2026-04-07 19:32:17
NASA makes a lot of live data available about the Artemis II mission. Chad Ohman brought all the feeds into one place for a mission control-type dashboard, including if the toilet on board is a go. I guess there are other things too, such as location, measurements, and crew schedule.
Tags: Artemis II, Chad Ohman, NASA, space, tracker
2026-04-07 15:14:53
It appears there is an upcoming film, Pressure, whose meteorologist main character deals with forecasting uncertainty for the weather on D-Day. It’s coming May 2026, and it’s based on a play from 2014.
Despite a prolonged heat wave, Stagg is convinced that the weather conditions will suddenly deteriorate sharply on June 5, the current date of the proposed D-Day, and that the planned invasion should therefore be postponed. Meanwhile, Krick believes forecasts of a calm sunny day on June 5 and believes that the plans should proceed as usual. While attempting to convince Eisenhower that his forecast of the weather conditions is correct, Stagg struggles with his own fear of potentially getting the forecast wrong.
I’m not much into war movies, but the preview shows maps, data collection, and real-world decisions with uncertainty attached and lives at stake. I’m pretty much required to watch this.
Tags: forecasting, movie, uncertainty
2026-04-06 20:05:40
Gas prices are high across the U.S., more so in some places than in others. (Hello from California.) The New York Times has an interactive map of the average price by county. It loads initially by state and then you can zoom in for more details.
I think this is a riff on an older NYT map of the same data and structure, but I couldn’t find it. Maybe it was of temperature?
Either way, I’m a fan of maps that show the data directly through text. See also: most popular resident of every city, midterm challengers, the United States of surnames, London surnames, and how online daters describe themselves.
Tags: gas, New York Times, prices
2026-04-06 15:18:50
GlobalPetrolPrices tracks prices around the world for 150 countries, in case you’re wondering how your country compares. If you want to make it feel like you’re getting a bargain, try comparing against Hong Kong prices.
2026-04-04 03:56:12
The first downlinked images were published by NASA. The best view of Earth’s night side.
2026-04-03 19:04:22
After demolishing the East Wing of the White House and rushing into construction of a ballroom, the administration was finally ordered to stop until the plans go through the necessary reviews. NYT’s the Upshot made notes on the ballroom design, which is more flashy than practical, such as a stairway to nowhere and fake windows.
I like the enhanced byline: “Junho Lee is a trained architect, Larry Buchanan studied fine arts, and Emily Badger has long written about urban planning.” Apparently NYT has been doing this for a few years.
Tags: architecture, ballroom, Upshot, White House
