07.09.05
13 Ways to Say Nothing
There’s some incredible research coming out of NASA these days. For instance, be sure to check out this PDF, “13 Ways to Say Nothing with Scientific Visualization” which highlights such opportunities for ChartJunk™ as item #2:
Avoid Annotation In dreary old fashioned sciences like physics and biology, investigators have been known to annotate their images with arrows pointing out features of supposed interest along with explanatory text. This promotes clarity of understanding, undermining the sense of awe and confusion the best scientific visualization engenders.
But that’s not all. Check out item 10:
Never Cite References for the Data If you cite a reference describing the data used to generate images, someone may read the paper and discover that your visualization bears no relationship to the key elements the original experiment was meant to elucidate. This will detract from your picture’s appeal and should be avoided.