I would like to start this year with a couple of videos. They show, besides the main subjects of both conferences, several important questions:
- the key role that data visualization plays when we need to learn how a very long-term process behaves.
- the importance of having a right perspective when you have to deal with long-term issues.
Both talks took place at TED and the first one, back in 2006, was presented with this words:
You've never seen data presented like this. With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, statistics guru Hans Rosling debunks myths about the so-called “developing world.”
The second one, “Hans Rosling on HIV: New facts and stunning data visuals”, was recorded last year, and the synopsis says:
Hans Rosling unveils new data visuals that untangle the complex risk factors of one of the world's deadliest (and most misunderstood) diseases: HIV. He argues that preventing transmissions — not drug treatments — is the key to ending the epidemic.
If you don't know Dr. Hans Rosling, you can read his Speaker Profile at TED, but here is a brief resume:
As a doctor and researcher, Hans Rosling identified a new paralytic disease induced by hunger in rural Africa. Now he looks at the bigger picture of social and economic development with his remarkable trend-revealing software.
I wish you enjoy them as much as I did. Have fun! 😀