This week i had the opportunity to go to Edward Tufte’s PRESENTING DATA AND INFORMATION seminar here in Seattle. It was fricking awesome (i believe that “fricking” is the correct technical term!) I’ve been getting the advertisement in the mail at work for years, but never had the time to go. I’m always on the lookout for things to go to for work to cover my employee development plan, and this was a great one. Not only do you get a day of class, you end up with all 4 of Tufte’s books, which i’ll add to my “Now Reading” list as soon as i find some time. I have 2 other books I’m actively reading as well (and coincidentally, they both have “Danger” in their titles!)
A little bit more after the jump…
My favorite part of the seminar was that he had some old books that he was walking down the aisles showing examples from. And when i say “old”, i mean oooooooooooold. One of them was a first printing of a Galileo book from 1570. Yeah. He’s touching it with his bare hands. I’m so glad i was sitting on an aisle, later one of his assistants (wearing gloves!) was walking around showing the book, and i got to see it from about 6 inches away. Its amazing how a leather bound paper book thats 400+ years old survives like that. The old school books were by far my favorite part of the whole thing. I’m a sucker for old books (my oldest is a book of commonly mispronounced words from like 1890?) and maps. Some of Tufte’s best examples were of maps.
From the books, my favorite graphic was the Spotting a Hidden Handgun graphic. I’m on the lookout now! 😛
I wouldn’t do a full review of the whole thing justice, but for a great review of the course, see Ivy League Rock and Roll – A day with Edward Tufte, as it does much more justice to the whole thing than i could!
Hello! great idea of color of this siyte!