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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!
Have you eaten yet? That is to say, how are you? — issue #59
Have you eaten yet? That is to say, how are you? In Thailand, you may hear people greet each other with “กินอะไรหรือยัง? (kin khao reu yang?)”, meaning “Have you eaten rice yet?” It demonstrates how essential rice is to life in Thai culture, where it is equated
Unlearning what we know — issue #58
“I have learned the names of all the bushes, but I have yet to learn their songs.” These past months, the Kontinentalist team has been deep in learning and reflection. We started our “Decolonial Reading Club”: bi-monthly sessions breaking down coloniality, knowledge, and being. This quote from Braiding Sweetgrass, recounting
A cheeky guide to working at Kontinentalist
Job hunts are called hunts for good reason. They’re tedious, and when you’ve been at it for a while, stalking for good game and summoning…
Have a little faith — issue #27
I grew up with a staunch atheist father, but went to a Catholic school where prayer was an everyday routine. As a teenager, it was hard for me to square the two experiences. Today, I still describe myself as an atheist if I have to—but I also increasingly find
Meet the Community! Jack Zhao, data visualisation specialist
Jack Zhao is a data visualisation specialist, co-founder and one of the directors of Small Multiples, Australia’s leading data…
Tips on staying sharp as a developer
Programming is not a stagnant discipline. Being a developer—in my case, a full-stack developer—means you’re always learning to keep up with…
Humans of Kontinentalist: Zenn Wong
Given our mutual enthusiasm in maps, Konti has seen our share of geography interns. Zenn shares what else an internship with us can offer.
Humans of Kontinentalist: Jasen
Back in August, we caught up with Jasen, our former editorial and development intern who called us from the other side of the world in the…
Localising climate change — issue #26
It was 2017, and I had just landed in Singapore after five years living in the United States. The thick afternoon air embraced me, then tried to squeeze the very life out of me. Welcome home, indeed. It took me months to get used to the tropics, but a thought
Where to begin? My guide to pitching a data story
I’ll be honest — three years in the field of storytelling/journalism has not made me much more confident about pitching stories than when…
Applying print principles to data visualization design
How can data viz design benefit from design theories like the Gestalt principles?
Meet the Community! Jane Zhang, data viz designer and e-commerce strategist
Jane Zhang is an independent data visualization designer based in Toronto. She’s made a name for herself with her recognisable static…
The might of small things — issue #25
When I was reading history many years ago, microhistories were one of my favourite topics. I love understanding how small things, like folklore and fairytales, reveal a lot about our past. Eventually, I wrote my Honours thesis on Singapore's national day stamps. I got a lot of laughs
Kontinentalist: Insights from user research and translating it into our new website
One fine day in mid-2019, a little more than a year after Kontinentalist first launched, some of us sat down to discuss what was in store…
