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economy in a single word. The adjectives from both the employed and unemployed scroll across the screen in a simple interface that shows just how Americans are feeling about the financial crisis. Similar projects were created to monitor the Twitter chatter during this year’s Super Bowl and to visualize Americans’ hopes for the incoming Obama administration. 2. The Ebb and Flow of Movies Many movies have appeared and disappeared from box office charts over the years, some making a bigger splash than others. For this project, the Times team took on the daunting task of visually representing the movies that topped the charts — from 2008’s Alvin and the Chipmunks to 1986’s Out of Africa. Best of all, by clicking on the shapes, one can read more of the Times’ coverage of that particular movie, including summaries, reviews and trailers. 3. One in 8 Million The New York Times at it’s core is a newspaper about New York City and its millions of inhabitants. For the elegantly styled audio slideshow series “One in 8 Million,” the Times turned its lens not to the newsmakers of the city but to the (not-so) average citizens who make the city the unique metropolis that it is. 4. The Water Dance The web is filled with tens of thousands of audio slideshows, so for one in particular to stand out from the rest is a remarkable feat. “The Water Dance,” a slideshow narrated by Times photographer Bill Cunningham, takes a simple idea — New Yorkers navigating the huge puddles of rain that line the city’s curbs — and turns it into three and a half minutes of whimsy. The humorous photos are underscored by Cunningham’s cheerful and amused voice that encourages the viewer to indulge in the humor as well. 5. New York City Homicides Map The Times’ recently released visual database of homicides over the span of six years not only concentrates on specific incidents over statistics, but it also encourages users to find patterns within the data and report them to the staff. The map is navigable down to street level and the information can be sorted by a number of contributing factors, including race, sex, age and weapon used.
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