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Lori Palen

@loripalen.bsky.social
400 followers 326 following 213 posts

Research communicator, social scientist, crafter, gardener, reader, board game enthusiast, wife, mom to humans and cats and dog, fan of social justice and the Oxford comma datasoapbox.com

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Reposted by Lori Palen
Chat Clussman @clussman.com · 14/11/2025
Kudos to the art director at the WSJ who chose a center-line distribution to make it look like a sperm instead of a more traditional baseline distribution, which would have looked like a normal chart. Should have used orange for the dots though. I give it a 9-out-of-10
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Although I will say that fledgling American Robins are pretty damn adorable…like grumpy little old men! 😊
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Me neither!
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
In this week's blog post, an only-peripherally-work-related review of a uniquely awesome book. For all the current and former 28-year-old single office workers in the crowd! datasoapbox.com/book-review-...
datasoapbox.com
Book Review: Book From the Ground—From Point to Point - Data Soapbox
Strictly speaking, Book From the Ground: From Point to Point (BFG) is unrelated to research communication. Loosey-goosey speaking, I learned about it in a work-related book (Joyful Infographics by Nig...
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Reposted by Lori Palen
Accessibility Awareness @a11yawareness.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
When possible, use simple and familiar data visualization techniques. Complex data visualizations can be visually appealing, but they can also be more difficult to understand. If a visualization gets overly complex, consider alternate chart types for the sake of understanding.
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
What lessons from YOUR grade school days do you still use in your job? I talk about three of mine in my latest blog post: datasoapbox.com/lessons-from...
datasoapbox.com
Lessons From My Grade School Writing - Data Soapbox
As I’ve mentioned previously, when I was a kid, I liked to write. Recently, I was reflecting on the quality and kinds of writing I did as a kid, and I realized that some lessons I learned back then th...
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Important information about screen readers!
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Over recent years, charts and graphs in data reports have improved a LOT. But graphs in academic journals are still pretty rough. Here's my take on the two ways to improve them: datasoapbox.com/quick-journa...
datasoapbox.com
A Quick Journal Graph Revamp - Data Soapbox
Recently, a colleague asked if I could provide examples of good data visualizations to share with an academic research center. Thanks to widespread education and evangelism, there are many good (or, a...
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
What's a data object, and why are they innovative as hell?! Check out today's blog post! datasoapbox.com/book-review-... Edited by @cybunk.bsky.social @tnagel.bsky.social Lora Oehlberg & Wesley Willett, featuring projects by @dietoff.bsky.social @flowingdata.com @kimsauve.bsky.social & many others!
datasoapbox.com
Book Review: Making with Data - Data Soapbox
If you’ve been around Ye Olde Blog for a while, you may have seen me geek out about data art. So, when I heard about Making with Data (MWD), I had to check it out.* MWD features more than 25 physical ...
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Reposted by Lori Palen
Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Related to our previous post- if you had a grant terminated, Pro Publica wants to hear from you. Your work was funded because it was good, important science meant to help Americans. Reach out, and make your voice heard. www.propublica.org/getinvolved/...
propublica.org
Did You Work on a Terminated NIH Grant? ProPublica Wants to Hear From You.
The National Institutes of Health is canceling grants that are seen as conflicting with the Trump administration’s priorities. We want to hear from researchers who have been affected.
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
This is the first I've seen it (and it didn't show up when I was doing similar work last week)!
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
OMG, did Office implement a color accessibility checker in the past week?!?!
Color picker window indicating whether text and background have good color contrast
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Thanks for the feature, @boldjourney.com.web.brid.gy! boldjourney.com/meet-lori-pa...
boldjourney.com
Meet Lori Palen - Bold Journey Magazine
We recently connected with Lori Palen and have shared our conversation below. Lori, so many
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Thanks so much to @bunsenbernerbmd.bsky.social (and Dad Guy, Jason) for having me on the latest episode of the Science Pawdcast! Check it out to learn more about some cool paint, furry strategies to prevent work rage, and science communication! bunsenbernerbmd.buzzsprout.com/413041/episo...
bunsenbernerbmd.buzzsprout.com
Episode 19 Season 7: Cooling Paints, Anger Management, and Dr. Lori Palen with Data Soap Box - The Science Pawdcast
Innovations in science are making daily life better through passive cooling paint and insights into pet interactions. In the Science News section we explore technologies that could transform how ...
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Reposted by Lori Palen
Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 19/06/2025
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
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Reposted by Lori Palen
Neil Renic @ncrenic.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
I am once again pitching my romantic comedy: - two academics start dating - discover they are each other's terrible reviewer - hijinks ensue Working title: Love is Double-Blind
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
And yay, W&M!! 💚💛
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
Office assistant dozing on the job…
Small dog sleeping with his front half on a desk and back half on a lap
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Yes! But one important thing to keep in mind is that, for scientists outside academia (and some within it), defunding = unemployment. It isn’t fair to expect scientists to forge ahead for the greater good when they can’t feed their families.
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Among others, my 10-year-old needle-hater is going to be pissed!
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
I hope this comes to the US soon!
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Dataviz + fashion? Love!! from @reuters.com www.reuters.com/graphics/USA...
