Ahmad Barclay
@bothness.bsky.social
Architect // #DataViz storyteller // UX coder. Making useful stuff with #OpenData at the ONS. Occasionally #PalOpenMaps. Views my own. Portfolio @ ahmadbarclay.com
Pinned
Ahmad Barclay
@bothness.bsky.social
· Dec 24
Ever wanted to waste infinity hours doing tile puzzles of every place in the world? Well, now you can with #AnyMapPuzzle
You can play for free, forever (literally), at bothness.github.io/anymap
You can play for free, forever (literally), at bothness.github.io/anymap
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
Tonight Maccabi Tel Aviv Ultras viciously attacked a Palestinian owned car washing business in Tel Aviv, shouting "death to the Arabs" as the police looked by
January 14, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Tonight Maccabi Tel Aviv Ultras viciously attacked a Palestinian owned car washing business in Tel Aviv, shouting "death to the Arabs" as the police looked by
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
🌎 Today, I'm happy to release "First Basemap," a free tutorial that shares one of our most valuable recent innovations at Reuters. https://palewi.re/docs/first-basemap/
January 5, 2026 at 4:52 PM
🌎 Today, I'm happy to release "First Basemap," a free tutorial that shares one of our most valuable recent innovations at Reuters. https://palewi.re/docs/first-basemap/
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
A picture is worth 1000 words...
This appeared on the BBC News today, showing the increase in solar electric generation in the UK.
Not sure who produced it, but genuinely think this is a genius piece of scientific communication - the construct and choice of colour scale is near-perfect.
Chapeau!
This appeared on the BBC News today, showing the increase in solar electric generation in the UK.
Not sure who produced it, but genuinely think this is a genius piece of scientific communication - the construct and choice of colour scale is near-perfect.
Chapeau!
January 2, 2026 at 4:53 PM
A picture is worth 1000 words...
This appeared on the BBC News today, showing the increase in solar electric generation in the UK.
Not sure who produced it, but genuinely think this is a genius piece of scientific communication - the construct and choice of colour scale is near-perfect.
Chapeau!
This appeared on the BBC News today, showing the increase in solar electric generation in the UK.
Not sure who produced it, but genuinely think this is a genius piece of scientific communication - the construct and choice of colour scale is near-perfect.
Chapeau!
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
A List of Predictions Made in 1926 About 2026
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January 1, 2026 at 5:13 PM
A List of Predictions Made in 1926 About 2026
🧵
🧵
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
Wonderful article, just lovely.
I've been aware for a while of the work by faith and other community groups to support people seeking asylum. So I asked the @refugeecouncil.bsky.social where there was really vigorous community support. They said Northallerton. Here's what I found when I went there: as.ft.com/r/b3449fbd-3...
‘A place of welcome’: Yorkshire town rallies round to help asylum seekers
[FREE TO READ] Churches and community groups in Northallerton provide food, clothing and company for refugee families
as.ft.com
December 24, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Wonderful article, just lovely.
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
"The important question is not whether a genocide has been taking place in Gaza, but how it happened and how it was allowed to happen."
brunomacaes.substack.com/p/gaza-the-r...
@brunomacaes.bsky.social
brunomacaes.substack.com/p/gaza-the-r...
@brunomacaes.bsky.social
Gaza: The Reckoning
The debate on whether Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a genocide is now closed, and has been closed for a while.
brunomacaes.substack.com
December 23, 2025 at 2:31 PM
"The important question is not whether a genocide has been taking place in Gaza, but how it happened and how it was allowed to happen."
brunomacaes.substack.com/p/gaza-the-r...
@brunomacaes.bsky.social
brunomacaes.substack.com/p/gaza-the-r...
@brunomacaes.bsky.social
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
Mondoweiss exists because 🇵🇸 voices can't wait for the New York Times to get it right. #GivingTuesday
This work pisses off a lot of people (mostly Zionists) & gets us banned from platforms. It also costs money.
Support our work here 👇👇👇
mondoweiss.net/donate?sourc...
This work pisses off a lot of people (mostly Zionists) & gets us banned from platforms. It also costs money.
Support our work here 👇👇👇
mondoweiss.net/donate?sourc...
December 2, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Mondoweiss exists because 🇵🇸 voices can't wait for the New York Times to get it right. #GivingTuesday
This work pisses off a lot of people (mostly Zionists) & gets us banned from platforms. It also costs money.
