About All This...

My name is Stephen.

This site contains analysis, educational material, and a bit of photography. A big theme is improving the relationship humans have with numbers and each other.

The world cannot be understood without numbers. But the world cannot be understood with numbers alone.

Hans Rosling

Reading and writing were rare skills until relatively recently. Humanity has worked to improve literacy through schooling and a dramatic expansion of literature available.

Numeracy is up next. We have several obstacles to overcome.

The “math person” myth convinces students that natural ability matters more than effort and experience. Some technology gate-keepers convinced a generation that using a programming language was the equivalent of wizardy. The perception that skills can only be learned at a certain age or in a specific order or by specific people has tragically wrecked a key ingredient for motivated learning: self-confidence.

Charts On Charts is about building that confidence. If you are just beginning to acquire experience, I hope you consider installing the R programming language and attempting to replicate some of my work.

Goals

  • World peace.

Biography

I studied music, economics, and demography at Florida State University. In roughly chronological order, I have worked as a pool manager, woodwind player, recording engineer, videographer, computer tech at Florida State University, a Demographics Analyst at the University of Virginia, and am currently an Educational Policy Analyst for the Florida Department of Education. I previously volunteered at Computers4Kids in Charlottesville and with Fairvote Virginia.

Focused on education and elections in the United States at the moment.

Facts which ought to guide the decisions of statesmen…do not acquire their due importance if they remain buried in scientific journals. They acquire their due importance only when they become known to so many voters that they affect the course of the elections.

Bertrand Russell

Contact

Curious about everything.

Please send feedback, inquiries, and phishing attempts to stephen@chartsoncharts.com.