<strong>Most people believe the chart on the screen — Dr. Jon explains why you shouldn’t.</strong> <br /> <br />If you’ve ever sat in a conference session staring at a chart and wondering whether you’re seeing real data or a dressed-up story, this episode is for you. Dr. Jon Belkowitz breaks down how data in the concrete industry is often stretched, normalized, cherry-picked, or misleading — and how to spot it before making decisions that affect a structure’s performance. <br /> <br />We get into why people present data, what questions you should ask before trusting it, what error bars mean, and when it’s time to ask tougher questions. This conversation also touches on motivations, funding sources, normalized datasets, Purdue-Pharma-style chart tricks, and why peer review still matters. <br /> <br /><strong>What You’ll Learn</strong>&nbsp;<br /><ul><li>Why is data really presented in this industry — truth, persuasion, or something in between?&nbsp;</li><li>How charts can hide peaks or exaggerate trends&nbsp;</li><li>What error bars actually mean and why they matter&nbsp;</li><li>When to question normalized or percentage-based data&nbsp;</li><li>Signs that a dataset should be tossed out completely&nbsp;</li><li>How to read peer-reviewed papers quickly without wasting time&nbsp;</li><li>Why checking funding sources matters&nbsp;</li><li>Why asking questions doesn’t make you “anti” anything&nbsp;</li></ul>&nbsp;<br /><strong>Chapters</strong> <br />00:00 – Why We’re Talking About Data <br /> 01:00 – What Motivates People to Present Data <br /> 04:00 – The Role of Data in Confidence and Decision-Making <br /> 07:30 – Normalized Data and How It Can Mislead <br /> 12:00 – Purdue-Pharma-Style Chart Tricks <br /> 15:30 – What Error Bars Actually Tell You <br /> 21:00 – When to Question What You’re Being Shown <br /> 25:30 – Reading Research Papers Without Wasting Time <br /> 30:00 – Motivation, Funding, and Hidden Bias <br /> 34:00 – Final Thoughts <br /> <br /><strong>Guest Info</strong> <br />Name: Dr. Jon Belkowitz <br /> Company: Intelligent Concrete <br /> Email: [email protected] <br /> Website: <a href="http://www.intelligent-concrete.com/" target="_blank">www.intelligent-concrete.com</a> <br /> <br /><strong>Concrete Logic Academy</strong> <br />Earn PDHs in the same straight-talk format as the podcast: <br /> <a href="https://www.concretelogicacademy.com" target="_blank">https://www.concretelogicacademy.com</a> <br /> <br /><strong>Support the Podcast</strong> <br />Support the show: <br /> <a href="https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/donate" target="_blank">https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/donate</a> <br />KUIU helps support the podcast: <br /> <a href="https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/kuiu" target="_blank">https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/kuiu</a> <br />Media, sponsorship, or content inquiries: <br /> [email protected] <br /> <br /><strong>Credits</strong> <br />Producer: Douglas H. Clarke, Jodi Tandett &amp; Concrete Logic Media <br /> Music by Mike Dunton: <a href="https://www.mdunton.com/" target="_blank">https://www.mdunton.com/</a> <br /> <br /><strong>Where to Find Seth</strong> <br />Seth Tandett — concrete nerd and host of the Concrete Logic Podcast. <br /> LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-tandett/" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-tandett/</a> <br /> YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@concretelogicpodcast" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@concretelogicpodcast</a> <br /> Podcast Website: <a href="https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com" target="_blank">https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com</a>&nbsp;