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Welcome to Kawan—our vibrant community of data heads and storytellers. We’re all about improving data literacy and sharing nuanced stories about Asia. Come hang!
silver linings — issue #61
A couple of weeks ago, I moved to Dunedin, New Zealand, or Aotearoa, as it is beloved in Māori, to pursue a Master’s degree in Geographic Information Systems. I had to transfer at the Auckland International Airport, where I went through a few rounds of biosecurity checks. Before you
Countering climate doom
When we decided on “silver lining” as the theme of our latest newsletter, I thought it apt to highlight positive stories about the environment to counter the deluge of bleak, and at times terrifying climate news. Yet, while I was keen to find data or visual stories on positive climate
A timeline of how Singapore is battling COVID-19 — issue #8
So, COVID-19 was a perfect storm. The virus surfaced almost exactly as millions of Chinese people began traveling for their Lunar New Year celebrations. It's been about a month since the virus was first confirmed in Singapore, and it has since consumed our society. It's all
How to edit your own writing
Not everyone has the luxury of having an editor. Our new editor, Kenneth, shares a checklist of what you can do to make sure your writing…
Kontinentalist’s 2020 New Year’s Resolution, Secret Santa style
Christmas ended last month, but we’re not quite ready to say goodbye yet. That’s why we did our New Year’s Resolution in a Secret Santa…
Will you have a happy new year? — issue #7
Do you have 2020 vision? As we crossed into a new decade, many took the opportunity to recount their significant moments during the past 10 years. At Kontinentalist, we too reflected on our journey and shared our favourite moments. We've published more stories than ever, and even won
Humans of Kontinentalist: Zu Xiang
What does it take to tell a data vis story? Our editorial intern Zu Xiang shares his experience.
How I design custom map styles with Mapbox
As told through a map style inspired by Indonesian Batik.
Konti in retrospect 2019
We started 2019 by mapping out our resolutions for the year (both personal and professional). The year flew by and we grew so much as a…
What is an ‘Asian’ perspective
At Kontinentalist, we often describe ourselves as an Asian-focused editorial studio that strives to present an ‘Asian’ perspective to our…
All I want for Christmas is a...scratchable map? — issue #6
It's the most wonderful time of the year! I’ve just spent the past 2 months sojourning in Japan for a leadership training programme, and it’s so wonderful to return to Singapore during the festive period. There’s something magical about December, and it has always been
Inktober Journal
As Inktober 2019 draws to a close, our resident animator Griselda walks us through her #Inktober illustrations and the quirky stories that…
A day in the life of a programmer at a startup
Hi, I’m Dylan, the lead developer at Kontinentalist. So as a developer, people often think that my work entails sitting in front of my computer all day, with 1s and 0s filling my screen. They are wrong. I have three screens! 😉 Today, I’ll walk you through a typical
What does partnership work entail?
When I first sat down with Bella, our Medium editor, to talk about what sort of articles I could contribute, Bella suggested something…
