July 31, 2008

The Walmart Virus

The whole "spread" of Wal-Mart (or Walmart as it will soon be officially know) is somewhat of a phenomenon. Since its birth in Arkansas back in 1962, its worldwide growth is staggering. Seeing just the American growth plotted out on a map of the U.S. is quite remarkable to watch, and several have illustrated it quite nicely in the past. (One example, Here's another).

This latest animation created by FlowingData.com (as shown in it's original form here) is by far my favourite as it has more of a "virus" or "plague" like quality about it. The only thing I thought as I watched it was it that it needed more drama. I originally envisioned the famous Ride of the Valkyries playing in the background. But as I was screen capturing the animation and tinkering in iMovie, something much more appropriate came to mind. The end result is much more "viral"...

Check it out:



With apologies to the Wachowski brothers