27 December 2011

MINI ME

Lets face it, technology is going to fail you at some point, and when it does you don't want to be lost in the middle of nowhere; swinging open the saloon doors of some Luddite bumpkin banjo party and having to ask for directions. What you really need to do is keep an emergency analogue map at the ready, just-in-case. I know what you're thinking; who has the space to lug a spare atlas around with them? Well, potentially everybody if it's one of these nifty mini-maps

20 December 2011

CART - OGRAPHY

Do you want a map that captures community-spirit, solidifies local-history and stirs up more vomit-inducing 'heart' then a Christmas movie?!
Yes, you do?!
Well, first you'll be needing an awesome mapping cart that is so intriguing in design that when you wheel it around the streets, people can't help but feel compelled to participate in a community mapping project.

13 December 2011

PERSONALITY PROJECTION

There are a few different ways to project our wobbly ol globe onto a flat surface in order to map it, but which method is best?  how do you choose? Why is it all so boring and overwhelmingly technical? Well, it may just depend on who you are! click here to see what I'm talking about... Willis

PS I'm not sure what it says about me, but... my favourite projection method isn't in the list and its quite elaborate - I like the Myriahedral Projection (from an earlier Choice Map posting)

06 December 2011

TIGHT SPOT

Yo, David Byrne you freaky dude from the awesome band Talking Heads, I need a crazy idea for filling up a massive space in a new art-gallery extension - what'cha got? It should make people think about the pressures that our planet is under, and since it's scheduled to open on September 11, maybe you could also do something with the play on words "blow up the world"? Oh yeah, one more thing... its has to be a map! "No worries" you say?! Awesome, I'll check it out, cheers Dave

29 November 2011

ATLAS IN WONDERLAND

No that's not Tom Thumb standing over there doing the mid-life-crisis 'Robot' dance - what we've got here is the world's largest atlas.  It's pretty massive, and unless you're lying to yourself and you're of the size-isn't-everything opinion, it's pretty impressive! Even in today's modern age, only a few printers in the world can even contemplate this mammoth task. However, with all that being said, I still think that the previous record holder's atlas is much more amazing, as their map was created over 350 years ago without the aid of modern technology.

22 November 2011

THE NOTHING

For everything that we perceive, there lays hidden a a mysterious shadow nothing. Explorers of olde actually feared this nothing, they feared that they would fall into a void if they sailed off the map, or get consumed by it (like Fantasia in The Never-Ending Story). Yet, in the modern mapping era not much thought is given to nothing - or to put it simply; we're obsessed with stuff.  Some have alluded to this concept with their cut-out maps but they only half succeed - they still map something to demonstrate the nothing. Even I foolishly attempted to create a map of pure nothing to show you (see left), but i failed miserably - I confused white-space with void! There are after all; electrons, ones and zeros and your perceptions. Allow me to illustrate the conundrum further; the respected composer John Cage once famously sat at his piano on a stage in front of a packed auditorium for four minutes & thirty three seconds without a playing a sound - he attempted to portray nothing, in effect though he wasn't playing nothing - the compositional piece became the sounds of the audience shuffling in their seats, murmuring low and coughing anxiously. The map of nothing is an elusive prey, but if you train your mind you may just catch a glimpse - or in the words of Samuel Beckett: "White planes no trace shining white one only shining white infinite but that known not, always there but that known not."

15 November 2011

HAPPY NOW?!

It occurs to me now as I sip my morning coffee that I was very grumpy about 10 minutes ago. It also occurs to me that our global society united together in infrastructure and diplomacy enabled the delivery of this wondrous product; dedicated solely to that one minuscule moment of happiness. But what of the rest of the day? What other spatial correlations are influenced by happiness flux? This Twitter map of 'a day in the life of American happiness' shows that whilst happiness is a personal feeling, it is also very much a spatial pattern.

08 November 2011

STATISTICALLY COOL

If you're stuck in a paying job where all they seem to talk about is projections over time and blah, blah, blah... geographic distribution - you may be able to spice up your otherwise lame scatter-plot graphs by using geographic shapes instead of dots and thus create: geo-graphics (ha, I just made that up). Louisa Bufardeci has already created a few, and in case you don't want to sift through her entire oeuvre, here are what I think are her three best: Governing ValuesEqualityLandscapes

01 November 2011

MUSIC CLIP

Somebody went to the trouble of making a music-clip using Google Earth as an evolving landscape backdrop, so I suppose I had better show it. It may not be what you'd listen to every day (and it's not as cool as the Arcade Fire clip), but shes worth a listen (despite starting off a bit spacey, it does get better) click here to listen

25 October 2011

SWEET DESIGN

I know what you're thinking about this map - it's a little reminiscent of a childhood collage and possibly even a touch on the girlie side, but there is something I think everyone can appreciate about these water-colour maps. They have a deceptively simple design aesthetic that works so well that; hating them, is the equilivent of pretending to hate candy-floss - and what souless ghoul could possibly hate candy-floss?!