Support our work here 👇👇👇
mondoweiss.net/donate?sourc...
This work pisses off a lot of people (mostly Zionists) & gets us banned from platforms. It also costs money.
Support our work here 👇👇👇
mondoweiss.net/donate?sourc...
This hanging ivy isn't supposed to cling to anything, but for some reason it's taken an interest in my copy of Edward Tufte's #DataViz classic "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information"
November 17, 2025 at 7:30 PM
This hanging ivy isn't supposed to cling to anything, but for some reason it's taken an interest in my copy of Edward Tufte's #DataViz classic "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information"
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
#30DayMapChallenge
Day 1: Points
Worked on this experimental dot density map using UK population data by age and sex. The points are generated and coloured in real-time as you explore the map.
onsdigital.github.io/dot-map-poc/
1/3
Day 1: Points
Worked on this experimental dot density map using UK population data by age and sex. The points are generated and coloured in real-time as you explore the map.
onsdigital.github.io/dot-map-poc/
1/3
November 1, 2025 at 8:50 AM
#30DayMapChallenge
Day 1: Points
Worked on this experimental dot density map using UK population data by age and sex. The points are generated and coloured in real-time as you explore the map.
onsdigital.github.io/dot-map-poc/
1/3
Day 1: Points
Worked on this experimental dot density map using UK population data by age and sex. The points are generated and coloured in real-time as you explore the map.
onsdigital.github.io/dot-map-poc/
1/3
#30DayMapChallenge
Day 1: Points
Worked on this experimental dot density map using UK population data by age and sex. The points are generated and coloured in real-time as you explore the map.
onsdigital.github.io/dot-map-poc/
1/3
Day 1: Points
Worked on this experimental dot density map using UK population data by age and sex. The points are generated and coloured in real-time as you explore the map.
onsdigital.github.io/dot-map-poc/
1/3
November 1, 2025 at 8:50 AM
#30DayMapChallenge
Day 1: Points
Worked on this experimental dot density map using UK population data by age and sex. The points are generated and coloured in real-time as you explore the map.
onsdigital.github.io/dot-map-poc/
1/3
Day 1: Points
Worked on this experimental dot density map using UK population data by age and sex. The points are generated and coloured in real-time as you explore the map.
onsdigital.github.io/dot-map-poc/
1/3
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
Won't lie - it has been a bit of a lifelong dream to work on the release of Indice of Deprivations interactive offer...
...very proud of what the team has delivered today. Check it
out - deprivation.communities.gov.uk
...very proud of what the team has delivered today. Check it
out - deprivation.communities.gov.uk
October 30, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Won't lie - it has been a bit of a lifelong dream to work on the release of Indice of Deprivations interactive offer...
...very proud of what the team has delivered today. Check it
out - deprivation.communities.gov.uk
...very proud of what the team has delivered today. Check it
out - deprivation.communities.gov.uk
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
I've written a short blog post introducing "The Art of Visualization with ggplot2"!
This book is all about the end-to-end process of creating charts with #ggplot2 📊 including data wrangling, sketching, and styling your plots!
nrennie.rbind.io/blog/art-of-...
#RStats #DataViz #TidyTuesday
This book is all about the end-to-end process of creating charts with #ggplot2 📊 including data wrangling, sketching, and styling your plots!
nrennie.rbind.io/blog/art-of-...
#RStats #DataViz #TidyTuesday
Introducing The Art of Visualization with ggplot2 – Nicola Rennie
I’ve written a book! This blog post gives a brief introduction to The Art of Visualization with ggplot2, a book of data visualization case studies showing the end-to-end process of building charts, st...
nrennie.rbind.io
September 11, 2025 at 2:32 PM
I've written a short blog post introducing "The Art of Visualization with ggplot2"!
This book is all about the end-to-end process of creating charts with #ggplot2 📊 including data wrangling, sketching, and styling your plots!
nrennie.rbind.io/blog/art-of-...
#RStats #DataViz #TidyTuesday
This book is all about the end-to-end process of creating charts with #ggplot2 📊 including data wrangling, sketching, and styling your plots!
nrennie.rbind.io/blog/art-of-...
#RStats #DataViz #TidyTuesday
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
Why would someone pay $20k for a robot controlled by a human in a remote location to do things more slowly and clumsily when the median wage for a maid or housekeeper is $33k per year, which is typically spread across 10-20 households?
