This Week in Nightingale: Some Sensible Advice, Wrestling, and Board Games

It’s almost the holidays so we’re bringing some practical insight and fun applications of data viz your way.

Earlier this year Jane Zhang took a leap of faith and began working for herself. In her article “How I Quit My Full-Time Job to Pursue a Freelance Career As a Data Visualization Designer” she reveals the highs and lows of leaving secure employment behind.

Duncan Geere talks us through the endless possibilities for creating data viz in “Choosing the Right Tools for Data Visualization.” The article provides an up-to-date reflection of what members of the Data Visualization Society use in their day-to day work and — perhaps surprisingly — encourages us all to step away from the tech sometimes!

As though to prove that design really is everywhere, Johannes Wirges went to The Internationale Spieltage to find out “What Board Games Teach Us About Data Visualization.” You will never look at a board in the same way again.

Jorge Masvidal and Israel Adesanya are two of the best fighters in the UFC, but who deserves to be the Fighter of the Year? Check out what the data tells us in “UFC Fighter of the Year: A Data Viz Story.”

Jason Forrest wrote about “The Gilded Age Map That Shines a Light on America’s Past and Present.” Created in 1888 by John F. Smith, Historical Geography reflects the politics of that historical moment, and offers some context for our own.