Fleeing the Flu

Achoo!

Had your flu shot yet? If not, Google Flu Trends will either reinforce your procrastination or move you to action. Why? Well, this nifty online resource is able to "estimate flu activity in your state up to two weeks faster than traditional flu surveillance systems." Roll up your sleeve and get ready for a slight sting. Lest you think that presenting statistics to persuade us to monitor and improve health conditions is a new thing, Florence Nightengale was hip to the process as early as the 1850s.


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Stating Stats

I just stumble onto StateStats. I find it very interesting because it ranks the popularity (in each U.S. state) of a given Google search query. StateStats is intriguing because it seems to rank search queries in terms of their importance to geographical regions. For example, according to the site, the term mittens tends to be searched by residents in northerly states and other locations where frost is more likely to form. This has the potential to be a very informative tool.


Just imagine what one might discover when exploring the following terms:

• authentic learning
• instructional technology
• understanding by design
• meaningful learning

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The (Freebase) Parallax View

Sometimes, looking at an issue, a concept, or a subject from a different vantage point gives us a whole new means of comprehending the topic. Ultimately, shifts in the direction of our inquiry, engendered by changes in the manner in which we're making observations provide new perspectives. By observing a notion from different angles, we end up with a parallax view of the idea. We begin to understand that there are more layers of meaning to take into account, additional details that are worthy of inspection.

Humans appreciate familiarity. We grow accustomed to routines and fall into them with startling regularity. When we use a particular path to arrive at a desired destination, whether making our way to a market or an answer to a question, the ruts that form our route are continually reinforced by our travel. The more often we progress along the circuit, the deeper the rut becomes, the more ingrained the routine is in our approach. For example, many individuals, when conducting research these days, automatically turn to Google or Wikipedia for an answer without bothering to deviate to an alternative road to enlightenment.

To be sure, Google and Wikipedia are useful tools for research. Both are invaluable for tracking elusive explanations. However, neither of these paragons of probe are the quintessence of query. There are other avenues of access to answers. Research scientist David François Huynh points out this fact eloquently as he discusses the merits of Freebase Parallax, a "a novel browsing interface" designed for use with Freebase, an open, shared database of the world's knowledge. Dr. Huynh's impressive video demonstration of Freebase Parallax ought to convince even the most die-hard fans of Google and Wikipedia that a fresh perspective can often yield richer solutions in a shorter amount of time.


Freebase Parallax: A new way to browse and explore data from David Huynh on Vimeo.

Related links:

• Drop by Freebase and check out the Categories there.
• What do you know about a unit of knowledge? Google's relatively recent Knol is designed to help users locate an authoritative article about a given topic.
  
• My apologies to director Alan J. Pakula and actor Warren Beatty for alluding to their 1974 film the political thriller, The Parallax View, in my post title. No conspiracy was involved. It's an engaging (if not disturbing) work of cinema that's guaranteed to deliver a shiver or two.
  

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Keeping an Eye on Politics: Watchdog.net

Here's a resource for educators who'll soon be guiding students through the wondrous world of Political Science. Watchdog.net is diligently building an impressive internet hub for information related to elections. The site's creators are persistently collecting useful data about district demographics, votes, lobbying records, campaign finance reports, and making the information available in one location that's a godsend for teachers and students (not to mention interested voters).

Using the site is very easy. Simply supply the zip code of an area and click the GO button.
Afterward, the site returns pertinent information about the district and its representative.

Note that the data is also accompanied by graphs. Having students review the graphs along with investigations of the information at sites such as the Census Bureau and StateMaster is a great way to facilitate a better understanding of the forces that drive national, state, and local government. After reviewing and discussing what they've discovered, pupils could generate their own graphs, make predictions about voter choice, political outcomes and decisions, as well as how future policies will be shaped.

Watchdog.net offers visitors an opportunity to carefully examine political factors that come into play during elections. By giving citizens, educators, and students access to information that is often ignored, the site promotes a more thoughtful approach to civic responsibility. Thank goodness!