Like XML, JSON provides structured data about information. But whereas XML uses tags in angled brackets followed by the value – e.g. <name>Paul Bradshaw</name>, JSON separates the tag and the value with a colon, both of which are contained within a curly bracket

Asked to characterize the articles they placed into Foursquare, the editors used phrases such as “feature-y”, “evergreen”, “opinion”, “not hard-core news” and “useful to people over a longer period of time.” They cited successful efforts in using editorial content such as a film festival guide, a commentary on transit users and reviews of hip urban restaurants.

His goal in creating his visualization, Kandangath says, was to present the data in a compelling enough way that people would actually remember it — the stickiness factor that everyone from engineers to academics to journalists is trying to figure out at the same time. Kandangath’s answer? Narrative. “People remember stories,” he notes. They may not recall individual facts; but when you can craft those facts together in a compelling arc, those facts become part of something more than the sum of their parts: a memorable tale. Even when it’s not rendered in text alone. So Kandangath essentially imposed on himself the task of plotting flat information so that it would come to life via…a plot.

Participants had five weeks to build their projects, and we received more than 40 fantastic entries. Many people formed teams; in all, over 75 people contributed to the completed submissions. Our jury of experts will award $5,000 to the winner, as well as $5,000 in additional awards, announced on Tax Day (April 18).