Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/observable-podcast On building a computational notebook and the things people do with it. We believe in looking at code. © 2026 Observable, Inc. 99357625-61b6-56e0-8497-41ad524e36dc yes en Fri, 09 Oct 2026 19:45:34 -0700 Fri, 09 Oct 2026 19:46:08 -0700 https://observablehq.com https://img.transistorcdn.com/HLIyfyGmBQqP_l_cS14C3RI5pcJJHMju7nEj0QvgDaA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS84NjEx/OTVhZmNlZjFhYzIw/Yzg5ZjExMzA1ZjIy/ZjE1Yi5wbmc.jpg https://observablehq.com episodic Observable, Inc. On building a computational notebook and the things people do with it. We believe in looking at code. On building a computational notebook and the things people do with it. javascript, data visualization, D3, mike bostock, notebooks Observable, Inc. No No 8 8 Julio’s bookshelf full 3009a00e-7e80-4da4-964a-f3deffd26f88 https://share.transistor.fm/s/7b4b31b1 If you point to a random book in Julio’s picture-perfect background, has he read it? How many biographies does he read per American president? And is reading dying?

]]> If you point to a random book in Julio’s picture-perfect background, has he read it? How many biographies does he read per American president? And is reading dying?

]]> Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:34:16 -0700 Observable, Inc. Watch on YouTube Observable, Inc. 2037 If you point to a random book in Julio’s picture-perfect background, has he read it? How many biographies does he read per American president? And is reading dying?

]]> javascript, data visualization, D3, mike bostock, notebooks No 7 7 Never don’t rewrite full fba26726-ffb8-4c92-83a9-39664c65c799 https://share.transistor.fm/s/88faee15 Last week, Observable launched a total rewrite of notebooks. Contra Joel Spolsky’s advice, Mike Bostock has done many rewrites, from TiVo to Protovis to D3, and itches to do many more. Why?

]]> Last week, Observable launched a total rewrite of notebooks. Contra Joel Spolsky’s advice, Mike Bostock has done many rewrites, from TiVo to Protovis to D3, and itches to do many more. Why?

]]> Wed, 09 Sep 2026 19:00:00 -0700 Observable, Inc. Watch on YouTube Observable, Inc. 2727 Last week, Observable launched a total rewrite of notebooks. Contra Joel Spolsky’s advice, Mike Bostock has done many rewrites, from TiVo to Protovis to D3, and itches to do many more. Why?

]]> javascript, data visualization, D3, mike bostock, notebooks No 6 6 Seven classic moments in visualization research full 3b64436b-580f-47f0-9306-5f81392241ee https://share.transistor.fm/s/4942c3ee Toph recounts seven moments in visualization history, in no particular order: 1923’s gestalt theory, 2025’s graph embeddings, 1933’s map–territory relation, 1975’s splines, 2016’s acquired code of meaning, 2020’s bridging code and interaction, and 1973’s conversation analysis. For sources, see https://new.observablehq.com/@tophtucker/classic-research-in-data-visualization.

]]> Toph recounts seven moments in visualization history, in no particular order: 1923’s gestalt theory, 2025’s graph embeddings, 1933’s map–territory relation, 1975’s splines, 2016’s acquired code of meaning, 2020’s bridging code and interaction, and 1973’s conversation analysis. For sources, see https://new.observablehq.com/@tophtucker/classic-research-in-data-visualization.

]]> Sat, 18 Jul 2026 19:00:00 -0700 Observable, Inc. Watch on YouTube Observable, Inc. 1393 Toph recounts seven moments in visualization history, in no particular order: 1923’s gestalt theory, 2025’s graph embeddings, 1933’s map–territory relation, 1975’s splines, 2016’s acquired code of meaning, 2020’s bridging code and interaction, and 1973’s conversation analysis. For sources, see https://new.observablehq.com/@tophtucker/classic-research-in-data-visualization.

]]> javascript, data visualization, D3, mike bostock, notebooks No 5 5 Browsing the new notebook community full d886eb31-9050-43a3-9a54-52d757133b92 https://share.transistor.fm/s/322ff1b6 Visnu and Toph give a preview of the new notebook listings and editor by surveying some trending community notebooks and highlighting the tiny touches that make the new experience simpler, faster, and more robust.

