🗺️ Map of the month

We start with an essential tool that highlights the overwhelming number of ongoing conflicts right now. This traditional mapping brings us the facts, but to feel them and understand that there are people behind numbers requires us to go further. In this post things are put into a more human perspective. It triggers our “collateral empathy”. We recognise people in Gaza as our university teachers, that woman that sells you bread, or the parents of all your friends.

In such situations we constantly see that the bigger the number, the lower the empathy. Our brains are not made to process on such a scale, but this rescaling approach from Mona Chalabi puts into perspective what is happening behind the headlines.

🧊 Data viz of the month 

As humans we work with symbols. Flags are often assumed as part of our identity, but this project looks at how could they also be used to depict our changing reality, and give an insight into the dangerously accelerated rate of glacier melt.

💡 Installation of the month

UVA draws on renaissance paintings to show how perspective can reshape our understanding of space. Imagine Da Vinci meets Blade Runner and you get a lesson in how technology can reanimate age-old human fascinations with how we perceive the world around us.

🕰️ Nostalgia of the month

And now for a throwback: This site is an immersive journey through the immortal design genius of the humble Nokia 3310. A little warning, the nostalgia is real—just wait until you get to the ringtones.

⚖️ Illusion of the month 

Who could have ever imagined the noughties would seem like a simpler time? These days it can easily feel like humanity has lost its moral compass, but rest assured it’s all an illusion. Turns out we’ve perceived our society to be in a state of moral decline since records began, but interestingly, our everyday experiences reflect the exact opposite. This suggests the stories and media we consume have a big part to play, and it’s yet another reason to exercise a healthy skepticism towards everything you read. Here’s an experimental plugin we developed to help you detect bias, and question the info you find online.