Good news for knowledge junkies! Data Journalism Handbook: How journalists can use data to improve the news- available online.

Data Journalism Handbook: How journalists can use data to improve the news
Jonathan Gray, Liliana Bounegru, and Lucy Chambers, Editors


The book is available for free online.  Below is a link to a useful chapter:


Data visualization DIY:  Our Top Tools



RELATED
Open Knowledge Foundation

Infographic about CISPA, contrasted with SOPA, by Lumin Consulting. Food for thought for those who might be mistakenly viewed as a "cyber threat"

Below is an interesting infographic from Lumin Consulting that explains the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).  Thanks to Cathy Davidson for sharing this on Facebook!




Infographic designed by Lumin Consulting

iMac Touch Concept Video - in case you missed it.

Here is an interesting concept demo of a touch-screen iMac, via Joakim Ulseth, via Cult of Mac: 



iMac Touch concept mockup ''Power at your fingertips'' from Joakim Ulseth on Vimeo.


RELATED
Introducing the iMac Touch (Video)
John Brownlee, Cult of Mac, 4/25/12
Joakim Ulseth's Website
Cult of Mac
Is This What Future TouchScreen iMacs Will Look Like?  [CES 2012]
Buster Heine, Cult of Mac

Children's Drawings Projected on Buckingham Palace and BBC's Public Big Screens in the UK

Children's self-portraits cover Buckingham Palace (News UK)


Children in the UK were asked to create self-portraits for a special arts project designed to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. The self-portraits were digitized and transformed to create a media facade that was projected on Buckingham Palace. This example of digital art for public viewing was shared on a number of large screen displays in public spaces around the UK.


This project was part of Face Britain.  All children in the UK were invited to submit a self-portrait in an attempt to create the largest on-line gallery of self-portraits in the world.


Below is a video about the media facade:





Photo credit: Face Britain
FACE BRITIAN video:


from Children & the Arts on Vimeo.


RELATED
Below are some examples of how BBC's large displays are used for interactive games in public spaces:


BBC's Big Screen Games in Public Spaces:

Septris: A game to teach about Sepsis, plus resources and links

 According to a fact sheet from the Global Sepsis Alliance, sepsis "remains the primary cause of death from infection despite advances in modern medicine, including vaccines, antibiotics, and intensive care.  Sepsis, which is often misunderstood by the public as "blood-poisoning", is one of the leading cause of death around the world.  Sepsis arises when the body's response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs.  It may lead to shock, multiple organ failure, and death, especially if not recognized early and treated promptly.  Between on third and one half of patients with sepsis die...


...Rapid initiation of simple, timely interventions, including antimicrobials and intravenous fluids can halve the risk of dying. Patients with suspected sepsis should be referred immediately to an appropriate facility...Unfortunately, sepsis is still mostly overlooked and recognized too late"


SEPTRIS, a game about sepsis, was developed by a team of people from Stanford University.   The following article, written by Sara Wykes (Stanford School of Medicine), provides an in-depth account of the story behind the development of a game designed to teach medical professionals about sepsis:  Game on: Stanford develops new tool for teaching doctors to treat sepsis.



Credit:  "Dr. Septris"; Septris Screen Shot: Stanford University


Anyone can play Septris for free.  The link is optimize to run nicely on an iPad, iPhone, or Android, but can be accessed on a desktop through Firefox, Chrome, or Safari browsers.  If you are a medical professional and need CME credits, the fee for the certificate of completionis $20.00. The fee was waived for the first 100 users.


RELATED
Septris CME Website (Stanford)
Septris Game
Septris Technical Design & Development Team
Brian Tobin
Jamie Tsui
James Laird
Glenn Zephier


World Sepsis Declaration (pdf)
Sepsis Alliance
Global Sepsis Alliance
Pediatric Sepsis Initiative
STOP Sepsis Collaborative

Note:  Sepsis Awareness is now one of my "causes".  The first World Sepsis Day is September 13, 2012 and I plan to share information about this global health concern from time-to-time, and related to technology in some way.


