The Illusion of Choice for a New Generation
posted in: External Infographic, The Economics Devision
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The formula for soft drinks is pretty simple, which might explain why there are so many of them on the market. Water + a Sweetener + a Flavoring Agent = Good Margins. Add in caffeine and fruit juice as needed.
The following chart, however, is called The Illusion of Diversity for a reason.
(click to zoom in)
It’s generally known that Coke and Pepsi are a big part of the industry, but what isn’t clear from all the choices above is that, along with the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, the top three firms account for 89% of soft drink sales in the United States.
[via Visual Complexity] [more food and beverage-related infographics from Philip H. Howard at Michigan State University]They Say the First is the Most Difficult to Make
posted in: External Images, The Cultural Devision
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John Baldessari‘s “The First $100,000 I Ever Made”, the first of three installations in the High Line Billboard art series.
Live and in person on 10th Avenue at West 18th St in Manhattan thru December 30th.
That’s Wilson on the bill, by the way. … … Woodrow Wilson.
[Photo by Bill Orcutt via Laughing Squid]You Need a New Dictionary
posted in: External Viz, Smog
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One of the many things you’ll find out from the Wall Street Journal’s What They Know series is that you need a new online dictionary. In their study of tracking files distributed by major websites, dictionary.reference.com (aka dictionary.com) topped the rankings by passing on an absurd 234 tracking files to its visitors in the name of 40 companies who want to know more about people who use the dictionary. Merriam-Webster, whose auto-play videos should be punishment enough, came in second with 131 trackers.
So the next time you look up bullshit in the dictionary…
…Wikipedia is your only safe bet when it comes to what Google is going to serve up first, though Wiktionary would be the appropriate option. Not only is Wikipedia the most popular website without ads, it is the only one of the top 50 sites not installing a single tracking file on your computer. Check out What They Know to find out which sites lie in-between.
[via Visual Complexity]A Vote to Remember
posted in: Commentary, Maps, The Political Devision
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Paying attention to politics is not a rewarding effort. It’s one thing to hear about everything Congress passes into law and another to keep up with the all the things they are considering. With the media and activists from both sides joining in, citizens are quickly turned into EMTs, called from one emergency to the next with constant email blasts.
Even if you hold out for the big issues, there’s plenty to keep you busy. Last month it was the multiple copyright bills bouncing around the House and Senate that would basically give corporations the ability to censor the internet and enable a flood of lawsuits aimed at consumers. The effort to stop SOPA and PROTECT-IP seems to be paying off, but the threat remains and action is still required.
This month, however, the stakes are even higher. What is it this time? Oh, just the prospect of indefinite detention of U.S. citizens on U.S. soil. No lawyer. No trial. Taxpayers could go straight to military prison, no longer having “due process” in their democracy bundle package.
The bill, S. 1867: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, is part of a yearly ritual where the military is sure to eventually get their money, which is starkly evident in the different votes for the bill and for the amendment to the bill, S.Admt.1107, proposed by Sen. Udall [D-CO], which would have scrapped the whole “indefinite detention” issue.
What’s worse: Senators specifically voting to allow indefinite imprisonment of their constituents or senators who voted to remove those provisions and, upon failing, voted for the bill containing said provisions? Does something this big really have to come down to a veto?
It’s no wonder Congress’ disapproval rating is stuck in the 80% range. We’ve got a little under a year before we get a chance to restock the ranks of Congress and this is a vote to remember then.
For more color on the situation, take your pick: Gawker breaks it down piece-by-piece, The Daily Show makes it sad but funny, plus articles from Forbes, Christian Science Monitor, Rolling Stone and the ACLU.
[Maps from GovTrack]Yes, Affirmative
posted in: External Images, Library, The Future Committee
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It’s easy to forget that humanity has been worried about the prospect of robots taking over for a while now. Below, we have an image from a 1931 issue of Modern Mechanics and Inventions:
Of course, as we know, the Robotic Uprising of the mid-90’s worked out a little differently…
[Image via Slate; Thanks, Pete!]
The Ape Con Myth 2012 Novelty Rip-Off Calendar
posted in: Features, The Time Bandits
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Will the world end in 2012? You wish.
The Ape Con Myth 2012 Calendar is not a doomsday calendar, but one specifically designed to get you through what by all appearances could be a pretty interesting year.
Buy one today and enjoy a year of people asking you what that is on your wall!
