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I have always disliked this type of graph. But some people think they are the coolest thing. Like this baby name website is really popular and it is based on a graph like that: http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager

(A couple years ago I made a competing baby names website, so that's why I bring it up. This type a graph is a little pet peeve of mine.)

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That baby name graph is showing how popular names are over time. The NYT Box Office graphic does the same - http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/02/23/movies/2008022... .

This kind of graphic is bad for showing exact numbers, good for showing relative share during time and change over time.

But the graph in the parent article wasn't making that comparison, so yes, it was a stupid, pet peevey way to do a graph.

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