18 October 2011

LOST MARBLE

Since we live in a perpetually changing world, it's something of an aphorism that a map is out-of-date a soon as its printed. It would seem then, a futile task to make any moment in time, indelible. However, there are those great happenings in history that will always be remembered - for example, whilst looking at a marble bust of Julius Caesar; regal yet doomed, do we recall his betrayal. Likewise, what will future generations make of this marble map of Manhattan Island, New York - perhaps the map will stir up memories of September 11 or indeed the Great Zombie Apocalypse of 2012?! Whilst all other fragile map-formats perish by the wayside, the map literally set-in-stone becomes a lone survivor of a bygone era.

11 October 2011

INSANE IN THE MAP-BRAIN

Where do we go to when our mind wanders? Where do our thoughts come from? - these seem like geographical questions just as much as psychological questions, wouldn't you agree? Yaron Steinburg certainly does. Using cardboard as a cartographic medium Yaron has mapped his brain. As a Being John Malkovich fan, this way of looking at the human mind as if it's a structured city that you can visit rather than a chaotic collection of neurons, makes a lot of sense to me.

04 October 2011

OCEANS DEEP


You may not be aware of it, but, this communication has travelled vast distances through the great oceans of our world, from one side of the planet to the other - through schools of depleted tuna stocks, around fleeing whales and narrowly avoiding the giant squid! If only those cables could talk - for the time being though I'll settle for a map of submarine cables

27 September 2011

SPACE BALLS

Even if you haven't seen the movie 2001 Space Odyssey you'll probably be aware of the booming drums & the building tension of the epic musical score - many have tried to unravel the mysterious captivation of this sound-scape work, citing it as a clue in Nietzche's world-riddle and even as a hint to the meaning of life itself! Those people may have been smoking too much Pot, but it's also true that we don't understand music entirely either. Perhaps there is a correlation between the patterns of music and the patterns of the universe? Take this animated minimalist map of the celestial bodies of our solar system for example, I'm not saying its going to spawn an evolutionary leap in human existence but it could be a small piece in the puzzle. [By the way, you'll be needing your headphones]

20 September 2011

SPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER

You'd think that with the entirety of Space at our disposal we wouldn't ever need to worry about polluting our pitiful pocket of the universe. However, with an insatiable appetite for global telecommunications and (sigh) Global Positioning Systems (GPS), we are now piling up so much techno-trash in our orbit that we now ironically require a comprehensive mapping project to save us from our own mapping! ''Mappetite for destruction'' is what I'm calling it, and Space Fence is what the US Air Force is calling their network of ground-based S-band radars that will detect, track and catalog thousands of objects in low-Earth orbit. And if you think its not such a problem at the moment; take a quick look at this Google Earth YouTube visualisation of all the satellites up there right now!

13 September 2011

SIMCITY

China has made their own version of Google Maps, and it's called Edushi. It looks like the game SimCity, but it's all real baby! It's also all in Mandarin. Don't be discouraged though - all you need to do, after all, is pan and zoom. Go on, try it out (or some of the other Chinese cities). If you really like this sort of thing (?);  here are a few more wacky artistic SimCity interpretations (they're not interactive maps like Edushi but they're quite fun). Enjoy!

06 September 2011

ICE ICE BABY

I once heard a theory about the naming of Iceland (that may or may not be true) that the people who lived on the island didn't want to be invaded by marauding vikings so they perpetuated a rumour that their nice arable island was in fact nothing but ice - so wouldn't you rather attack Greenland? Obviously this was long before the advent of the Internet and especially this enticing map which illustrates the country's capital Reykjavik in such minute detail that it even makes me want to invade - although perhaps just as an amicable tourist.

30 August 2011

ATLAS SHRUGGED

Every day since 1963 that the sun has risen in our world, it has set on a new square of map awesomeness in Jerry Gretzinger's. In what started as a simple topographical doodle, a full-blown map universe evolved complete with its own set of complex cartographic rules. How about taking a few minutes to appreciate the man's monumental life-long work by watching this video of Jerry explaining his passion.

