Many of you know my fondness (Isn’t it really a strange and dangerous obsessive love? – Ed.) for charts and graphs. Turns out there’s a now an animated video — from PBS! — to hook kids on the crack cocaine of the geek set. Watch it with care.

(Via KungFuGrippe, HT: David Moldawer)

12 Responses to “You’re never too young to start being a nerd”

  1. Tom LaForce says:

    Hi Daniel,

    As a proud member of Free Agent Nation, I’ve always enjoyed reading your stuff. These days I like the travel tips best. My wife and I have tried the Bacitracin tip.

    Thought you might want to change the first “to” in the title to “too.”

    Tom LaForce
    LaForce Teamwork Services

  2. Avatar photo Dan Pink says:

    @ Tom — Good eye. Just made the change. Sometimes when I write headlines I’m in two much of a hurry. Thanks for reading.

  3. Christina says:

    That’s evil and wrong. LOL.

  4. Kristin says:

    Actually, get ready for some more geek-love. This isn’t a stand-alone video. Rather, it’s part of the new preschool science series SID THE SCIENCE KID. It’s a really clever way to look at some early science building blocks! http://pbskids.org/sid/#/playground

  5. Helen says:

    You might enjoy Matt Jones presentation on Data as Seductive Material, http://www.slideshare.net/blackbeltjones/data-as-seductive-material-spring-summit-ume-march09 . Very geeky, way over my head but strangely and seductively appealing.

  6. Jim Seybert says:

    Excellent – and drives home a point you make in New Mind.
    In a right brain driven culture, people are allowed to think and process in paragraph mode, rather than in word and sentence mode. Right brains see the picture from a wider point of view – charts instead of cells on a spread sheet.

    A couple of years back, I had the privilege of hearing Atoosa Rubenstein speak at a conference, just after leaving Seventeen Magazine. She tried to explain to a room of middle-aged white males what she had learned about communicating with seventeen year-old girls.

    “When we show an outfit in Seventeen that came from Macy’s,” she said, “we show a picture of the Macy’s logo, instead of the letters M-A-C-Y-S. Not because the reader is illiterate, but because that’s the language she speaks.”

    This little video about charts is the same premise. Thanks Dan.

  7. Steve-O says:

    Ahh, sweet nerdity! It’s so subversive.

    And I agree with Ray on the song. I still have the theme song from Authur bouncing around in my brain and it’s been eons since I’ve watched that show.

  8. kirsti says:

    This is great! I have to get the series – thanks for all the hints from other commenters…. I also need to get some pbskids for the kids as well ( we don’t have a TV but this stuff is great)!

  9. Steve-O says:

    @kirsti – Don’t forget The Magic School Bus! Another terrific learning ‘toon for kids of all ages. Everyone needs a teacher like Ms. Frizzle at least once in their lives

  10. Justin says:

    Great post, thanks for passing that along. I’m a teacher (in Vermont, saw you speak in August) and will be sharing that w/ some students.

  11. Colleen says:

    as a child i had trouble understanding charts, and if kids could use this kind of information it could explain it better, and be taught more efficiantly.
    ~colleen!