Google has purchased the coolest graphic tool I have ever seen in my entire life from Gapminder, a non-profit organization in Sweden.  With the tool, you can actually watch trends happening over time through a bubble graph that charts three variables.  There are all sorts of cool extras though – such as color coding according to region; the ability to ‘play’ and watch the bubbles trend (and show the trails); the ability to control the size of the bubbles; and the ability to highlight specific bubbles and watch them trend.  Below, I’ve graphed GNP (X) vs. fertility rate (Y) vs. population (bubble size) and highlighted China, India, and the US.  I’ve then traced the trends of these three countries over a twenty year period. 

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