Statistics Can Be Fun… Really!
Check out this YouTube video: Debunking myths about the Third World. It’s about 20 minutes long, so bring some popcorn and put up your feet (apparently 500,000 people have watched it already, so I’m a bit late to the party). It’s a presentation that illustrates what the real differences are between the western world and the third world, in terms of income, fertility, child mortality, etc. As you might expect from the title, the reality of the differences is quite different from what most people think. What makes it dazzling is the animated graphs, which demonstrate the changes over time like nothing else I’ve ever seen. 20 minutes is longer than a typical YouTube video, but take the time to watch it - you’ll be glad you did.
With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, Prof. Hans Rosling uses software from Gapminder debunks a few myths about the “developing” world. This global health visionary has discovered a powerful new way to communicate complex data about the world; his remarkable interactive graphs help deliver profound insights about global trends and will change forever the way you think about “us” and “them.” Rosling is professor of international health at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, and founder of Gapminder, a nonprofit that brings vital global data to life. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA.)
