My lovely book, Information Is Beautiful, is out in the UK (Amazon).

To celebrate, I’ve teamed up with HarperCollins to give away five signed copies.

All you have to do to enter the prize draw is become a fan on our much-neglected-but-soon-not-to-be-so-neglected Facebook fan page.

We’ll choose five members of the group at random on Monday 15th February and contact them via email. It’ll be my pleasure to write a personal message in each copy.

Here’s the link to the Facebook group. See you on there.

The Book

Information Is Beautiful is a collection of infographics, data visualisations and information designs, covering everything from pop to philosophy – all with the minimum of words. Inspired by the experience of clicking through the web, it has no chapters, no overt structure – it’s just beautifully random.

The UK version essentially the same book as the US copy, The Visual Miscellaneum. Except it’s a true hardback book and it’s printed on uncoated (matt) paper, rather than coated (shiny) paper of the American version. Personally I think it makes for a more ‘arty’ book. Plus it has *that smell*. One I’m, in fact, huffing right now.

Please note: Since the US and UK versions were printed at the same time (last year), so the first edition of the UK version has the same minor printing errors. They affect 12 of the 256 pages. Really sorry about that. I’ve uploaded an errata. It’s passworded. The password is the last word in the bottom right hand corner of page 159 of the book CASE SENSITIVE. Thank you.

Some more screenies to savour.

Link to the Facebook fan page. Order the book on Amazon.co.uk. American version here. Advert over.

Thanks to data gathering by Brian Solis. My data here.

In passing, it’s interesting how Google Ad Planner gives detailed data on every big website online. But not on any of Google’s own sites.

The Hierarchy of Digital Distractions

I notice these days that I can spend hours at my computer, in a cloud. A swampy blur of digital activity, smeared across various activities and media and software.

Emailing, writing, tweeting, designing, browsing, taking calls, Skyping, Facebooking, RSS Feeding – all blurred into a single technological trance.

I seem to switch randomly from one to the other. But actually is there a subtle hierarchy in this cloud? Do I prefer some distractions over others? I think so.

The Cloud

In this diagram, each level in this hierarchy trumps the next.

So, if you get a new msg on Facebook, but your landline rings, you’ll take the landline call. You might have a spasmodic moment of ‘uh? wadd I do’. But, usually, you’ll take the call.

Similarly, if you get a new SMS whilst opening a new online dating message, you’ll be hard pressed not to read that SMS. It’ll take a great force of will. You may attempt to do both simultaneously. But if you really observe yourself closely, one will take priority – even if it’s only by milliseconds. The SMS will win your attention.

And so on up the chart…

(I understand this post reveals much about my pitiful life. There’s no need to say that in the comments, thanks.)

But if I’ve missed any distractions, feel free to suggest them. I realise AIM and MS Messenger introduce a whole universe of distraction. I don’t go there. I have enough distractions.