[R] Off topic: Reference to "Box and whisker plots" make the weather report

[Bert Gunter]

For statistical graphics enthusiasts and John Tukey admirers in particular,
for the first time in my lifetime, I have seen a reference to Tukey's
"box-and-whisker
plots" in a public non-technical forum -- a National Weather Service report
for the San Francisco Bay Area:

"Looking at box and whisker plots around the area, temps tomorrow
start to show a cooling trend with a fairly tight spread on the
box."

If you care, full report at:
https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=MTR&issuedby=MTR&product=AFD&format=CI&version=1&glossary=1

Note: No plots are actually shown, just the reference to them, which I
thought was charming.

I realize that modern computer graphics may make this seem somewhat
antiquated; Tukey originally invented these for manual graphics displays,
and I first encountered them in his 1977 book, *Exploratory Data Analysis*,
which in many ways was a revolutionary departure from then current
statistical practice.

To be clear, I do not wish to engage in any discussion about the utility of
this display versus modern alternatives, nor comment on the NWS's use of
it. I only wanted to share the reference for the enjoyment of others on
this list.

Cheers to all,

Bert


"An educated person is one who can entertain new ideas, entertain others,
and entertain herself."

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