"Where did Warren get her votes?", Boston Globe, 11/7/12
About
Hello, I'm Alvin.
I make data visualizations at the Boston Globe. Previously, I wrote for ESPN Insider, focusing on hockey metrics and what they tell us about greater trends. I've also reported on presidential election, local scandals, suicides, sweatshops, pit bulls and speaking in tongues.
I have my master's degree from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program. My thesis project, Nestless, was a experimental approach to the homeless issue in urban areas.
At NYU's student newspaper, I was the editor-in-chief (2007) as well as an award-winning columnist.
I was born in Kansas, only a few steps from the legendary Allen Fieldhouse. I once played jazz piano. I tinker with watches. I consider myself a writer. I want to humanize technology.
E-mail: alvinschang@gmail.comTwitter: @alvinschang
- Boston Globe
- Words
- Gladwell's theory doesn't hold in 2010Malcolm Gladwell wasn't quite right when he explained why hockey players are born in earlier months.
- Isiah Thomas is a geniusThe former Knicks GM was actually a drafting wizard, despite his repuation for being a poor manager.
- Lessons from Henrik ZetterbergThe metrics show exactly where you can find the best value in the NHL Draft.
- The Playoff Power MeterI devised a formula to find the teams most likely to win the Stanley Cup.
- The draft profile of an NHL enforcerWhere do NHL fighters come from? The data suggests hockey teams may be abusing journeymen.
- Archive of my workIt'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 namesThe story of how my grandfather had two names. Hint: It involves being on a North Korean 'list.'
- Accountant started scrutiny of school district's spendingThe 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-670A semi-trailer truck struck him as he was performing streetlight maintenance.
- KC struggles with effect of law on pit bullsI walk the streets finding pit bulls that were spayed or neutered.
- Having fun with a fake disasterKids 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 nervousnessA presidential run puts a small denomination in a tough spot.
- Draftniks: The rise of the Mini-KipersMel Kiper started arguably the narrowest beat in sports -- the NFL Draft.
- Physical
- ChannelsYou 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 BowlIt'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)
- LifecycleFor UNICEF, we designed a kit that transforms any two bikes into a four-wheel vehicle. (website)
- NestlessA 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 RehabA program that uses the Microsoft Kinect to help rehabing stroke patients. We were featured twice at Maker Faire. (website)
- SoliloquyYou 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 StatuesIn 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)
- Digital
- The ListserveA 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)
- Tappable StoriesA Wordpress and Tumblr plugin that allows storytellers to create tappable slides. (github)
- Snowstorm Nemo VisualizationA quick visualization showing snowfall in the Northeast. (website)
- Paper ModeDid you know about Gmail's "Paper Mode"? No? Well this stop-motion animation will bring you up to speed. (watch)
- Visualizing the NHL DraftA quick data visualization on the NHL Draft. (website)
- Day ShiftAn allegorical animation about a species that exists to throw rocks down a cliff. (watch)
- The ApertureA short film about a man who lives in a photobooth. (watch)
- Butterfly In The SkyA program that visualizes a system of butterflies mating and passing their colors down to the next generation. (website)
- Field of SeamsAn interactive program that animates real-life Major League Baseball pitches using Pitch f/x data. (website)
- The MonstersAn interactive comic about moving homes. (play)
- Bang, Marry, BootAn experiment in conversational spaces with the GOP presidential candidates and polling -- with a twist. (website)