And to get you in the mood, here’s something to take up more of your time via BoingBoing…
Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Time
A Brief History of the Apocalypse
The latter, a timeline of past, present and future predictions of Earth’s doom, starts things off on a familiar note:
“According to Isaac Asimov’s Book of Facts (1979), an Assyrian clay tablet dating to approximately 2800 BC was unearthed bearing the words “Our earth is degenerate in these latter days. There are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end. Bribery and corruption are common.” This is one of the earliest examples of the perception of moral decay in society being interpreted as a sign of the imminent end.”
Alas, it was just another Thursday. And so it goes?
Next year, break the monotony with The Ape Con Myth 2012 Novelty Rip-Off Calendar!
Also available at Electric Works.
A Quick Look Back Before Preparing To Evacuate 2011
posted in: Ape Con Myth, Features
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Before December turns into a blur and we suddenly find ourselves deposited on the sure to be weird shores of 2012, let’s take a quick riffle through the soon to be scraps of 2011. So far Ape Con Myth has produced 225 posts this year. The most democratic way to look at it must be by the number of eyeballs drawn to it, so with no further ado…
Here’s the Top 11 posts of 2011:
11. Copyright Triple Threat – Meet S.968, S.978 and H.R. 3261 – November 1st
This action is still in play and there’s still time to add your voice to your representatives’ ears. It’s only the internet as you know it at stake.
10. The Self-Employed: Same As It Ever Was? – May 11th
Having a job shelters you from a lot of things, both good and bad.
9. Regarding Your Lack of Privacy Online – July 26th
If it’s not one thing, it’s the other.
8. You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – April 20th
ACM’s first infographic, providing perspective on who has seen what online.
7. Wasted URLs: Color.com – March 28th
No comment.
6. @Peanutweeter – May 26th
The wonderful yet short-lived Peanutweeter, RIP.
5. 2007 U.S. GDP in Pie-Vision! – May 3rd
The culmination of many posts, this chart breaks down our national effort. It’s what we do.
4. Plato Sucks – April 19th
An easy win.
3. For the People in the Tents – November 14th
ACM’s proposed cover for Time’s Person of the Year issue in support of Occupy Wall Street and the 99%.
2. Moo Cow Moo Cow – September 13th
Apparently there is consistent demand for “cow moo” results on Google. This is the tortoise going for post of the decade.
1. Google’s Six Front War Visualized – July 14th
The runaway winner of 2011, with nearly 4 times the cow’s visits, a look at who Google is up against.
There you have it. Well, almost. Here’s the Top 3 Ape Con Myth thinks got away…
3. 2,000 Years of Darkness and Bafflement and Wonder – June 10th
A little something to get you into the holiday spirit.
2. GDP by NAICS (or, Here Come the Numbers) – July 12th
Still a work in progress, a presentation of Ape Con Myth’s favorite dataset, the North American Industry Classification System.
1. Conway’s Game of Life – April 12th
Fun with a cellular automaton. Whatever that means.
Thanks to everyone who has been reading!
A Terabyte of Illegal Downloads
posted in: External Images, The Cultural Devision
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What is this tiny monolith and why is it worth 5 million dollars?
It’s a terabyte drive filled with illegal downloads. There’s a bunch of software and games on it, but surprisingly(?) the bulk of the monetary value comes from books. By skipping the circus that likely would have followed if it were filled with Hollywood blockbusters, the piece clears the way for us to consider the question of Intellectual Property in an age where $5 million of it can fit on a $99 drive.
The twist here is that “5 Million Dollars 1 Terabyte” is on display at the online portal, Art404. Â And since the artist, Manuel Palou, includes a full list of the files on the drive along with download links for them all, what you don’t see in the exhibit is the conceptually lurid cord hanging out the back.
Should money be the measure of who is granted access to tools, knowledge and culture that could be so easily shared? No one is going to read 76 gigs of science text books, but what if they were all just online coming up in our search results instead of some blog? Is there a business model that could avoid excluding so many from so much?
With SOPA in Congress, this is timely work inviting sorely needed questions.
[Wired UK via Hacker News]Promising New College Stats
posted in: Ape Con Myth, Commentary, External Other
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A recent marketing study found that 79% of college students do not know how to scan QR codes and 75% considered themselves “not likely” to scan one in the future.
Good for them.
Not only is that a logical conclusion, but a sign that they might have better things to do. While there is plenty of fun to be had and useful things to be done with QR codes, when they are part of a marketing campaign, it’s a little like junk mail coming in the form of a puzzle you have to solve just to hear the pitch. As if what everyone’s day needs more of is extra steps.
QR codes? You know, for computers.
[via The Consumerist]Yes
posted in: Ape Con Myth, Library
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