An exploration of the connections between TV show and presidential candidate preferences — Last year, I came across this 2016 Upshot article from The New York Times. Besides being an example of beautiful data storytelling, the premise of the content intrigued me. Is there actually a connection between what TV shows people like and how they vote in elections? NYTimes claims so. But…

What attributes set popular songs apart from songs that can’t get no love? And how has music evolved over the years, anyway? — My partner and I discuss music frequently. Some of these conversations are about our shared interest in playing guitar, going to live concerts, and unashamedly blasting Justin Timberlake on road trips. We played “Man of the Woods” a good five or six times on our Yosemite vacation last year because…

6 practical tips to make your commute less painful — This is Emma. Emma is seen here taking the Bay Area Rapid Transit, or “BART,” the San Francisco Bay Area’s regional public transit system. Emma is not happy, because this train is too damn crowded. She can barely move her elbow without hitting this poor stranger on the right in…

An exploration of who has made it onto the highest court of the land — Ahhh, the Supreme Court of the United States. Key player in our federal government’s system of checks and balances. The Highest Court in the Land. Nine superheroes cloaked in black. Responsible for so many critical milestones in our county’s history, from denying citizenship to African American slaves (Dred Scott v…

U.S. housing market trends, 2012–2016 — After thinking about buying a small condo in Chicago last year (I didn’t) and then watching The Big Short last month, I became fascinated with the U.S. housing market. There have been a lot of discussions about the housing bubble that mushroomed spectacularly until 2007 and then burst equally spectacularly…

What are our 2016 presidential candidates spending their campaign money on? — In early 2015, I had the chance to pilot a part-time data analytics course in Chicago. A year and a half later, I had the chance to enroll in the same course in San Francisco. For ten weeks, I spent Monday and Wednesday nights after work digging into large datasets…