I've checked out a few more analytical tools for my bag of tricks. These links are cool because they help me understand the world we live in today. They appear in the Intelligence Links in the column on the right-hand side of this blog.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute tracks military spending and arms shipments worldwide. Check out their database links. They even track subnational groups. I plan to use this site to cross-reference military spending with other categories of military activity to see which country's military gets the most bang for the buck when influencing world affairs.
Reporters Without Borders publishes the Press Freedom Index that ranks countries by how much they respect their fourth estate (read up on the legacy of the French Revolution of you need that term defined). I'm disappointed that the US is ranked #32 in 2013. I'm doing my part to move the needle higher by blogging as much as possible in honor of the First Amendment.
The Economist Intelligence Unit publishes a bunch of good stuff, but their annual Democracy Index just plain rocks. A lot of EIU's services cost serious bucks but the Democracy Index is free. I like freebies. I don't like paying for other things I can get for free just by searching the web.
Big Data isn't just for big corporations. Anyone in free societies can use it to make better policy and hold governments accountable for their actions.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute tracks military spending and arms shipments worldwide. Check out their database links. They even track subnational groups. I plan to use this site to cross-reference military spending with other categories of military activity to see which country's military gets the most bang for the buck when influencing world affairs.
Reporters Without Borders publishes the Press Freedom Index that ranks countries by how much they respect their fourth estate (read up on the legacy of the French Revolution of you need that term defined). I'm disappointed that the US is ranked #32 in 2013. I'm doing my part to move the needle higher by blogging as much as possible in honor of the First Amendment.
The Economist Intelligence Unit publishes a bunch of good stuff, but their annual Democracy Index just plain rocks. A lot of EIU's services cost serious bucks but the Democracy Index is free. I like freebies. I don't like paying for other things I can get for free just by searching the web.
Big Data isn't just for big corporations. Anyone in free societies can use it to make better policy and hold governments accountable for their actions.
