visualization
+ math
`\pi` Day 2018 Art Posters - Stitched city road maps from around the world
▲ 2021 `\pi` reminds us that good things grow for those who wait.' edition.
▲ 2019 `\pi` has hundreds of digits, hundreds of languages and a special kids' edition.
▲ 2018 `\pi` day stitches street maps into new destinations.
▲ 2017 `\pi` day imagines the sky in a new way.
▲ 2016 `\pi` approximation day wonders what would happen if about right was right.
▲ 2016 `\pi` day sees digits really fall for each other.
▲ 2015 `\pi` day maps transcendentally.
▲ 2014 `\pi` approx day spirals into roughness.
▲ 2014 `\pi` day hypnotizes you into looking.
▲ 2014 `\pi` day
▲ 2013 `\pi` day is where it started
▲ Circular `\pi` art and other distractions
On March 14th celebrate `\pi` Day. Hug `\pi`—find a way to do it.
For those who favour `\tau=2\pi` will have to postpone celebrations until July 26th. That's what you get for thinking that `\pi` is wrong. I sympathize with this position and have `\tau` day art too!
If you're not into details, you may opt to party on July 22nd, which is `\pi` approximation day (`\pi` ≈ 22/7). It's 20% more accurate that the official `\pi` day!
Finally, if you believe that `\pi = 3`, you should read why `\pi` is not equal to 3.
And if you've got to sleep a moment on the road
I will steer for you
And if you want to work the street alone
I'll disappear for you
—Leonard Cohen (I'm Your Man)
This year's is the 30th anniversary of `\pi` day. The theme of the art is bridging the world and making friends. So myself I again team up with my long-time friend and collaborator Jake Lever. I worled with Jake on the snowflake catalogue, where we build a world of flakes.
And so, this year we also build a world. We start with all the roads in the world and stitch them together in brand new ways. And if you walk more than 1 km in this world, you'll likely to be transported somewhere completely different.
This year's `\pi` day song is Trance Groove: Paris. Why? Because it's worth to go to new places—real or imagined.
city strips
Amsterdam,Bangkok,Beijing,Berlin,Copenhagen,Edinburgh,Hong Kong,Johannesburg,Marrakesh and Melbourne
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▲ On the road with 10 digits of `\pi`. City strips for Amsterdam, Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Marrakesh and Melbourne.
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Moscow,Mumbai,Nairobi,New Delhi,Nice,Prague,Rome,Stockholm,Vancouver and Warsaw
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▲ On the road with 10 digits of `\pi`. City strips for Moscow, Mumbai, Nairobi, New Delhi, Nice, Prague, Rome, Stockholm, Vancouver and Warsaw.
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Barcelona,Cairo,Dublin,Lisbon,Los Angeles,New York,Paris,San Francisco,Saint Petersburg and Vienna
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▲ On the road with 10 digits of `\pi`. City strips for Barcelona, Cairo, Dublin, Lisbon, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Saint Petersburg and Vienna.
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Buenos Aires,Doha,Jakarta,Madrid,Mexico City,Osaka,Sao Paolo,Shanghai,Sydney and Toronto
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▲ On the road with 10 digits of `\pi`. City strips for Buenos Aires, Doha, Jakarta, Madrid, Mexico City, Osaka, Sao Paolo, Shanghai, Sydney and Toronto.
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boonies, burbs and boutiques
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▲ The boonies, burbs and boutiques of `\pi`. Progressively denser patches of streets from various cities smoothly progress from nowhere to somewhere.
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world patches
10 cities
Berlin,Cairo,Hong Kong,London,Moscow,New York,Paris,Rome,Sydney and Tokyo
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▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Berlin, Cairo, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, New York, Paris, Rome, Sydney and Tokyo.
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▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Berlin, Cairo, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, New York, Paris, Rome, Sydney and Tokyo.
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BUY ARTWORK)
Amsterdam,Copenhagen,Dublin,Istanbul,Lisbon,Madrid,Melbourne,Nice,Prague and San Francisco.
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▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dublin, Istanbul, Lisbon, Madrid, Melbourne, Nice, Prague and San Francisco.
