Flex Sparkline
February 8th, 2010
Sparklines are described by their inventor, Edward Tufte, as “data-intense, design-simple, word-sized graphics”. They are an ideal tool for displaying trends for single entries within large data sets, for example, stock prices. As well as the standard miniature line series, Tufte’s original specification introduces a ternary sparkline, a.k.a. win-loss sparkline, where small columns [...]
Microsoft apply for “Sparkline in the grid” patent
November 25th, 2009
Microsoft have recently submitted US patent application 20090282325, entitled Sparklines in the Grid. My initial reaction, like many others in the data visualisation community, was one of anger at what appeared a blatant attempt by Microsoft to abuse the US patent system. However, I decided to examine the application more closely in order [...]