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Alex Selby-Boothroyd

@alexselbyb.bsky.social

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Head of data journalism at The Economist

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Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · Nov 18

Day 18 #30DayMapChallenge
I 3D-printed John Snow's 1854 cholera map of Soho. It took ages.

3D-printed map of Soho in 1854. Black marks on top of the buildings represent deaths from cholera caused by infected water from the Broad Street Pump (note the missing handle!). Top-down view.

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Reposted by Alex Selby-Boothroyd

Archie Hall @archiehall.bsky.social · 18h

For the first time in about 70 years, net immigration to America could be zero. Beneath the noise of tariff and budget fights, migration may well be the biggest economic story of 2025.

My latest for @economist.com: Welcome to Zero Migration America

Link: www.economist.com/finance-and...

🧵 below

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Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 22h

How many has he had today??
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, is under intense pressure to call snap parliamentary elections or resign as former allies join his opponents in demanding he act to end a spiralling political crisis in the EU’s second biggest economy.

Macron’s first prime minister on Tuesday urged the president to step down amid mounting frustration even within the president’s own camp over one of the worst spells of political chaos in France since the foundation of its Fifth Republic in 1958.

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Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 1d

They wouldn't have won if the committee hadn't looked at their research
www.newscientist.com/article/2499...

Nobel prize for physics goes to trio behind quantum computing chips

The 2025 Nobel prize in physics has gone to three researchers, John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis, whose work has led to the development of today's quantum computers.

www.newscientist.com

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Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 2d

www.economist.com/business/202...

J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was a darkly authoritarian figure. During his 48-year reign at the FBI and its forerunner, he exercised personal oversight over decisions large and small, from wiretaps to dress codes. Control bred unthinking obedience. When Hoover once scrawled “Watch the borders” on one of the memoranda that passed across his desk, agents were reportedly dispatched to America’s frontiers with Mexico and Canada. It turned out that he was in fact concerned about the width of the margins on the document.

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Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 2d

Rangers FC needs a new manager, France needs a new prime minister, there's an obvious solution here

List of managers of Rangers FC. They are now looking for their fourth this year.

List of prime ministers of France. They are looking for their fourth in the past 12 months.

Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 2d

For sale: phone with the old Twitter logo, will exchange for plastic bottle with detachable lid

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Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 2d

Many thanks, this will be on its way to you in the morning!

Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 3d

Bit weird, it says 33 years ago but 1992 was only ten years ago, right?

R.E.M. @remhq.bsky.social · 3d

Released 33 years ago—Oct. 5-6, 1992. Share your favorite track in the comments!

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Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 3d

Some nic(h)e reviews on Etsy
3dartmaps.etsy.com/listing/4300...

Five star review for my 3D-printed John Snow map on Etsy: "For the medical data scientist who has everything."

Five-star review for my 3D-printed John Snow map on Etsy: "Perhaps there is but a small niche that would appreciate an artisanal version of an historic data visualization, but I'm right in the middle of it. Saw a video where the last step before framing is to snip the handle from the pump - chefs kiss perfection. My absolute favorite rendition of this classic. Bravo."

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Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 3d

Flower arranging is more stabby than I thought

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Reposted by Alex Selby-Boothroyd

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 3d

‘The average man travelled 8,245 miles in 2002 and 6,549 miles in 2024—a drop of 21%. Almost the entire fall was caused by a decline in driving.’ Such an interesting piece
economist.com/britain/2025...