Here’s a new look at data

Swivel.com

When you feel the need for some really geeked-out data visualizations, start with Swivel, a recently launched and very together effort based in the San Francisco area.

Using charts and graphs that people upload, the site is a steady stream of unusual and often very timely data about statistics, group behavior and culture.

One recent graph is the Swivel-rendered version of data reported by the Los Angeles Times on the changing mood of Americans toward the Iraq war. One recent graph there was a rendering of data from a Los Angeles story on the vast changes in American moods toward the war.

One of Swivel’s founders read the story and uploaded the data, without having to use any complex HTML or programming skills.

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The chart, with colored bars, lays out the abrupt downswing in American war support in the last month or so. Opposition has gone above 60 percent of responders for the first time in the three years of testing. Support has fallen from nearly 50 percent in late 2003 to 33 percent today.

If this site doesn’t do it for you and you crave even more splashy ways to visualize data, then try IBM’s early stage version called Many Eyes — http://services.alphaworks. ibm.com/manyeyes/home.

One of the cool features at Swivel is the ability to edit the data being displayed, changing the style then downloading the data back to your own machine.

Or say you want to compare data on the site with your own data. It’s all at your fingertips.

Urbanspoon.com

Urbanspoon’s Seattle by Night page (www.urban spoon.com/Seattle.html) is one of the coolest uses of Google maps for fun and profit. Some might see it as only a one-trick pony. But it’s extremely simple and beautiful.

Urbanspoon has developed a Seattle By Night link that gives a fast reference guide to the more than 3,700 restaurants in and around Seattle.

The main page lists eateries by either location or by style of cuisine; it states you can find two Brazilian dining spots, and 17 for donuts.

In the two broad categories of neighborhood and food type, the Urbanspoon leaders are downtown Seattle (425 places) and American cuisine (489).

The site also encourages users to blog or file reviews of Seattle eateries. Two other little features are a real-time summary of most-viewed restaurants at Urbanspoon, plus Seattle’s 100 most popular eateries based on member comments.

Mixed Nuts is a regular feature of .TXT.