]]> Visnu and Toph give a preview of the new notebook listings and editor by surveying some trending community notebooks and highlighting the tiny touches that make the new experience simpler, faster, and more robust.

]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2026 19:00:00 -0700 Observable, Inc. Watch on YouTube Observable, Inc. 2740 Visnu and Toph give a preview of the new notebook listings and editor by surveying some trending community notebooks and highlighting the tiny touches that make the new experience simpler, faster, and more robust.

]]> javascript, data visualization, D3, mike bostock, notebooks No 4 4 Three eras of Observable AI full 6688c4a3-53ba-4d22-b9f9-6b23b0fedfde https://share.transistor.fm/s/3982803a Visnu and Toph reflect on three eras of building Observable features atop LLMs, from a notebook sidebar (2023) to Canvases (2025) to a new experimental prototype, Observable Chat.

]]> Visnu and Toph reflect on three eras of building Observable features atop LLMs, from a notebook sidebar (2023) to Canvases (2025) to a new experimental prototype, Observable Chat.

]]> Mon, 11 May 2026 18:00:00 -0700 Observable, Inc. Watch on YouTube Observable, Inc. 3662 Visnu and Toph reflect on three eras of building Observable features atop LLMs, from a notebook sidebar (2023) to Canvases (2025) to a new experimental prototype, Observable Chat.

]]> javascript, data visualization, D3, mike bostock, notebooks No 3 3 What even is Observable? full 2a1a2eb5-cda9-4698-8e22-5b74e7f71d57 https://share.transistor.fm/s/478c77f5 Julio joins Mike to explain Observable’s mission to make computation universally accessible and understandable. They talk about the value of open source and community, the challenge of designing social collaboration platforms, and the promise and risks of AI.

]]> Julio joins Mike to explain Observable’s mission to make computation universally accessible and understandable. They talk about the value of open source and community, the challenge of designing social collaboration platforms, and the promise and risks of AI.

]]> Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:00:00 -0700 Observable, Inc. Watch on YouTube Observable, Inc. 2763 Julio joins Mike to explain Observable’s mission to make computation universally accessible and understandable. They talk about the value of open source and community, the challenge of designing social collaboration platforms, and the promise and risks of AI.

]]> javascript, data visualization, D3, mike bostock, notebooks No 2 2 Reactivity in vanilla JavaScript full e3d0ed8f-79e9-42fc-b185-3322636d7783 https://share.transistor.fm/s/c04d1feb Mike and Toph return for the second episode to talk reactivity and making code easier for humans to understand. They show the quirky syntax of Notebooks 1.0, and how Notebooks 2.0 brings reactivity to standard (vanilla) syntax.

]]> Mike and Toph return for the second episode to talk reactivity and making code easier for humans to understand. They show the quirky syntax of Notebooks 1.0, and how Notebooks 2.0 brings reactivity to standard (vanilla) syntax.

]]> Fri, 24 Apr 2026 18:00:00 -0700 Observable, Inc. Watch on YouTube Observable, Inc. 2728 Mike and Toph return for the second episode to talk reactivity and making code easier for humans to understand. They show the quirky syntax of Notebooks 1.0, and how Notebooks 2.0 brings reactivity to standard (vanilla) syntax.

]]> javascript, data visualization, D3, mike bostock, notebooks No 1 1 Does Next.js have too much magic? full 34b381cc-dbd6-431f-9641-4ed5cbb9f4b1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/98c09761 In this inaugural (practice?) episode of the Observable Podcast, Mike and Toph share reflections on building with Next.js and how React has evolved over the years. They are excited by, and a little scared of, the magic of React Server Functions.

]]> In this inaugural (practice?) episode of the Observable Podcast, Mike and Toph share reflections on building with Next.js and how React has evolved over the years. They are excited by, and a little scared of, the magic of React Server Functions.

]]> Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:00:00 -0700 Observable, Inc. Watch on YouTube Observable, Inc. 2795 In this inaugural (practice?) episode of the Observable Podcast, Mike and Toph share reflections on building with Next.js and how React has evolved over the years. They are excited by, and a little scared of, the magic of React Server Functions.

]]> javascript, data visualization, D3, mike bostock, notebooks No