iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Totally agree! I've also found that folks finding time off work for a full day workshop is getting more challenging, so I hope the short format makes the session more accessible!

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Coming up on Friday, May 15! A new public Data Visualization for Public Health workshop. If you're an analyst, evaluator, researcher, or communicator who creates charts as part of your work, in 2.5 hours you'll learn how to build better charts (with hands on exercises). maven.com/communicatin...

maven.com

Data Visualization for Public Health by Amanda Makulec, MPH on Maven

Public health charts need to be accurate and engaging. But they often fall flat.

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Alberto Cairo @albertocairo.com · 04/12/2025

In the newsletter: 'Why Dashboards That Deliver' by @datarevelations.com @abmakulec.bsky.social and @acotgreave.bsky.social by should be your next read openvisualizationacademy.beehiiv.com/p/why-dashbo... #dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVisualization

openvisualizationacademy.beehiiv.com

Why Dashboards That Deliver Should Be Your Next Read

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

In a statement around ease of posting and UX: I got a new phone right before and hadn't gotten around to adding the app on my phone! Back now :)

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Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof @evanbernick.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Read the whole thing. You won’t be surprised, but you should be outraged.

Last week, as the Board held its 494th meeting, I listened to NSF staff say that DOGE had by fiat the authority to give thumbs up or down to grant applications which had been systematically vetted by layers of subject matter experts.

Our closed-to-the-public deliberations were observed by Zachary Terrell from the DOGE team. Through his Zoom screen, Terrell showed more interest in his water bottle and his cuticles than in the discussion. According to Nature Terrell, listed as a "consultant" in the NSF directory, had accessed the NSF awards system to block the dispersal of approved grants. The message I received was that the National Science Board had a role to play in name only

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AADIP desai @aadip.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

This is disturbing… a single ChatGPT query uses 10x more energy than using a search engine. One 100-word email drafted by ChatGPT-4 uses about a water bottle’s worth of H2O, and enough electricity to power 14 LED lightbulbs for an hour.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

This loss the year that @USAID was dismantled feels like an extra gut punch.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Coming up to mother's day, I've been thinking a lot about parenting and the intersections with my work. So, here are five ways for kids to learn to love data (with book recs, activities, and even a show!) that we've used with our littles. #dataviz vizresponsibly.substack.com/p/five-ways-...

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

BILL GATES: “The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one.” @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/bdd9...

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Me, to my kids when they ask when I'm going to die: "I'll be here for you as long as my body is working." That's the closest to a promise I can keep since we can't promise forever. Loss and grief make for some darkness in parenting...

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Isn't it? I think minimalism can lead to incredible (and sometimes austere) data viz. Like most good data viz considerations it comes down to your audience and what you need the viz to do (inform, be speedy to read, inspire, alarm...)

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

"WaPo columnists, they're just like us!" Since that seems somehow like a totally normal afternoon of outdoor fun to me as a parent of little kids...

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

@frank.computer's "Minimalism and the Absurdity of the Data-to-Ink Ratio" will make you chuckle if you're a #dataviz designer, but also challenges us in a good way: how has minimalism become a way for some “intellectuals” in our field to enforce aesthetics as law? www.frank.computer/blog/2025/04...

A pixelated image with dots and vague shapes of letters

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Nothing surprises me these days, but the absolute childishness and entitlement of "just say yes!" is painful.

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Dr. Casey Fiesler @cfiesler.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

This is one of the worst violations of research ethics I've ever seen. Manipulating people in online communities using deception, without consent, is not "low risk" and, as evidenced by the discourse in this Reddit post, resulted in harm. Great thread from Sarah, and I have additional thoughts. 🧵

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Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 25/04/2025

PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

First they came for USAID...now the same playbook.

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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

He wasn’t just censored. They altered his responses to NYT questions on his publication Egregious. www.cnn.com/2025/04/17/h...

cnn.com

Top researcher quits NIH, citing censorship under RFK Jr. | CNN

Dr. Kevin Hall joins The Lead

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

@acotgreave.bsky.social likes to say that "Win or learn, you can't lose" and while only one person is leaving with the big trophy, I know that the thousands in that room are leaving inspired. ❤️

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Ryan, to think through a totally different perspective in a data set so many have worked with is so fun, along with your creativity and focus on migration.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Kathryn, your cockpit visualizations and use of graphic legends, along with the throwback to dataviz history were so impressive.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Bo, your storytelling abilities are exceptional and I loved the simplicity of your viz and shout outs to the community inspiration.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

It was an absolute honor judging #IronViz at #TC25. Each of the contestants did an INCREDIBLE job on their vizzes, and huge congrats to Bo on his win! #dataviz

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Taking the chart chat offline for the night and only spending a fraction talking about Dashboards that Deliver book things with @acotgreave.bsky.social @datarevelations.com & @jeffshaffer.bsky.social. Can't wait to see so many friendly faces at #TC25!

