Data Vis Dispatch, September 8: German politics, Hollywood’s Box Office, and smiles

The start of this week marked a shocking development in German politics, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party winning a state election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. The rapid rise of the party is significant in East Germany, boosted by its active presence on TikTok.

The number of days with extreme heat in American counties is increasing, along with the risk of in-hospital deaths during hot periods in various Austrian cities. The upcoming cycles of Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage, are expected to see even hotter temperatures.

Recently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, the Equal Earth map projection provides a more accurate representation of the size of the continents compared to the widely used Mercator map.

On the topic of solar, the UK saw a new record in solar power generation this summer, while 36 African countries are expected to install significant amounts of solar this year.

In many Swiss cities, parking spaces take up a lot of space, while colored cars are becoming a rarity on the streetscape.

Moving on to AI, Nvidia plays a key role in financing and controlling the AI infrastructure, having financial ties with many of its own customers. The amount of money spent on data centres is increasing rapidly, while AI is having a significant impact on study choices. Furthermore, AI companion users rely on chatbots for various personal matters.

The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results reveal a global decline in academic performance. Meanwhile, the majority of children in Switzerland are using AI for learning purposes.

Regarding ongoing wars, the escalation of the war in Ukraine raises the possibility of Russian attacks on the Baltic states. In the Middle East, Iranian attacks have disrupted the supply chain for U.S. Navy warships. Meanwhile, the majority of all crime is committed by men.

We end this dispatch with some other interesting topics: Summer box office revenues for major films, demographic groups vulnerable to fake news, earthquakes in Europe, the history of Berlin’s street names, and an interactive visualization tracking a baby's smiles and cries.