, YouTuber, at an unidentified location, raising his hand, looking at the camera saying "I am at... my fucking limit".
August 27, 2025 at 1:20 AM