 of interest. They supplement this with the open-source comic strip creation software ComicGen (available from Gramener co-publishers of this book). Finally, they share some useful links to other resources for you to continue this creative journey.
The power of part one of this book is that it is a full-length story. Over 62 pages we follow the comic strip characters Ringo, Priya, Dey & Dee as they follow India during the Cricket World Cup. The first great lesson from this form is that the primary focus is on the human story. The authors include a lot more backstory that is supported by just the data. We see their highs & lows, mistakes, relationship breakdowns & reconciliations over a range of geographical locations. That means when we see cricket data we understand why it matters to the heroes of our story. We know what is at stake. This humanising of the data story is too often missed by analysts.
The authors also take the opportunity to pause the story at different points to share data, insights & lessons learnt. This can be another effective technique. During Part One, we pause 6 times for inserted pages that highlight different ‘comic book tips‘. We also see 22 different charts shared in context, supported by not just annotations but also character comments & reactions. These draw our focus to what matters most as well as sharing almost all the relevant data as a context. Where possible achieving that in your Data Viz design allows for more engaging & accountable dialogue.
Finally, this data comic is not only visually interesting and varied (including effective chart designs) you want to read on. This is because, as Martin argued for in his recent posts, as much attention has been given to the story. We see what the data, insights & implications mean to our heroes. We see actions by our characters beyond the data that make us need to know what happened next. As the authors share in Part Two, thought has gone into the narrative arc of this story as well as each panel.
Hopefully Part One inspires you as a reader to want to try this approach to data visualisation yourself. That is certainly the effect that it had on me. Once you’ve finished the story you can see how it would be a new & different way to engage your audience with data they need to understand. The good news is that Part Two really is a step by step guide to how to approach this.
Where this section shines is in helping novices complete the basic data prep needed to be ready for chart creation. Those who are less familiar with Excel will find all sorts of handy tips here to complete this stage quicker. It may also highlight considerations that they are currently missing. The analysis side is light, as the focus soon moves on to identifying insights (or relevant/interesting information in this context).
But even fully proficient Excel analysts can learn from the section on creating a comic story. A helpful & brief section on selecting your narrative arc is followed by an introduction to the Comicgen software. Then it is apparent how some copy & paste together with careful alignment can create a more interesting visual form via Powerpoint. Analysts would do well at this point to think how more widely they could use this layout approach to vary the content they present. Rather than classic slides, what combination of different visual elements could be combined to tell your data story?
Before I finish I should also that a genuine passion & love for cricket shines through this story. Those who also love this sport will enjoy the perspective of two writers from the subcontinent where it is practically a religion. The vast majority of fans will also learn some new insights from the data presented.
But even though the cricket & human stories are engaging, this book is really about so much more. The approach outlined here could also be used to bring otherwise dull or repetitive data to life. I can think of Financial Services businesses, Retailers or Government departments where this could breathe fresh life into tired dashboards.
So, I recommend you give it a go. At the very least it will encourage you to think about the human stories behind your data. To identify insights & pertinent facts that have implications for the people you have in view. Plus, I hope it encourages you to get more creative in how you annotate & support your charts. I would love to see the data comics that you create as a result.
Our situations are quite different yeah and I feel like we don't really talk about it. I really do love him though which makes the whole thing more difficult. It would break my heart just as much as his to leave him and I would miss him.

But I do sometimes fantasize about being single instead. Especially lately. But then I think about how much he cares about me, and does for me with what he can, and I start to think that it's true what he said that I won't find anyone else who loves me and cares about me as much as he does.

I try to imagine my future without him to see how it would be and I will probably be fine. I feel like I would struggle to date again and in my head most people my age are already in relationships or married or engaged.Now that I’m older, I’ve realized that I can’t lie to my boyfriend and about 3 of my closest friends. Like I’ll try to make up an excuse for why I just want to stay home and not hang out and I immediately feel crazy amounts of guilt for not telling these specific people the truth. And it’s not like theyre gonna get me in trouble in they find out I made up an excuse. If there were to be an instance that I lied to my friends and they found out, sure they’d be upset and it would be legitimate and I’d feel so bad because of how I made them feel. I think I was able to lie to my parents because it was a protection for my feelings. I got good at it because if I didn’t, I’d continue to get yelled at and talked down to and punished. 

I wouldn’t say you’re a chump for not learning to lie. It’s never been fun.  Sometimes I’d get borderline nauseated. But that was better that being yelled at. (Which I’ve started to wonder has anything to do with RSD, which I know is still being researched and all that. But I’d rather feel my internal guilt about lying than external shame from my parents)Central is the place for Toronto to hear from experts and have conversations about the urban issues that impact us every day.
There was a short period in the most recent winter in which I took the King streetcar to work every day. It was a short commute from my apartment in Parkdale, but it felt like a much longer one.
For such a crowded streetcar, filled to the brim with perhaps 100 people, this shoulder-to-shoulder commute is dead quiet. 
We would pass stops in which the streetcar was too full for additional people to get on. During some extremely cold winter days, people would just have to wait. Maybe the next streetcar would have a bit more room - or maybe not.
Back on the streetcar, we are relatively warm and comfortable and we're confident that these people who are left in the cold will get to work eventually. Everyone can see that something is wrong with this situation, but the streetcar is silent.
After excusing and nudging through the doorway, we can see homeless people under blankets, absorbing heat from subway grates. It's too cold for anyone to be outside for long, but we know this is a recurring situation for many people in Toronto.
Every day, we see and feel things that are wrong.
Transit and homelessness, for instance, are complex issues. You may be able to rile up a few people during your morning commute by yelling about a imaginary King Street subway, but you probably won't have time to get into the fact that a shrinking violet Toronto City Council has left $2-billion in unfunded capital projects.
I believe Central can be the time and place for those conversations with the goal of increasing understanding of complex urban issues like transit, housing, policing, planning and politics.
This city is not a zero-sum game. With better understanding of issues, insightful analysis of related factors, and some political courage, things can get better.
That's what Central is about. This summer, let's make the time to have overdue conversations.Material Transport Co., a CRH company, is a hauler of rock, sand, cement and salt primarily working the Kansas City metropolitan area. Passionate about trucking, it’s safety first in a family focused, teamwork environment.
Because you are applying for a Department of Transportation regulated position, every question requires a complete and accurate response. Please do not omit any question including a complete 10 year job history.
Under general supervision and according to established policies and procedures, operates a dump truck as needed to transport raw materials to customers in a timely and efficient manner. Complies with all applicable safety and transportation policies and regulations.
Operates a dump truck to provide sand and rock to customers.
Operates a dump truck to load and unload material at customer job sites using safety precautions.
Records required data regarding material deliveries and prepares associated paperwork.
Places tarps on truckloads of material and takes the tarps off as appropriate.
Attends safety meetings and complies with safety laws and regulations.
Notifies Customer Service Representative--who dispatches trucks--of job status as appropriate.
Three to six months’ previous experience operating dump trucks and/or other related mobile equipment preferred but not required.
Ability to operate a dump truck effectively and safely as prescribed by state law. Must have possession of a current and valid Class A or B commercial drivers license. Ability to read and understand