Telling Stories atInternet Scale

Larry Birnbaum

Northwestern UniversityKnight Lab

Computer Science and Medill / Journalism

The Punch Line

February 9, 2012, Hockey Recap:Rio Grande Valley rolls over Laredo, 6-3 The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees were firing on all cylinders against the Laredo Bucks, and when the final buzzer sounded Killer Bees emerged with a 6-3 win. Zac Pearson was all over the ice for Rio Grande Valley, as he tallied two goals and one assist in the win. Pearson scored the first of his two goals at 5:23 into the first period to make the score 1-0 Rio Grande Valley. Brandon Campos picked up the assist. Pearson's next tally made the score 2-0 Rio Grande Valley with 12:44 left in the first period. David Marshall assisted on the tally. Special teams units factored heavily in the game's outcome, as there were 14 penalties called on the two teams. The busiest period in the sin bins was the first period, which saw 18 minutes of penalty time combined between the two teams. The Killer Bees' goal total was higher than their season average. Rio Grande Valley averages two goals per game. The Killer Bees could not stay out of the penalty box, as the team accrued 17 minutes in penalties during the game. The leading offender was Jason Beeman, who totaled five minutes in penalty time with one major. With 48 shots on target during the contest, Rio Grande Valley exceeded the 22 shots it averages per game this year. Rio Grande Valley additionally got points from Aaron Lee, who had one goal and one assist, Marshall, who registered one goal and two assists, and Dan Gendur, who racked up one goal and one assist. Dan Nicholls also scored for Rio Grande Valley. Others to record assists for Rio Grande Valley were AJ Mikkelsen, who had two and Adam Bartholomay and Marc-Andre Carre, who each chipped in one. Laredo was often in penalty trouble, as it ended with six minors and one major for 17 minutes in penalty time. The leading offender was Justin Styffe, who totaled nine minutes in penalty time with two minors and one major.

The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees were firing on all cylinders against the Laredo Bucks, and when the final buzzer sounded Killer Bees emerged with a 6-3 win.

Business Stories

Business Stories

Another Earnings Preview

Thursday, October 6, 2011 12:00 PM: HEALTHCARE MIDDAY COMMENTARY: The Healthcare (XLV) sector underperformed the market in early trading on Thursday. Healthcare stocks trailed the market by 0.4%. So far, the Dow rose 0.2%, the NASDAQ saw growth of 0.8%, and the S&P500 was up 0.4%.  Here are a few Healthcare stocks that bucked the sector's downward trend.  MRK (Merck & Co Inc.) erased early losses and rose 0.6% to $31.26. The company recently announced its chairman is stepping down. MRK stock traded in the range of $31.21 -  $31.56. MRK's volume was 86.1% lower than usual with 2.5 million shares trading hands. Today's gains still leave the stock about 11.1% lower than its price three months ago.  LUX (Luxottica Group) struggled in early trading but showed resilience later in the day. Shares rose 3.8% to $26.92. LUX traded in the range of $26.48 -  $26.99. Luxottica Group’s early share volume was 34,155. Today's gains still leave the stock 21.8% below its 52-week high of $34.43. The stock remains about 16.3% lower than its price three months ago.  Shares of UHS (Universal Health Services Inc.) are trading at $32.89, up 81 cents (2.5%) from the previous close of $32.08. UHS traded in the range of $32.06 -  $33.01…

The Healthcare (XLV) sector underperformed the market in early trading on Thursday. Healthcare stocks trailed the market by 0.4%. So far, the Dow rose 0.2%, the NASDAQ saw growth of 0.8%, and the S&P500 was up 0.4%.

MRK (Merck & Co Inc.) erased early losses and rose 0.6% to $31.26. The company recently announced its chairman is stepping down. MRK stock traded in the range of $31.21 -  $31.56. MRK's volume was 86.1% lower than usual with 2.5 million shares trading hands. Today's gains still leave the stock about 11.1% lower than its price three months ago.

Sector Reporting

Over the past eight quarters, AmgenCorp has seen a steady increase in both sales and gross profit.  During this period, however, two trends have become apparent.  

While sales have increased, there has been a steady decrease in margins which should be cause for concern.

In addition, while we have seen quarter-to-quarter increases in both sales and gross profit, each of these metrics is decelerating, indicating that the business is experiencing a slow down.

Why Stories?

• Stories pick out, connect, and summarize the critical aspects of a situation

• Stories explain: They convey trends, causes, and even recommendations

• Stories provide context• Stories make data meaningful

Why Stories

First Prototype at Northwestern

First Prototype: Derived Features

First Prototype: The Outline

First Prototype: The Story

How Quill Works

Narrative Analytics

• Narrative goals determine data analysis—and even the data you need

• Stories embody high-level patterns or themes—such as comeback, fade, low-hanging fruit, etc.—that:• Render data coherent• Usefully characterize situations in broad

terms• Are efficiently communicated and effectively

grasped

Civic Data

Civic Data: Education Story

NEWT GINGRICH GAINS ATTENTION WITH HOT-BUTTON TOPICS TAXES, CHARACTER ISSUES

Newt Gingrich received the largest increase in Tweets about him today. Twitter activity associated with the candidate has shot up since yesterday, with most users tweeting about taxes and character issues. Newt Gingrich has been consistently popular on Twitter, as he has been the top riser on the site for the last four days. Conversely, the number of tweets about Ron Paul has dropped in the past 24 hours. Another traffic loser was Rick Santorum, who has also seen tweets about him fall off a bit.

While the overall tone of the Gingrich tweets is positive, public opinion regarding the candidate and character issues is trending negatively. In particular, @MommaVickers says, "Someone needs to put The Blood Arm's 'Suspicious Character' to a photo montage of Newt Gingrich. #pimp”.

On the other hand, tweeters with a long reach are on the upside with regard to Newt Gingrich's take on taxes. Tweeting about this issue, @elvisroy000 says, "Newt Gingrich Cut Taxes Balanced Budget, 1n 80s and 90s, Newt experienced Conservative with values”.

Maine recently held its primary, but it isn't talking about Gingrich. Instead the focus is on Ron Paul and religious issues.

Social Media Data Too!

Big Data Made Personal

Quill Engage for Google Analytics

Quill Engage

Quill Engage

Quill Engage

Automated Stories: The Future

• Ever more insightful, sophisticated, and personalized narratives

• Making Big Data personal, understandable, and actionable

• New media

• An authoring platform for everyone

Thanks

• Colleagues (many), especially Kris Hammond

• Students (scores), especially Nick Allen, Miriam Boon, Jason Cohn, Jiahui Liu, Patrick McNally, Shawn O’Banion, John Templon, and Earl Wagner

• Funders, especially the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, and Google

• Narrative Science, for making it real