23 August 2011

QUILTY PLEASURE

Maps always give me a warm cozy feeling. Especially now that we here in NZ are in the grip of a freezing-cold winter, i just wish I could wrap myself up in a map and stay snug forever - ahhhh. Luckily for me, there are niche operators out there specialising in making map-quilts! Haptic Lab, for example, is solely dedicated to producing a wide range of cool quality quilt products (be sure to click on their readymades and store tabs too) and Leah Evans is an artist who is further exploring how a simple craft can become beautiful art or indeed a quilty pleasure (yeah, i crack me up too!)

16 August 2011

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD

In 1921, the psychoanalyst Hermann Rorschach created ink-blot tests as a way to investigate why different people reacted 'abnormally' to common situations. The standardised ink-blot tests were actually just conversation pieces used to stimulate discussion with a patient.  For example, if a patient said that they saw an unhappy face in the ink-blot, then that probably revealed that they saw the world as an unhappy place in general. I'm not saying you're crazy, but it may be insightful for you to play with this slightly more topographical variation of the Rorschach test.

09 August 2011

THE WRITING'S ON THE WALL

Suppose you were to search the Internet using the keywords: 'graffiti' and 'map' - the chances are you'd either be looking to get rid of graffiti by lodging your graffiti-grievance on a map, or if you're a more half-full type of individual, you'd actually be trying to locate cool graffiti in the area. However, Graffiti Map Art is a worthwhile search topic in its own right. I'm not saying that it's ostensibly a good thing to deface public property; but there is some sort of ironic merit in imprinting the representation of a place, onto the actual geography of the place. I'm sure Banksy would approve anyway.

02 August 2011

OCTO-MAPPY

Even in today's crazy mixed-up world where anything goes, you probably wouldn't have ever guessed that the Octopus is in fact a prevalent figure within global mapping. You may have seen all sorts of maps, on all sorts of topics - yet you probably haven't seen any Octopi. If this is the case, I feel bad for you son - I've got 99 map problems but an Octopus ain't one,  hit me

26 July 2011

SWINGERS PARTY

In this intriguing art installation entitled 'Suspended', created by Mona Hatoum; each swing-seat has been incised with a city map. As passing visitors wander through the installation and create air-currents; the chains sway gently and the effect is both visually elegant yet slightly eerie. More conceptually speaking; the map-seats represent floating archipelagos of urban islands and imply geographical-movement and dislocation. If you're willing to look a bit deeper and possibly swing a bit harder - the seats clash violently and ideas such as migrational and cultural discord erupt. Good eh?! Click here to see more.

19 July 2011

TOOTHPICK MAP

I'd be the first to admit that a toothpick hanging smoothly from your lip can sometimes make you feel cooler than James Dean. But lets be honest, is it really enough of a rush to keep you toying with over 100,000 of them for 35 years?!  Possibly the only person in the world who can truthfully answer that (highly random) question is Scott Weaver, who has painstakingly created a map of San Francisco made entirely out of toothpicks!!!  Whilst it definitely seems crazy to me, its actually also pretty cool (and I haven't even got to the really awesome bit yet where it also functions as a marble run!) Well... it also functions as a marble run!!! Click here to watch the video.

12 July 2011

COME ON IN, THE MAPPING'S WARM

Looks trippy doesn't it - that man splashing around above an underwater city?  I'll let you in on a secret though; he's not actually swimming above an underwater city - he's swimming around in a regular swimming pool! Yep, its a regular pool but it's had an aerial photo printed onto its sides as part of a publicity stunt for global climate change.  By literally challenging our perceptions regarding the water-level of the pool we are also prompted to consider our perceptions regarding the water-level of the planetI've seen a few maps on the subject and I'd have to say; this portentous peek into an apocalyptic future, does make me think!  (Though some of that thought is directed at the alterior motives for the installation) Click here first though to dive on in!

05 July 2011

SHIP-SHAPE VIEW

When I first saw this happy yellow structure in my shipping container atlas I didn't know what it was, but I was greatly satisfied. Then, when I read on to find out that it was a viewing platform from which to view real-life topographic contour lines, I was greatly stoked (sad as it may be)! This is a German installation so if you don't sprechen sie deutsch (or if you're so lazy you cant copy & paste the text into google translator) allow me to summarise: Hannover University has implemented a clever idea to make the inhabitants and every-day passers-by of the Architecture and Landscape Faculties' value their landscape that they may otherwise take for granted. By physically painting contours onto the terrain of their campus, the viewers eyes are drawn away from the grandiose buildings and pleasant gardens, toward the space as a whole. In addition to this optical diversion, the fact that topo lines are usually only seen on paper maps also stimulates a conceptual diversion; an analogous blur between the way things appear in the paper world of Landscape Planning and Architectural design and the way the designs actually turn out and affect the 'real' world.

