The worst visualization I've ever seen (CNBC on the oil spill)

#1

Post by viggity » Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 1:42 PM UTC

The worst visualization I've ever seen (CNBC on the oil spill)
cnbc.com

Re: The worst visualization I've ever seen (CNBC on the oil spill)

#2

Post by viggity » Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 1:53 PM UTC

This shows you exactly what not to do with your info-viz. They show about 100 milk jugs of gray gradient and say, imagine if there were 184 million of them?

Whoa Whoa Whoa. HOLD THE BOAT. You (CNBC) are telling me that the oil spill is 184 million gallons is also equivalent to 184 MILLION ONE-GALLON MILK JUGS?!?!? That is just crazy - consider my mind BLOWN! Perhaps you could show a pyramid of 184 million gallon jugs and put a small outline of a 6' tall man next to it?

Then there is this one: http://www.cnbc.com/id/38294088/?slide=7 At least there is some useful information on this slide "674K Homes for one year". But why the hell show a picture of the entire electrical grid? It doesn't make any sense.

The rest of them are pretty bad as well, they either don't show scale, or they show a very misleading scale.

Re: The worst visualization I've ever seen (CNBC on the oil spill)

#3

Post by nkassis » Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 1:54 PM UTC

Wait one milk jug is == to one gallon of oil? Wow, that makes it that much easier to see.

Re: The worst visualization I've ever seen (CNBC on the oil spill)

#4

Post by vgurgov » Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 1:54 PM UTC

Are they dumb?? Is it a joke? I am not getting it -can someone explain plz?

What Does 184 Million Gallons of Oil Look Like? - Like 184 Milk Jugs..

Re: The worst visualization I've ever seen (CNBC on the oil spill)

#5

Post by c1sc0 » Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 1:54 PM UTC

Best clicktrap ever: keep moving through the visualizations ... it gets better and better.

Re: The worst visualization I've ever seen (CNBC on the oil spill)

#6

Post by Marticus » Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 1:58 PM UTC

I think the yacht one was worse.

But the beer can in the stadium I'm afraid takes the cake. Completely absurd.

Re: The worst visualization I've ever seen (CNBC on the oil spill)

#7

Post by tibbon » Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 2:02 PM UTC

Additionally, it is one of those web page that hitting 'back' once doesn't take you back and tries to get you stuck. At least in Chrome on the Mac.

Re: The worst visualization I've ever seen (CNBC on the oil spill)

#8

Post by agperson » Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 2:03 PM UTC

vgurgov wrote: post #4

Are they dumb?? Is it a joke? I am not getting it -can someone explain plz? What Does 184 Million Gallons of Oil Look Like? - Like 184 Milk Jugs..

We're going to need a bigger cow...

Re: The worst visualization I've ever seen (CNBC on the oil spill)

#9

Post by Confusion » Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 2:05 PM UTC

Even '279 olympic-size swimming pools' does not really appeal to the imagination. You'd probably be best of comparing it to the volume of a reasonably sized lake in the vicinity of the reader.

Re: The worst visualization I've ever seen (CNBC on the oil spill)

#10

Post by norova » Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 2:05 PM UTC

Marticus wrote: post #6

I think the yacht one was worse. But the beer can in the stadium I'm afraid takes the cake. Completely absurd.

I agree, especially when I read this: "Cowboys stadium has an internal volume of approximately 104 cubic feet"

Somebody left out a "million" somewhere.