alvin chang
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  • about me
  • writings
  • installations
  • visual/web
  • social good
    About

    Hello, I'm Alvin.

    I have my master's degree from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program. I studied on interactive technology, storytelling, emerging media and the internet audiences. My thesis project, Nestless, was a experimental approach to the homeless issue in urban areas.

    I currently write for ESPN.com's Insider, focusing on hockey metrics and what they tell us about greater trends. I've also reported on local scandals, suicides and their aftermath, the 2008 presidential election, sweatshops in New York City and what science says about religious phenomena. At NYU's student newspaper, I was the editor-in-chief (2007) as well as an award-winning columnist.

    I operate in the gaps between seemingly disparate things. It allows me to make connections that are new and meaningful.

    I was born in Kansas, only a few steps from the legendary Allen Fieldhouse.

    E-mail: alvinschang@gmail.com
    Twitter: @alvinschang
    Blog: lifeofalvin.com
    ITP Blog: alvinschang.com/itp

  • Journalism
  • Gladwell's theory doesn't hold in 2010
    Malcolm Gladwell wasn't quite right when he explained why hockey players are born in earlier months.
  • Isiah Thomas is a genius
    The former Knicks GM was actually a drafting wizard, despite his repuation for being a poor manager.
  • Lessons from Henrik Zetterberg
    The metrics show exactly where you can find the best value in the NHL Draft.
  • The Playoff Power Meter
    I devised a formula to find the teams most likely to win the Stanley Cup.
  • The draft profile of an NHL enforcer
    Where do NHL fighters come from? The data suggests hockey teams may be abusing journeymen.
  • Archive of my work
    It's all here.
  • Basketball's most influential man?
    It's not a player or a coach; it's a statistician -- and he knew Wilt Chamberlain.
  • Remembering his two names
    The story of how my grandfather had two names. Hint: It involves being on a North Korean 'list.'
  • Accountant started scrutiny of school district's spending
    The last piece in a series of articles about how the Liberty School District's superintendents were misusing school funds for personal items.
  • Worker is killed as he crosses I-670
    A semi-trailer truck struck him as he was performing streetlight maintenance.
  • KC struggles with effect of law on pit bulls
    I walk the streets finding pit bulls that were spayed or neutered.
  • Having fun with a fake disaster
    Kids are put through a tornado simulation. "We're hurt... but we just need ice-cream."
  • What makes Obama a good speaker?
    Analyzing Obama's powerful oration with some linguistics professors.
  • At Obama's church, pride and nervousness
    A presidential run puts a small denomination in a tough spot.
  • Draftniks: The rise of the Mini-Kipers
    Mel Kiper started arguably the narrowest beat in sports -- the NFL Draft.
  • America dream a nightmare for some
    I find some New York City's sweatshops, which are just blocks from where the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire occured.
  • Since suicide, guards get roof duty
    NYU's public -- and not so public -- reaction to a suicide.
  • Speaking in tongues
    A scientific look at the a religious phenomena.
  • As liquor flows, so do the fines
    How New York's finest enforce the drinking age in bars.
  • Bobst Boy, a uniting folktale
    One man's extreme exploration of storytelling.
  • Installations
  • Channels
    You sit in a boat in front of a screen, which displays a pond scene. And two massive buckets of water are on either side of the boat. Put your hands in the water and row through the virtual pond. (website/video)
  • Water Bowl
    It's a bowl of water -- except when you touch the water, it sings. And the deeper you reach, the deeper the water will sing. (video)
  • Soliloquy
    You sit in this industrial rig; you put on headphones and a blindfold. Then you enter a non-visual world, where you detect your location from the sounds and your movement from the wind. To move around this world, you lean your body in the direction you'd like to fly. (website)
  • Smiling Statues
    In April 2011, 91 hand-made statues -- all smiling -- were dispersed onto New York City's streets. And they all had a note: "If you find me, you may keep me. But please tell my owner I've found a safe home." (website)
  • VISUAL/WEB
  • The Listserve
    A giant list only one person can e-mail per day. It's an exploration in conversational spaces and collective storytelling, as well as an exercise in articulating potentially viral ideas. (website)
  • Paper Mode
    Did you know about Gmail's "Paper Mode"? No? Well this stop-motion animation will bring you up to speed. (watch)
  • Visualizing the NHL Draft
    A quick data visualization on the NHL Draft. (website)
  • Day Shift
    An allegorical animation about a species that exists to throw rocks down a cliff. (watch)
  • The Aperture
    A short film about a man who lives in a photobooth. (watch)
  • Butterfly In The Sky
    A program that visualizes a system of butterflies mating and passing their colors down to the next generation. (website)
  • Field of Seams
    An interactive program that animates real-life Major League Baseball pitches using Pitch f/x data. (website)
  • The Monsters
    An interactive comic about moving homes. (play)
  • Bang, Marry, Boot
    An experiment in conversational spaces with the GOP presidential candidates and polling -- with a twist. (website)
  • Social Projects
  • Lifecycle
    For UNICEF, we designed a kit that transforms any two bikes into a four-wheel vehicle. (website)
  • Nestless
    A mobile app that allows neighbors to alert other neighbors about homeless people who are in need. This is my thesis and it's currently being tested in New York City. (website)
  • Kinect Rehab
    A program that uses the Microsoft Kinect to help rehabing stroke patients. We were featured twice at Maker Faire. (website)