28 June 2011

A ROUND BOX

What are the main problems with displaying all the stuff that happens in our 3D world in a flat 2D environment? Firstly, you get all sorts of geodesic projection issues, and secondly, it doesn't make you want to dance. But what if you could make a spherical screen and hang it in a large enough space where people can get funky? Well, in a world-first, Mitsubishi have created a massive 6 metre OLED (Organic Light emitting Diode) spherical screen (or a round TV to the layman)! In this photo it looks like the half-completed death-star, but fully operating its a beguiling new take on the cardboard globes that lay dormant on our desks. Check out the website or watch the YouTube video

21 June 2011

MUSIC TO MY EARS

If you've ever read a travel review of a city, especially a travel review of a vibrant musical city like New Orleans, Memphis or Paris you'll know that they can get quite poetical - describing the rhythm of the city and the beat of the streets. Anyway, I'd always assumed that they were just being figurative, but then I find this video of the Netherlandic city of Eindhoven and it turns out to be awesomely literal! (even if it is a little stark and unmelodious - but perhaps that suits Eindhoven?!)

14 June 2011

LIKE A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS

When you're weary, feeling small, when tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all...
Like a troubled bridge over google waters, I will lay me down.
This collection of images simply presents examples of what happens when you 'drape' high resolution aerial photography over low resolution terrain, but for some reason the results are quite humourous.

07 June 2011

MORPHING MEDIA

Surprisingly enough I'm not actually an avid follower of real-time media updates, but this could all change if the information could be communicated to me in map form. Like this vimeo example of a map of Hungary that dynamically distorts whenever the name of a Hungarian city or village is mentioned on a certain website - the result is a bubbling geography of data.

31 May 2011

CHALK IT UP TO MAPPING

I remember the good ol' blackboard as being a soothing influence on me at school - perhaps subconsciously I was thankful there was a tangible presence in the room that could be responsible for, or at least sympathetic to, my vacuous stares. Any academic failings in subjects such as algebra, english or geography (surely not!) were all absorbed by an inky infinite abyss in the same way a black-hole nebula sucks in light. Fast forward to today >> in a digital world of information over-load, and one could be forgiven for assuming that there is now no need for an oldskool blackboard. But if there is still merit in pondering what one does not know (?) (including what one does not know about the world, the globe or even nz), a blackboard conduit, i think, represents a better metaphor for our imperfections and our awe than the ugly false-omniscience of the internet or indeed the sterile blankness of a whiteboard.

24 May 2011

DESIGNER MAPS

Every now and again I stumble across a set of maps that have a cool design aesthetic.  I like the maps, and so I decide to reward the design company who made them by saying that I like them on my blogspot - its an organic relationship in a digital world... and I like it.

17 May 2011

ANTI ANTIPODEAN

As a New Zealander who has just been on holiday to Europe for four weeks (have I mentioned that too much lately? oh well) I'm sick and tired of being referred to as another Antipodean - lumping me in by inference with those awful Australians and scallywag South Africans. So I say to them [in my finest Clint Eastwood voice] "who you callin' an antipodean buddy?" We get into a bar fight and thus ends a standard night abroad.  On the other hand, if the fine folk near the town of Ronda in Andalusia, Spain call me an Antipodean well then I shake their hand and say "how do you do?".  Why the different treatment? Well, 'Antipodean' by definition means a person from the opposite side of the world (or more amusingly in Greek; the opposite foot) and the Andalusians are on exactly the other side of the world from me - I know this because I've used this mapping applet ...and I'll fight anyone who disagrees!

10 May 2011

SCRATCH THAT

Such is my commitment to Choice Map Tuesday, you may not have actually noticed that I have been on holiday in Europe for the last four weeks! Oh, the sights I've seen, the beer I've drunk and the maps I've used!  But how to keep track of all this? Well, the Scratch Map is one idea that offers the satisfying ability to literally scratch off the places that you visit.  Possibly not so good for you poor saps at work, but great for me!! :)  buy it here

04 May 2011

WITH THIS MAP, I DO THEE WED

As a guy, weddings aren´t my natural topic of interest, but last week with the eyes of the world trained firmly on the royal wedding, I couldn´t really ignore the phenomenon altogether.  So, for the more female (and camp gay) readership of Choice Map Tuesday, this week, I´d like to remind you that maps do have a big part to play in these special events. If your´re interested (probably only if you're planning your own wedding) you may want to try out illustrated maps or DIY maps as examples of the many sites/ services available online.  For the guys, perhaps you could just imagine the cool maps that the snipers and security forces used.