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BUY ARTWORK)
buy artwork
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dublin, Istanbul, Lisbon, Madrid, Melbourne, Nice, Prague and San Francisco.
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BUY ARTWORK)
Amsterdam,Doha,Marrakesh,Mumbai,Nairobi,Rome,San Francisco,Seoul,Shanghai and Vancouver
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▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Amsterdam, Doha, Marrakesh, Mumbai, Nairobi, Rome, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai and Vancouver
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BUY ARTWORK)
Dublin,Istanbul,Lisbon,Marrakesh,Osaka,Paris,Prague,Sydney,Vancouver and Vienna
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▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Dublin, Istanbul, Lisbon, Marrakesh, Osaka, Paris, Prague, Sydney, Vancouver and Vienna
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2 cities
Melbourne and Nice
Paris and Prague
Bangkok and Sao Paolo
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Bangkok and Sao Paolo.
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Berlin and Jakarta
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Berlin and Jakarta.
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Berlin and Mumbai
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Berlin and Mumbai.
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Cairo and Istanbul
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Cairo and Istanbul.
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Cairo and Jakarta
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Cairo and Jakarta.
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Doha and Lisbon
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Doha and Lisbon.
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Dublin and Istanbul
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Dublin and Istanbul.
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Dublin and Mumbai
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Dublin and Mumbai.
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Hong Kong and Jakarta
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Hong Kong and Jakarta.
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Istanbul and Paris
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Istanbul and Paris.
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Jakarta and San Francisco
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Jakarta and San Francisco.
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Johannesburg and Marrakesh
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Johannesburg and Marrakesh.
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Johannesburg and Nice
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Johannesburg and Nice.
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Lisbon and Seoul
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Lisbon and Seoul.
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Marrakesh and New Delhi
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Marrakesh and New Delhi.
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Marrakesh and Tokyo
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Marrakesh and Tokyo.
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Mumbai and Nairobi
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Mumbai and Nairobi.
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Mumbai and Vancouver
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Mumbai and Vancouver.
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Toronto and Vienna
▲ On the road with 36 digits of `\pi`. A world patch using Toronto and Vienna.
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news
+ thoughts
Mon 06-02-2023
Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished. —Francis Bacon
In the first of a series of columns about neural networks, we introduce them with an intuitive approach that draws from our discussion about logistic regression.
▲ Nature Methods Points of Significance column: Neural network primer.
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Simple neural networks are just a chain of linear regressions. And, although neural network models can get very complicated, their essence can be understood in terms of relatively basic principles.
We show how neural network components (neurons) can be arranged in the network and discuss the ideas of hidden layers. Using a simple data set we show how even a 3-neuron neural network can already model relatively complicated data patterns.
Derry, A., Krzywinski, M & Altman, N. (2023) Points of significance: Neural network primer. Nature Methods 20.
Background reading
Lever, J., Krzywinski, M. & Altman, N. (2016) Points of significance: Logistic regression. Nature Methods 13:541–542.
Mon 21-11-2022
If you sit on the sofa for your entire life, you’re running a higher risk of getting heart disease and cancer. —Alex Honnold, American rock climber
In a follow-up to our Survival analysis — time-to-event data and censoring article, we look at how regression can be used to account for additional risk factors in survival analysis.
We explore accelerated failure time regression (AFTR) and the Cox Proportional Hazards model (Cox PH).
▲ Nature Methods Points of Significance column: Regression modeling of time-to-event data with censoring.
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Dey, T., Lipsitz, S.R., Cooper, Z., Trinh, Q., Krzywinski, M & Altman, N. (2022) Points of significance: Regression modeling of time-to-event data with censoring. Nature Methods 19.
Tue 25-10-2022
I am more than my genome and my genome is more than me.
The MIT Museum reopened at its new location on 2nd October 2022. The new Gene Cultures exhibit featured my visualization of the human genome, which walks through the size and organization of the genome and some of the important structures.
▲ My art at the MIT Museum Gene Cultures exhibit tells shows the scale and structure of the human genome. Pay no attention to the pink chicken.