October 29, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Why would someone pay $20k for a robot controlled by a human in a remote location to do things more slowly and clumsily when the median wage for a maid or housekeeper is $33k per year, which is typically spread across 10-20 households?
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
"Can't miss the boat"
"Embrace it or be left behind"
"You'll be replaced by someone using AI"
These are all marketing slogans that prey on FOMO rather than value propositions. Anyone making decisions based on this kind of shaky logic is just another layer in the pyramid scheme.
"Embrace it or be left behind"
"You'll be replaced by someone using AI"
These are all marketing slogans that prey on FOMO rather than value propositions. Anyone making decisions based on this kind of shaky logic is just another layer in the pyramid scheme.
“When someone says we can’t miss the boat, I ask: where is the boat going? What exactly will this technology improve? That’s rarely discussed. Since when did we become Big Tech's free PR department?”
— says Nicky DRIES, Future of Work Lab at the Catholic University of Leuven
— says Nicky DRIES, Future of Work Lab at the Catholic University of Leuven
October 28, 2025 at 1:05 PM
"Can't miss the boat"
"Embrace it or be left behind"
"You'll be replaced by someone using AI"
These are all marketing slogans that prey on FOMO rather than value propositions. Anyone making decisions based on this kind of shaky logic is just another layer in the pyramid scheme.
"Embrace it or be left behind"
"You'll be replaced by someone using AI"
These are all marketing slogans that prey on FOMO rather than value propositions. Anyone making decisions based on this kind of shaky logic is just another layer in the pyramid scheme.
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
Coders: help mentor Gaza's CS students! Final year university students in Gaza are looking for mentorship in completing their undergraduate projects. Great opportunity to help students suffering under occupation.
updates.techforpalestine.org/introducing-...
updates.techforpalestine.org/introducing-...
Announcing: A Mentorship Program Helping Gaza’s Tech Students Graduate
We are introducing a global mentorship initiative connecting experienced tech professionals with students in Gaza to help them finish graduation projects, build industry-ready skills, and access…
updates.techforpalestine.org
October 24, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Coders: help mentor Gaza's CS students! Final year university students in Gaza are looking for mentorship in completing their undergraduate projects. Great opportunity to help students suffering under occupation.
updates.techforpalestine.org/introducing-...
updates.techforpalestine.org/introducing-...
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
Do you want a bit more sketchiness in your #datavis?
Here's my @observablehq.com Plot plugin that turns an Plot specification into a sketchy version with minimal extra work:
observablehq.com/@jwolondon/m...
Builds on the work of Gordon Tu and rough.js
Here's my @observablehq.com Plot plugin that turns an Plot specification into a sketchy version with minimal extra work:
observablehq.com/@jwolondon/m...
Builds on the work of Gordon Tu and rough.js
October 19, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Do you want a bit more sketchiness in your #datavis?
Here's my @observablehq.com Plot plugin that turns an Plot specification into a sketchy version with minimal extra work:
observablehq.com/@jwolondon/m...
Builds on the work of Gordon Tu and rough.js
Here's my @observablehq.com Plot plugin that turns an Plot specification into a sketchy version with minimal extra work:
observablehq.com/@jwolondon/m...
Builds on the work of Gordon Tu and rough.js
Only good omen for #ManUtd is that in 1992/93 they went on to win their first league title in a quarter of a century! #MOTD
With just four points from four games (W1 D1 L2), this is Manchester United’s poorest start to a league season since 1992-93, when they also had four points from their opening four matches under Alex Ferguson. (opta)
September 14, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
Join us a week today!
Speakers include:
- @bothness.bsky.social, ONS, on 'Surfacing Local Insights: Mapping, Scrollytelling and (Semi)Automation'
- Andrea Barry, Youth Futures Foundation, on their data dashboard
- Leonardo Mazzone, Dept for Business and Trade, on matching companies across datasets
Speakers include:
- @bothness.bsky.social, ONS, on 'Surfacing Local Insights: Mapping, Scrollytelling and (Semi)Automation'
- Andrea Barry, Youth Futures Foundation, on their data dashboard
- Leonardo Mazzone, Dept for Business and Trade, on matching companies across datasets
Do you like hearing from people doing interesting things with data?
Do you enjoy chatting to fun data people over some free drinks?
Can you tolerate a few bad jokes with some charts?
