In another well done data analysis from Trulia, the real estate technology company uses US Census data to map out the country’s bars and restaurants.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, San Francisco reigns supreme in the restaurant contest, with one restaurant for every 243 households in the city.  Trulia compares this data to the median price per square foot for for-sale houses and in that chart, it quickly becomes clear that in general, higher income provides for a greater ability to patronize (and support) a bustling restaurant culture.

Note: among the 100 largest metros.

Can you guess which city in the US has the greatest number of bars per capita?  I’ll give you a hint – you can get drive-thru margaritas and the city is nicknamed “The Big Easy”.  Yup, good ol’ New Orleans ranks #1 with one bar for every 1,173 households.  Interestingly, the median price per square foot for for-sale houses is significantly lower than for San Francisco, which ranks #8 by this measure.  It looks like sustaining a thriving bar scene does not have the same income requirements as restaurants.

Note: among the 100 largest metros.

I’d love to see these maps overlaid for a compare and contrast of the various metro areas featured in this analysis.  Interesting, it looks like the middle of the country has a considerably higher density of bars (relative to the rest of the country) than it does restaurants.

Olympic medals may be a lot of facade (a gold medal only had 1.34% gold content?), but they can come with big cash prizes.  The US Olympic committee will dole out in upwards of $25,000 for a gold medalist.  Countries such as Italy or Russian who pay $182,000 and $135,000, respectively to their countries top performers.  Surprisingly, the UK, this year’s host, does not provide any monetary compensation to their athletes for bringing home the gold.

Anyone else stay up all night watching Curiosity land on Mars?

Thanks, I Love Charts!

Put together with Google Docs, github, and the New York Times Olympic API, this microsite from the Guardian US answers the question, “Was an Olympic record set today”?  It’s going to be mighty sad for about four years after August 12th. ;)

Thanks, Flowing Data for posting this!

We found this little gem on Chart Porn.  It provides a neat visualization of the changing landscape of the United States since its inception.  We agree with the folks at Chart Porn that adding timeline control would make this map really awesome (and a useful study aid for American history).

In the past month, the BBC has released two interactive features around bodies that we found particularly interesting.  In one, you can find out which Olympic athlete has the same height and weight as you and in another, you can see where you rank on the global obesity index.  They are great examples of using publicly available data to create engaging and educational experiences.  Check ‘em out and let us know what you think about this kind of data presentation.

Actually, you do have to turn sixteen within the year of competition in order to be eligible to compete for the Olympics; however, the general perception of all Olympians being teenagers largely comes from the popular sport of women’s gymnastics, which in the past three Olympic Games has had no competitors over the age of 26.  However, the mid-twenties are a prime age group for Olympic competition.  In fact, most medalists (and gold medalists) are in their twenties.

Check out this cool interactive chart from the Washington Post and see which Olympic sports you may be most competitive in at your age.

And here’s some notable Olympians who have hit their peak later in life:

Dara Torres, who  at 41,  is the oldest swimmer to ever earn a place on the US Olympic team (2008 Summer Olympics).  She’s a mom of one, who at 40 beat her own American record for the 50-meter freestyle (she originally set the record when she was 15).

John Dane III, owner of Trinity Yachts, the country’s largest mega-yacht builder earned a spot on the 2008 US Olympic sailing team at age 58.  He had been trying out for the Olympics since he was 18 and achieved his dream after 40 years!

Happy 4th of July!  On this glorious holiday day, you may find yourself running between barbecues and gatherings around town and you may hear yourself utter a phrase I am frequently guilty of.

Almost no matter where I am going and how long it will realistically take me to get there, I will almost inevitably say “I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”  Thankfully, if you are like me, Trulia has come up with a Commute Map that may actually help us make more accurate predictions.

In the map of Austin to the upper left, you can see the “twenty minute range” around the Infochimps office, which is located just west of downtown Austin.  Thanks to nearby Mopac (aka Highway 1), travelling north and south are a breeze.  Unsurprisingly, the lack of east-west highways and other major roadways makes traversing the city in those directions more time consuming than north and south.

Contrast this with the public transportation to the right and the results are astounding.  Basically, this boils down to a thing that most Austinites are acutely aware of – public transportation here sucks.  Want to get somewhere in twenty minutes on a bus?  Hopefully you’re not trying to leave the neighborhood you’re already in ’cause it ain’t happening.

Contrast this with New York City, whose public transportation system affords transit riders with a range comparable (and arguably, more desirable) than the one available to the driver.  From Chinatown, one can drive to various neighborhoods of Brooklyn and even New Jersey in a short span of time, but by subway, you can reach the neighborhoods just south of Central Park on Manhattan or the artsy DUMBO neighborhood in Brooklyn easily in twenty minutes.

All ranting aside, Trulia has built a pretty amazing little tool here and all from data accessible to anyone: OpenStreetMaps and General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) feeds.  We encourage you to explore the power of publicly available data and its ability to generate amazing insights in the right context.

This ingenious little chart was put together with publicly available information from the CDC and Census Bureau, showcasing the really cool insights you can find with easy-to-get data.  Interesting, your life expectancy changes as you get older and the gap between life expectancy between men and women narrows with age.

Thanks, Chart Porn.

… from one of our favorite data gurus, Hans Rosling. A quick examination of shifting wealth and growing population. Enjoy!