Blogs
Trying to Make Sense of PyPI Download Statistics
A few explanations for millions of downloads per day If you are a Python user and enjoy diving into all kinds of data (I hear these two predicates are often found in combination), you have probably already looked up PyPI download statistics and stumbled upon the Most downloaded PyPI packages page of pypistats.org. If you were left scratching your head at this ranking, you are not alone. Let me take you through my journey of falsified assumptions and unexpected findings, a journey that changed the way I understand Python package popularity.
March 10, 2025
A Simple Tidy Tree Layout Implementation in Python
I bet you need a tidy tree layout Trees are everywhere, not only in forests, but also in computer science, biology, data science and other sciences. Some see science as a whole as one big tree with ever-ramifying branches of knowledges. Some tidily laid out random trees When it comes to visualizing them, the “tidier” layout introduced by Reingold and Tilford in 1981 is a time-proven way to place nodes in a clean and aesthetically pleasing manner.
February 16, 2025
Python Packages for Data Visualization in 2025
Python’s rich package ecosystem is perhaps its greatest strength, but also an endless source of doubt for its users. Am I really using the best available tool for data visualization? Having asked myself this question for 10 years, I am finally feeling ready to share my thoughts on this difficult subject. I will not only share my thoughts, but also support them with quantitative indicators and illuminate them with insightful visuals, making this (I hope) the best resource on the subject.
January 21, 2025
Setting Up the Spectalizer Website
Why this website After a year of writing on Medium on data visualization and machine learning, I thought it would be nice to complement this with some resources on a self-hosted website. Limitations of Medium which I hope to overcome No simple way to embed vector images or interactive graphics No way to programmatically publish or update anything No way to build multi-page resources other than in the form of lists of stories What to expect Expect more content at the intersection of data visualization, machine learning and optimization, and maybe some interactive visualizations.
January 5, 2025