Tracking the Evolution of English
While the Internet and smartphones may have ruined our ability to spell, they aren’t rapidly warping the integrity of the English language as a whole. Yet. Read more
The Quantified Community
The Quantified Self movement is growing by leaps and bounds — but could its implications be even larger, encompassing not just individuals, but entire communities? Read more
Uncovering the Political Bang for a Buck
Stanford University’s Datafest hackathon posed a deceptively simple question: how can the display of campaign finance data be presented in a way that is engaging and user-friendly? Read more
Is Rich a Republican Name? Is Herb Democratic?
The name Herb is more popular among Democrats running for office this year than the name is in the general population, while among Republicans, there are more Treys, Chaunceys, and Dicks than one might expect when looking at U.S. Census data. Read more
Internet Romance Scams: How Much Is a Broken Heart Worth?
Of all of the various types of Internet fraud perpetrated against the public, the most tragic are those that prey on the lovelorn: romance scams. Read more
What You’re Reading: Presidential Kisses and Summertime Snacks
According to our data analysis, nutty treats, a presidential kiss, and the painful journey of an egg donor are the stories that have captivated the Washington Post Social Reader’s Twitter audience in recent weeks. Read more
What You’re Reading: Top Secret Locales and Angry Birds Galore
What stories caught your eye recently? According to the Washington Post Social Reader’s Twitter feed, it’s all about off-the-grid places, fatal cubicles, and irate fowl. Read more
What You’re Reading: Paranoia and Linsanity
To see what stories have been the most popular among fans of Social Reader over the past month, I took a look at recent data for the Washington Post Social Reader Twitter feed. As it turns out, two afflictions are running rampant: ‘Linsanity’ and Facebook paranoia. Read more
What Wo(Men) Want
A social media monitoring company analyzed 27 billion digital conversations in order to parse the age-old question: what do women (and men) want? Read more
A Badge, a Gun, a Calculator — and a Map
Experts in the field of geospatial predictive analytics rely on algorithms and data analysis techniques to turn maps into sophisticated analysis tools. Analysts can even predict where meth labs will pop up – before they arrive. Read more