(2010-03-29) Victor Ten Brighter Ideas An Explorable Explanation

Bret Victor: Ten Brighter Ideas? An Explorable Explanation. As with many areas of public interest, the common wisdom surrounding energy conservation consists of myths and legends, rules of thumb and superstitions. We're given guidelines as soundbites, catchy but insubstantial. We trust them blindly, not knowing whether our actions make any significant impact.

I found the list below, proposed alternatives to nuclear energy, in a brochure on the Beyond Nuclear website. I was curious whether their claims were true, and if true, whether they were significant. Mouse over each claim to read and play with an interactive analysis. Mouse over any statistic to see the source.

As you explore this document, imagine a world where we expect every claim to be accompanied by an explorable analysis, and every statistic to be linked to a primary source. Imagine collecting data and designing analyses in a collaborative wiki-like manner.

Digital documents aren't subject to the constraints of paper. We should hold modern propaganda to a higher standard. By all means, be catchy, eloquent, passionate, and inspiring. But we must be able to dive through the pretty words to see the data and sources beneath. (cf journalism, Claim-Refactoring Service)