Then next week's @publicdigital.bsky.social Data Bites is the event for you - 6pm, Thursday 18 September
Join us!
Do you enjoy chatting to fun data people over some free drinks?
Can you tolerate a few bad jokes with some charts?
Then next week's @publicdigital.bsky.social Data Bites is the event for you - 6pm, Thursday 18 September
Join us!
Data Bites #58 — Public Digital
public.digital
September 11, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Join us a week today!
Speakers include:
- @bothness.bsky.social, ONS, on 'Surfacing Local Insights: Mapping, Scrollytelling and (Semi)Automation'
- Andrea Barry, Youth Futures Foundation, on their data dashboard
- Leonardo Mazzone, Dept for Business and Trade, on matching companies across datasets
Speakers include:
- @bothness.bsky.social, ONS, on 'Surfacing Local Insights: Mapping, Scrollytelling and (Semi)Automation'
- Andrea Barry, Youth Futures Foundation, on their data dashboard
- Leonardo Mazzone, Dept for Business and Trade, on matching companies across datasets
Neat tool from @forensicarchi.bsky.social for live tracking the #Gaza #flotilla. 22 ships currently sailing flotilla-orpin.vercel.app
September 6, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Neat tool from @forensicarchi.bsky.social for live tracking the #Gaza #flotilla. 22 ships currently sailing flotilla-orpin.vercel.app
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
🚨 NEW DATA BITES 🚨
Join @publicdigital.bsky.social & me in person/online, 6pm, Thurs 18 Sept, for Data Bites #58!
Speakers will include:
- @bothness.bsky.social, ONS
- Andrea Barry, Youth Futures Fdn, on their dashboard
- DBT on matching companies across datasets
public.digital/events/data-...
Join @publicdigital.bsky.social & me in person/online, 6pm, Thurs 18 Sept, for Data Bites #58!
Speakers will include:
- @bothness.bsky.social, ONS
- Andrea Barry, Youth Futures Fdn, on their dashboard
- DBT on matching companies across datasets
public.digital/events/data-...
September 1, 2025 at 4:03 PM
🚨 NEW DATA BITES 🚨
Join @publicdigital.bsky.social & me in person/online, 6pm, Thurs 18 Sept, for Data Bites #58!
Speakers will include:
- @bothness.bsky.social, ONS
- Andrea Barry, Youth Futures Fdn, on their dashboard
- DBT on matching companies across datasets
public.digital/events/data-...
Join @publicdigital.bsky.social & me in person/online, 6pm, Thurs 18 Sept, for Data Bites #58!
Speakers will include:
- @bothness.bsky.social, ONS
- Andrea Barry, Youth Futures Fdn, on their dashboard
- DBT on matching companies across datasets
public.digital/events/data-...
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
Have you never wondered what made up places you might find between #Iceland and #Ireland, or between #Northampton and #Southampton? Today, you can open up this new world of possibilities with #PlaceNameTweener, inspired by @terriblemapshq.bsky.social! bothness.github.io/placetweener/
August 28, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Have you never wondered what made up places you might find between #Iceland and #Ireland, or between #Northampton and #Southampton? Today, you can open up this new world of possibilities with #PlaceNameTweener, inspired by @terriblemapshq.bsky.social! bothness.github.io/placetweener/
Have you never wondered what made up places you might find between #Iceland and #Ireland, or between #Northampton and #Southampton? Today, you can open up this new world of possibilities with #PlaceNameTweener, inspired by @terriblemapshq.bsky.social! bothness.github.io/placetweener/
August 28, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Have you never wondered what made up places you might find between #Iceland and #Ireland, or between #Northampton and #Southampton? Today, you can open up this new world of possibilities with #PlaceNameTweener, inspired by @terriblemapshq.bsky.social! bothness.github.io/placetweener/
Just realised that every @canaries.co.uk game so far this season has ended in a 2-1 away win. Pitty we played half of them at home!
August 23, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Just realised that every @canaries.co.uk game so far this season has ended in a 2-1 away win. Pitty we played half of them at home!
Reposted by Ahmad Barclay
This is amazing
New project! @yufeng.bsky.social analyzed all of the words found on NYC Streets. The data comes from from 8 million Google Street View images, which yielded 138 million snippets of text:
🔗: pudding.cool/2025/07/stre...
🔗: pudding.cool/2025/07/stre...
July 30, 2025 at 7:53 AM
This is amazing