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Edward Tufte Appointed To Help Track and Explain Stimulus Funds

Posted by Soulskill on from the authoritative-bar-graphs dept.

President Obama recently announced several appointments to the Recovery Independent Advisory Panel, including data visualization expert Edward Tufte, author of The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. The purpose of the panel is to advise the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, whose aim is "To promote accountability by coordinating and conducting oversight of Recovery funds to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse and to foster transparency on Recovery spending by providing the public with accurate, user-friendly information." Tufte said on his website, "I'm doing this because I like accountability and transparency, and I believe in public service. And it is the complete opposite of everything else I do. Maybe I'll learn something. The practical consequence is that I will probably go to Washington several days each month, in addition to whatever homework and phone meetings are necessary."

8 of 186 comments (clear)

  1. Its mis-named so it will feel better. by Stumbles · · Score: 4, Funny

    It should be called the Recovery Advisory Panel Enhancement

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    My karma is not a Chameleon.
  2. So, no Power Point presentation? by Big_Monkey_Bird · · Score: 4, Funny

    So, no Power Point presentation?

  3. At least we know... by brennz · · Score: 2, Funny

    Whatever they produce will contain pretty graphs.

  4. Re:Background anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Because this is really, really complicated and he'll be able to put it into pictures you will be able to understand.

  5. Re:Mercy me... by Xtravar · · Score: 2, Funny

    He's a socialist! He worships Stalin! Obama is ruining the United States once again!

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    Buckle your ROFL belt, we're in for some LOLs.
  6. Re:tufte has it easy by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's not scary. Try retitling it from "Napoleons invasion of Russia" to "Bushes invasion of Iraq". That sounds possible enough to be terrifying.

    Well, yeah, if you take a person and surgically remove all their knowledge of history, awareness of current events and their critical thinking center, I can see how that person might confuse the two events. Or just drop them on their head a bunch of times. That'd work, too.

  7. Re:"Grow a thicker skin, man, this is the Internet by alan_dershowitz · · Score: 2, Funny

    mommy daddy stop fighting

  8. simple task by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 2, Funny

    I don't see why they need to hire such an illustrious researcher for such a simple task. I've prepared an accurate IMO data visualization of the results of the Federal stimulus spending. It can be viewed at:

    http://shambala.net/stimulusvisualization.jpg