Below is a picture of my 24-year-old daughter, her husband, and son on Friday, March 31, 2012.   At the time this picture was taken, she felt fine and had just walked about a mile and a half or so on a family stroll. She was in perfect health.  She woke up in the wee hours of April 1st with the signs of an infection, took something for her aches and pains, and went back to bed.



The next day, things were much worse. She didn't know it at the time, but her blood pressure was falling and the signs of sepsis were appearing.  Time was wasted going to an urgent care clinic. Fortunately she was referred to the E.R, where her her symptoms were identified.  She received excellent treatment at Matthews Presbyterian Hospital.  It took several days until she was stable, and she was hospitalized for one week.  Unlike many people who experience sepsis, she did not suffer tissue damage or shutdown of her organs. Her treatment was initiated early enough to prevent this from happening. 


Below is a picture of my daughter as she was beginning to recover.




UPDATE 7/15/12  
My daughter is doing much better, but she experienced a great deal of fatigue for several weeks following her hospitalization


I recently came across an article written in the New York Times, by Jim Dwyer, about Rory Staunton, a 12-year-old boy who died from a strep infection that resulted in a sepsis crisis that went untreated.  Unlike my daughter, Rory was discharged from the ER instead of being admitted for the intensive treatment that my daughter received. When his parents took him back to the hospital, it was too late. He died on April 1, 2012.  My daughter battling sepsis in the hospital in North Carolina on the very same day.


Although I am not a physician, I am sure that Rory's death could have been prevented, based on information in the article as well as information shared by Rory's parents on their website. 


To learn more about Rory's story, read the New York Time's article and a few of the comments. At the time of this update, over 1500 comments were listed on the NYT's website.


An Infection, Unnoticed, Turns Unstoppable
Jim Dwyer, New York Times, 7/11/12

Reaction to Column About a Boy Who Died
Jim Dwyer, New York Times, 7/14/12

Rory Staunton (Website created by Rory's parents)
Rory's sepsis crisis was the result of toxic shock from a Strep A infection.  Sepsis can also be the result of other types of infections. The main thing to know that  is that once sepsis sets in, the patient requires immediate and intensive treatment, guided by an infectious disease specialist.  

Multimedia: Health Awareness Info and Rap about Sepsis

As some of my readers know, my perfectly healthy daughter was recently hospitalized with sepsis. For that reason, I've taken a temporary detour to gather information and data about sepsis. This summer, I'm considering working on a public awareness information visualization about this topic. 


The following video is a rap created to promote awareness about sepsis and the treatment of sepsis among health care providers. Although the first patient in the video is an elderly man, know that it can strike any age group.





I am happy to say that daughter is now doing well. She was treated relatively early, and unlike many others, she suffered no tissue or organ damage. She survived.


Some of the symptoms of sepsis include fever, hypothermia, a high heart rate (over 90 beats per minute), a fast respiratory rate, low/falling blood pressure, swelling, light headedness, etc. Skip urgent care if you have the signs of sepsis and go immediately to the E.R, tell them your symptoms, especially your blood pressure, heart rate, temp, and any type of infection you might have.  Say that you suspect you have sepsis. The sooner you get treatment, the better your chance of survival. 


More children die of sepsis than from cancer in the United States, and about 40% of all patients diagnosed with severe sepsis do not survive.*


RELATED
Sepsis Alliance
Surviving Sepsis Campaign
Global Sepsis Alliance
Surviving Sepsis: Going Beyond the Guidelines (pdf)

Large touch-screen display in a hotel lobby at the Tides Hotel at Folly Beach, S.C.

There is a story behind this picture.  I will revisit this post soon to finish it!

Update: Daughter's recovery from sepsis, and public awareness video about sepsis

My daughter is recovering from sepsis, which came on suddenly and required a week in the hospital. It was serious, and I am thankful she is getting stronger each day. I will resume regular blogging soon.


I am posting the following video about Sepsis as my effort to promote public awareness about sepsis. I haven't had time to fact-check the information in the video. It is from the Sepsis Alliance website. With awareness, more lives will be saved.