reuters.com
Why Met Gala looks have gotten bigger and bolder
A look back at red carpet pictures from the mid-1990s to 2024 shows how exaggerated outfits have become a hallmark of the event.
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
For presentations, Garr Reynolds uses the analogy of a bento box. If you eat one, you’re left (pleasantly) about 80% full…rather than eating so much that you need to unbutton your pants! 😁
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Reposted by Lori Palen
Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
It is a little weird to me countries aren’t more aggressively, formally trying to take advantage of the U.S. science brain drain. Once in a lifetime opportunity to buy low on Non-Dumbass Americans with PhDs who just wanna look into microscopes and quietly cure ass cancer as our country eats shit.
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
I enjoyed workshopping with students from UNC’s Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine (CiTEM) today! Pretty sure it was my first time with a skeleton in the audience. 💀
Projected presentation slide on creating effective graphical abstractsA medical skeleton hanging in the corner of a classroom
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
I agree, I really love Kitchen Garden Revival! Beautiful and practical. Groundbreaking Food Gardens and Starter Vegetable Gardens also offer great-looking options!
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Yeah, that wasn’t enough either: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congres...
en.m.wikipedia.org
Congressional baseball shooting - Wikipedia
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
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Reposted by Lori Palen
Sam Halpert @samhalpert.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you.
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Ugh, it’s bad enough that they’re fostering hate and ignorance here in the US…why the hell are they bringing their show on the road?!?!
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Reposted by Lori Palen
Physicians for a Healthy Democracy @physiciandemocracy.medsky.social · 06/04/2025
Sign of the day…
Science keeps your dumb ass alive
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 16/03/2025
media.tenor.com
mike wazowski from monsters inc with one eye
Alt: mike wazowski from monsters inc with one eye
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Hopefully the contents aren’t raw milk and vitamin A. 🤞🏻
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
media.tenor.com
a woman is standing in front of a blue wall and says that is a fact .
Alt: Kamala Harris is standing in front of a blue wall and says that is a fact .
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
So. Much. Winning.
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Despite all of the chaos in the US right now, our native mason bee cocoons are hatching, and this is one of my favorite spring events. See the cute little bee face?! We also hung my Christmas gift in our butterfly garden, a hex bee house from @crown-bees.bsky.social. #MyBeeHouse
Wooden bee house mounted to a white fenceBee cocoons with holes from which the newborn bees escapedBeen cocoon with a black bee peeking outWooden bee house mounted to a porch railing next to a butterfly garden
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Today’s fascinating science facts, about hippo testicles and fat/muscle:
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Human brains > ChatGPT datasoapbox.com/my-job-is-sa...
datasoapbox.com
My Job is Safe (for Now) - Recent ChatGPT Exploration - Data Soapbox
Over the summer, Data Soapbox had an exhibit booth at a scientific conference. In a sea of many event highlights, the lowlight was an early-career faculty member approaching the booth to say that Chat...
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Yes!! datasoapbox.com/on-my-soapbo...
datasoapbox.com
On My Soapbox About "Accessibility" - Data Soapbox
As I’ve mentioned previously, researchers are often scared of the wrong things in research communication. I often talk about this issue in relation to the content, or “what,” we communicate. Today, I ...
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
I’m really discouraged that, right now, public outcry and activism don’t seem to be making much of a difference. Many Democrats (including my own Congressperson) seem to not be doing much beyond hand-wringing, and Tillis/Budd are complicit in this disaster. 💔
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
History and politics aren’t my area, but I’ve been wondering whether there are any anticipated parallels with what happened in the Middle East, where urban areas moved from being progressive in the 1970’s to being as conservative/restrictive as they are today?
Afghanistan 1970s and now. Left panel shows three young women in short shirts and high heels. Right panel shows two women in burkas
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Interesting take!
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Thank you for actually doing something to help the people of North Carolina!
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Reposted by Lori Palen
Paige Jarreau @fromthelabbench.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
To all my #sciart and #scicomm and #firedfed folks - I’m working with several volunteer science artists on a series of illustrated profiles of recently dismissed fed scientists and science communicators. If you want to help here are details! www.linkedin.com/posts/fromth...
linkedin.com
Paige Brown Jarreau on LinkedIn: #sciart #scicomm #art #illustrators #scientists #terminated | 23 comments
Update - this is really happening! I'd love to organize a "faces of" wrongfully terminated scientists, in illustrations that communicate the careers and the… | 23 comments on LinkedIn
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
I’m so frustrated that my Democratic congresswoman only seems to be posting platitudes on social media. What are concrete actions we can realistically demand from our Democratic legislators?
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
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Reposted by Lori Palen
neutral @neutral.zone · 22/02/2025
You have died of procedural norms.
Oregon trail tombstone

Text:
well,
we just don’t have the votes right now
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Yes! Please tell us what you and your colleagues are doing to fight this!
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Yeah, that 22% keeps ruining it for the rest of us.
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Lori Palen @loripalen.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
So. Much. MAGA. Winning.
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