25 April 2011

MAPPING IN THE CLOUDS

Sometimes it feels like being a cartographer is like playing god.  A change of the terrain colour here, an insertation of a road there - its all very much like the first few paragraphs of the bible.  But we're not truely gods however, we do have our off days - sometimes we get mappers block and cant decide on an appropriate colour scheme for a map.  Fortunately for us we can turn to cloudmade.com who offer the ability to try out a few complex colour schemes at the click of a button. [It may appear confusing at first, but all you need to do is click maps (in the upper left corner), zoom to an area of interest, then click change style (upper right) to try out some cool  palettes]

17 April 2011

KINECT ME

So, you thought that it was really cool the way that Tom Cruise's character used hand gestures to navigate around the computer in the 2002 film Minority Report?! but ever since then you've lived in a sort of waking-dream, yearning for the day that you too could have that ability. Well my nerdy techo-dreamer, Microsoft has now released the xbox Kinect which will allow you to do just this!!  Kinect utilises LIDAR (laser) technology [that mappers already use to create contours & terrain] but it has now been developed to be able to interpret our flailing limbs into digital commands!  People, the future is finally here and its yours for just $100 (US) !!!  Have a look at how it can be used in mapping (or specifically in google maps)

12 April 2011

PUZZLING MAPS

It feels like maps conceptualise our world so effortlessly that we seemingly lose any sense that maps do actually take time and dedication to create. Perhaps that's the way it should be, or perhaps we're missing something by only looking at the bigger picture? Does something new reveal itself when one ponders the individual components of a thing? I dont know for sure, but perhaps you can try zoning-out for awhile with these jigsaw puzzle maps created by National Geographic and see what you come up with.

05 April 2011

MAP PRODIGY

The NAZIs' had the Hitler Youth, Nike have got their sweatshops, but it has now become clear that insidious map zealots are also using freakishly intelligent and impressionable children to spread their cartographic doctrine. As you read this, sleeper agents in every country are busy populating the earth with map obsessed offspring.  The geographic revolution is underway comrades, rise up!!!

29 March 2011

HIGHBROW MAPS

I'd be the first to admit that the human race hasn't quite reached utopian maturity levels, but I would've thought that we have at least moved on from our childhood titillations'. How wrong i am. This week for example, i present to you TargetMap.com which is a fantastic website where you can search for a myriad of maps based on a plethora of respectable quantitative phenomenon including; Nobel Peace Prize Winners Locations or UN Security Council Resolution Areas and what do you do?  You only look at the maps of world-wide average penis size and breast cup size (and you giggle like schoolgirls). Grow up people!

22 March 2011

BOMBS AWAY

In order to appreciate the very grave and unfortunately, now, very current situation of nuclear fallout, I thought it may be helpful to share with you fine sympathetic people, the below mapping applet.  This 'mapplet' allows us to shift the epi-center of a nuclear detonation to a location of our choosing - to a location that we are perhaps more familiar with, and subsequently allow us to better visualise the impact of nuclear fallout events.  Hopefully its straightforward enough to use, but as a tip; click on the location symbol on the map to get a key & click the wind 'rose' to change fallout direction). Japan, our thoughts are with you. Dōmo arigatō.


Note: this model is indicative only - it doesn't take into account weather patterns or terrain etc that would significantly influence the damage/extent at different locations and times. 'Fallout' shows the possible dispersion of radioactive isotopes after six hours of the explosion, assuming a constant gentle breeze. This model uses information found in the public domain, including: Federation of American Scientists and Wikipedia.  For more details, visit mapplet creators:  CarlosLabs

PS If you like this mapplet type thing, you may also want to check out my previous posts:
NOT IN MY BACKYARD - here you can change the location of all sorts of interesting phenomenon.
THE GOGGLES THEY DO NOTHING - a video showing the location of all the nuclear bombs detonated throughout history.