Three men and a woman in a selfie at a restaurant

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Thanks for the what-to-do-in-an-earthwyake coaching from this midwesterner. We're prepped for tornadoes.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Being on an upper hotel floor as it starts to shake was not on my #TC25 bucket list.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

In San Diego for #TC25 this week! Counting down to IronViz Wednesday and Chart Chat live on Thursday, and looking forward to seeing friends and colleagues this week. I've got DVS, Chart Chat, and Dashboards that Deliver swag in tow too. Stop me to say hi & I'm happy to share! #dataviz

Selfie of smiling woman in pink.sjort and graphic block print jacket in front of windows with stylized bar chart components.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

Using the dots makes the difference between male and female life expectancy so staggeringly apparent! Appreciate the caveat about averages too.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

We are destroying the systems and teams who improved screening standards, in private outbreaks, collect data on population health, and more. MAHA is an ideological joke wrapped in a fear of red food dye.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

A moment of zen at sunrise for the timeline.

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Santiago Mayer @santiagomayer.com · 11/04/2025

I’ve never seen a tweet that more effectively communicates how we got to this current situation

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Thanks for the link to the article!

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

The 'before April 2' feels really important here. People can celebrate the reductions for most countries all they want, but we're still charging higher tariffs than we have in over a decade and US consumers can still expect price escalations.

From January to April 2025, the US trade-weighted average tariff rose from 2% to an estimated 24%, the highest level in over a century. Trump escalated an ongoing trade war with China, raising baseline tariffs on Chinese imports to an effective 145% after April 9, 2025.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Research doesn't happen on this timeline. Plus, people with autism have been speaking out about how this kind of framing is dangerous and insulting (read the replies).

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

I know :(. I assume that for Outlier there are folks who will have to opt into virtual attendance because of the travel uncertainties or just not wanting to spend $$$ in the US these days, which is why I'm glad we have a hybrid option. But I'm always sad to miss out on seeing people in person!

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Info+ submissions are open! This year's theme is around ENERGY (which I personally think dovetails with Outlier's "Reimagining" theme nicely). If you have an interesting perspective to share in the world of #dataviz and information design more broadly: informationplusconference.com/2025/submiss...

informationplusconference.com

Information+ Conference 2025

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Not one public health person is surprised by this, but it's frightening nonetheless.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Taxation was a tool used by kings to demand compliance and suppress protests. RESIST.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Polls are still open! Don't skip this one if you're in Wisconsin.

Woman in brown jacket and blue headband with an I Voted sticker

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

It's election day here in Wisconsin! Vote Crawford, and prove that Musk cannot buy a seat on our Supreme Court and continue to support CHOICE here in Wisco. #dataviz with megablocks from @motherhoodforgood.bsky.social www.instagram.com/reel/DH1GiSS...

Blocks showing $1.5M donated by Pritzker and $2M donated by Soros.

Blocks showing $23M donated by Elon Musk.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

The toughest part of managing global distribution were the highly variable shipping costs and navigating the complexities of printing and shipping from multiple countries (with the aim to reduce costs). I know the Nightingale team doesn't make decisions limiting access lightly.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

A reminder that spending time in nature, whether that's in the mountains or 20m under the sea, is a beautiful thing.

Scuba diver swimming by a coral wall and massive light pink sea fan. Photo by Ross Makulec all rights reserved.

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Andy Cotgreave @acotgreave.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Have you seen a good candidate for a chart makeover? We seek ideas for Chart Chat at Tableau Conference. We have some ideas, but would love to hear from you. Got any good makeover candidates? cc: @datarevelations.com @jeffreyshaffer.bsky.social @abmakulec.bsky.social

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

What a nightmare - and one more thing that runs counter to Kennedy's assertion that he was going to prioritize research and work on NCDs / chronic disease over infectious diseases.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

The gap in those stats always saddens - particularly with the gutting of USAID that's absolutely wrecked our global health community the past two months.

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Amanda Makulec @abmakulec.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

The residents of DC already have NO VOTING REPRESENTATION IN CONGRESS. The license plates say "end taxation without representation." And now Congress wants to dictate terms on the District's budget spending? FFS

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