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When tasked with data viz on these lines, one of the early things I ask is what the edge relationship is supposed to represent. Specifically!

Organization / chain of command? Parts information? Charge Codes? Messages/Sentiment? Business Information Systems capture way more data than mahogany row might realize, and you can get some "split the atom" visualizations when you combine the right parameters, like RnD funding + messaging. "Huh. Looks like new tech needs a LOT of communications with the field technicians. Like, a LOT a lot - totally wiping out bandwidth in remote locations"

The data is maybe there but if you model everything at once it's going to be a minimally-significant graphviz blob.

Stupid punchline? Execs hold up the blob as scientific proof that their job is hard. "Don't change it! It's so complex and pretty! I can show this to the VP-Manager of Goofball Systems Inc to validate my existence!"

No, it's not hard or pretty, you just can't tell the difference, conceptually, between a hex driver and a lathe.




"mahogany row"?


“Execs”, a reference to the old fashioned setup of a corridor filled with executive offices that all have impressive mahogany desks. Feels like a British phrase to me but I’m not sure if it actually is.


My bad, that's what we always called the guys upstairs, and then I heard it used across my industry and assumed it was general.




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