15 March 2011

SPEAK TO ME (OF) MAP ART

After returning from a week-long deployment in earthquake-ravaged Christchurch, I found that I struggled to sum up my experience in words. In a subconscious desire to remedy this I took to the internet and I subsequently stumbled across this burnt map of San Francisco. The 'burnt bits' of the map seemed to say something that I couldn't convey - something a pristine map with a simple earthquake-damage symbol couldn't. Luckily (as I hadn't had time to research anything else for this week's post) it turns out that the artist who made this work is absolutely prolific in making map art. So please share with me in investigating the wealth of Matthew Picton's other abstract works, and perhaps you too will find something to sum up how you feel.

08 March 2011

ALL SHOOK UP

In this special edition of Choice Map Tuesday I'm coming to you live from under the stairs of the Christchurch Earthquake Emergency Operations Centre. I flew in by air force deployment (somewhat necessary since the city is like a war zone now) and I am in the Planning and Intelligence team. Amongst other things, I am currently tasked with mapping where all the portable toilets have been delivered to (a very glamorous task indeed - well, Prince William asked to look at these maps anyway). If I have to find a silver lining amidst the chaos, the 'choice' bit would have to be that few of the many people in hi-vis vests currently running by each other will be going out into the field to do their important rescue work unless they have one of these maps, or a map of road closures or building assessments - so even though they may not be aware of it, they're digging on maps more than anyone right now. If you're interested, here is an interactive (and ongoing) map of all the earthquakes in Christchurch

01 March 2011

DECONSTRUCTION INDUCTION

The more observant amongst you will be able to notice that the image directly to your left is not a map! (Shock horror!) It is of course an ordinary typewriter. An 'ordinary' typewriter, that has been disassembled, with every miniscule component painstakingly laid out piece by piece. Where am I going with this you ask? and why is it taking so long to get there?! Well, I'm not going to answer your slightly tetchy questions directly - all I'll say is that this image is here to help you understand the maps of Armelle Caron or the work of Jenny Odell

22 February 2011

COLLAGE INJECTION

oooh, its an eerie all-knowing American-Indian staring back at you through the medium of a map. What does it mean?! Its definitely something deep and meaningful... maybe the spirit guide is reminding the white man that the land of the map once had a different 'face'. Hmmm, perhaps you could ponder this (and the other excellent collages created by Matthew Cusick) and let me know what you think?!

15 February 2011

YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURHOOD NAZIS

I don't usually consider myself a fan of dictatorships or worldwide domination plans per se, but when you see such ambitious maps as this one (printed in a 1942 edition of Life magazine), you start to wonder how any group that is so optimistic can be bad for society?!  "Let 'em come" I say!  Fortunately for the free world, my reaction is the reverse of what this series of maps ended up achieving i.e. whipping up national hysteria into a fervent anti-Nazi war-effort.

08 February 2011

DIORAMA...RAMA

One sultry summer night (possibly after a few too many alcoholic beverages) Aerial Photography and Street View Images got 'jiggy with it' and created a wondrous but fairly ugly love-child. That creation would neither be black or white, and would never find true acceptance amongst his map friends. Eventually poor little Diorama Map would only find solace amongst the other outcasts of his kind

01 February 2011

LIVEABLE STREETS

I ride my bike a lot, so its with a smug look on my face that i judge you for driving a car. How can I afford to be so smarmy? Well, according to the styley 5min video you're about to watch; the higher the level of vehicle traffic is in a neighbourhood - the poorer relationships within the community will be. Perhaps you're not so concerned about being a bad person, but you should still watch this video - even if its just to stimulate your own desire for some sweet maps that have a (ironically) homey graphic design aesthetic.  Watch the video (but shame on you!)

25 January 2011

STREET VIEW SCENES

Conceptually, a gallery of random photos doesn't seem like it should really be justified as an entry into a blog all about mapping. Sure we use aerial & satellite photography extensively enough, but what I'm talking about is obscure oddball obliques. Photos such as these, capture cultural 'colour' and visual valuablenesses that would otherwise be lost to traditional mapping techniques. So with all that being said (and with the photos' source being
google maps) I am hear by 'legit' in bringing you this selection of Street View scenes

18 January 2011

NOT IN MY BACKYARD

There is some pretty interesting stuff out there in the big wide world, but if I'm honest; I struggle to fully appreciate it all. I think it's because all that 'stuff' is in a different place to where I live. For example, it's hard for me to fathom just how epic the Great Wall of China actually is because I live in New Zealand and not China. It just doesn't seem relevant enough to me in my life. Well, the BBC's awesome Dimensions website is making shizz real, real like you ain't never seen, fool!