Amanda Makulec's Avatar

Amanda Makulec

@abmakulec.bsky.social

Independent health data visualization designer, speaker, and teacher | Data Viz Society Founding Board Member & Advisory Council, Exec Director 2021-2024

1,675 Followers  |  249 Following  |  256 Posts  |  Joined: 24.10.2023  |  1.721

Latest posts by abmakulec.bsky.social on Bluesky

In a statement around ease of posting and UX: I got a new phone right before and hadn't gotten around to adding the app on my phone! Back now :)

30.07.2025 18:49 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Thanks Jacque!

30.07.2025 18:49 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Read the whole thing. You won’t be surprised, but you should be outraged.

13.05.2025 11:58 β€” πŸ‘ 2902    πŸ” 1141    πŸ’¬ 38    πŸ“Œ 32

This is disturbing… a single ChatGPT query uses 10x more energy than using a search engine. One 100-word email drafted by ChatGPT-4 uses about a water bottle’s worth of H2O, and enough electricity to power 14 LED lightbulbs for an hour.

10.05.2025 15:06 β€” πŸ‘ 72    πŸ” 39    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1

This loss the year that @USAID was dismantled feels like an extra gut punch.

09.05.2025 20:36 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Coming up to mother's day, I've been thinking a lot about parenting and the intersections with my work.

So, here are five ways for kids to learn to love data (with book recs, activities, and even a show!) that we've used with our littles. #dataviz

vizresponsibly.substack.com/p/five-ways-...

09.05.2025 20:35 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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BILL GATES: β€œThe picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one.”

@financialtimes.com
www.ft.com/content/bdd9...

08.05.2025 12:25 β€” πŸ‘ 34955    πŸ” 10803    πŸ’¬ 1076    πŸ“Œ 689

Me, to my kids when they ask when I'm going to die: "I'll be here for you as long as my body is working."

That's the closest to a promise I can keep since we can't promise forever.

Loss and grief make for some darkness in parenting...

02.05.2025 12:42 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Isn't it? I think minimalism can lead to incredible (and sometimes austere) data viz. Like most good data viz considerations it comes down to your audience and what you need the viz to do (inform, be speedy to read, inspire, alarm...)

30.04.2025 20:24 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

"WaPo columnists, they're just like us!"

Since that seems somehow like a totally normal afternoon of outdoor fun to me as a parent of little kids...

30.04.2025 19:41 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A pixelated image with dots and vague shapes of letters

A pixelated image with dots and vague shapes of letters

@frank.computer's "Minimalism and the Absurdity of the Data-to-Ink Ratio" will make you chuckle if you're a #dataviz designer, but also challenges us in a good way: how has minimalism become a way for some β€œintellectuals” in our field to enforce aesthetics as law?

www.frank.computer/blog/2025/04...

30.04.2025 15:22 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2

Nothing surprises me these days, but the absolute childishness and entitlement of "just say yes!" is painful.

30.04.2025 13:17 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
30.04.2025 13:14 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This is one of the worst violations of research ethics I've ever seen. Manipulating people in online communities using deception, without consent, is not "low risk" and, as evidenced by the discourse in this Reddit post, resulted in harm.

Great thread from Sarah, and I have additional thoughts. 🧡

26.04.2025 22:25 β€” πŸ‘ 1032    πŸ” 471    πŸ’¬ 28    πŸ“Œ 29
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PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081

25.04.2025 15:32 β€” πŸ‘ 60713    πŸ” 20856    πŸ’¬ 611    πŸ“Œ 840

First they came for USAID...now the same playbook.

19.04.2025 16:29 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Top researcher quits NIH, citing censorship under RFK Jr. | CNN Dr. Kevin Hall joins The Lead

He wasn’t just censored. They altered his responses to NYT questions on his publication
Egregious.
www.cnn.com/2025/04/17/h...

18.04.2025 00:02 β€” πŸ‘ 725    πŸ” 266    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 9

@acotgreave.bsky.social likes to say that "Win or learn, you can't lose" and while only one person is leaving with the big trophy, I know that the thousands in that room are leaving inspired. ❀️

17.04.2025 00:57 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Ryan, to think through a totally different perspective in a data set so many have worked with is so fun, along with your creativity and focus on migration.

17.04.2025 00:57 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Kathryn, your cockpit visualizations and use of graphic legends, along with the throwback to dataviz history were so impressive.

17.04.2025 00:57 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Bo, your storytelling abilities are exceptional and I loved the simplicity of your viz and shout outs to the community inspiration.

17.04.2025 00:57 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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It was an absolute honor judging #IronViz at #TC25. Each of the contestants did an INCREDIBLE job on their vizzes, and huge congrats to Bo on his win!

#dataviz

17.04.2025 00:57 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Three men and a woman in a selfie at a restaurant

Three men and a woman in a selfie at a restaurant

Taking the chart chat offline for the night and only spending a fraction talking about Dashboards that Deliver book things with @acotgreave.bsky.social @datarevelations.com & @jeffshaffer.bsky.social. Can't wait to see so many friendly faces at #TC25!

15.04.2025 05:49 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Thanks for the what-to-do-in-an-earthwyake coaching from this midwesterner. We're prepped for tornadoes.

14.04.2025 18:17 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits San Diego

Magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits San Diego

Being on an upper hotel floor as it starts to shake was not on my #TC25 bucket list.

14.04.2025 17:24 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
Selfie of smiling woman in pink.sjort and graphic block print jacket in front of windows with stylized bar chart components.

Selfie of smiling woman in pink.sjort and graphic block print jacket in front of windows with stylized bar chart components.

In San Diego for #TC25 this week! Counting down to IronViz Wednesday and Chart Chat live on Thursday, and looking forward to seeing friends and colleagues this week.

I've got DVS, Chart Chat, and Dashboards that Deliver swag in tow too. Stop me to say hi & I'm happy to share! #dataviz

14.04.2025 15:25 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Using the dots makes the difference between male and female life expectancy so staggeringly apparent! Appreciate the caveat about averages too.

13.04.2025 20:09 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

We are destroying the systems and teams who improved screening standards, in private outbreaks, collect data on population health, and more.

MAHA is an ideological joke wrapped in a fear of red food dye.

12.04.2025 12:46 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Colorful sunrise over a lake

Colorful sunrise over a lake

A moment of zen at sunrise for the timeline.

12.04.2025 12:26 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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I’ve never seen a tweet that more effectively communicates how we got to this current situation

11.04.2025 19:22 β€” πŸ‘ 25467    πŸ” 4118    πŸ’¬ 797    πŸ“Œ 409

@abmakulec is following 20 prominent accounts