The United Statements of America

by Annie Scott on

In the Strange Maps blog we trust. “In Mottos We Trust? United Statements of America” is a terrific map which features each state’s motto — translated, where appropriate. Check out what yours says here. Some of our favorites?

  • Wyoming: Equal Rights (because they were the first state to give women the right to vote. Way to go, Wyoming!)
  • Oklahoma: Labor Conquers All Things (that depresses the hell out of us)
  • Alabama: We Dare Defend Our Right (badass!)
  • Virginia: Thus Always to Tyrants (wtf? That’s your motto?)
  • West Virginia: Mountaineers are Always Free (also badass!)

South Dakota gets the Lame Award for stealing Arkanas’ motto and stamping God on it; they changed “The People Rule” to “Under God the People Rule.” I’m gonna go pray in their schools now. Close runner up is Maine, whose motto is “I Direct” because they used to hold their presidential elections before anybody else.

Somebody’s a little full of themselves. I’m looking at you, Maine.

Thanks, Brian O’Neal, for the tip!

Subway map for interplanetary travel

by Annie Scott on


Traveling the galaxy? This handy map simplifies the solar system for you.

Well, sort of. You have to know some things about the universe. More than I know. Actually, it makes me want to learn more. How come I don’t know what Norma and Cygnus are, and that there’s an express line that runs between them?

Here’s something else I didn’t know: The first subway map of this style was London’s Tube Map and it was designed by Harry Beck, who, according to Wikipedia, “believed that passengers riding the trains weren’t too bothered about the geographical accuracy.” He was so right.

So, Mr. Arbesman’s map may not be geographically accurate, but that would be pretty tricky to represent on paper anyway, what with the whole 3-D aspect of the galaxy.

There are also now London-style maps to illustrate music (we love that the first comment on this project is “Why did you do this?” — that’s hysterical, Richard), web trends (why’s AOL so small? You made us the same size as WordPress. I mean, seriously), and my personal favorite, a subway map of all the world’s subways, overlaid on a world map.

Thanks, Brian O’Neal, for the tip about Samuel Arbesman’s killer Milky Way Transit Authority Map!

Find things to do when you feel hungover or romantic

by Scott Carmichael on

There are probably close to 1000 sites that list “things to do”, but most of them list the same boring stuff (OK, so I admit that I made that number up).

Thankfully, every now and then someone has a neat idea, and puts it into reality by building a web site around it.

“I Feel” is a “things to do” site that currently covers 3 big cities (New York, Toronto and London) and lets you find stuff to do when you are feeling naughty, energetic, hungover or one of 6 other moods.

Want to find somewhere to go in London when you are feeling broke? How about a nice discount shoe shop, or a cheap trip on the London Clipper!

The site is currently in “beta mode”, but invites are being sent out which should allow you to add your own submissions to the maps. No invite or account is needed to search through the tips. I browsed London for some of the ideas and have to say that there are some real gems listed. The results include anything from food to nightclubs.

All the locations are overlaid upon a Google map, so you’ll be able to do all the cool things their maps can do, as well as print or email your results, plus you can link to other reviews of the locations using Google local.

Sites: I Feel London, I Feel Toronto and I Feel New York

Shaping the world: The making of globes (video)

by Abha Malpani on

This is one of those videos you are unlikely to look for yourself, but once you find it, it spurs curiosity and you watch with interest.

In around 4 minutes, this video shows how globes are made in a globe factory. With country borders and place names changing constantly, putting together an updated globe with precision is quite a challenge. The video is the making of a standard desk globe. A bit of Googling and I found that there are hundreds of types of globes these days.

I remember being gifted a beach-ball size desk globe on my 10th birthday. It had a bulb in it and every night before going to bed I would switch-off all the lights, turn on the bulb in my globe, and stare at it with amuse as I turned it slowly. I would then start plotting routes and making up my own adventure travel stories as I discovered new lands. I still have that globe and will never part with it.

I know it’s just a globe. But being able to see the world, topography and all, on a scale (rough) of 1:40 million, is pretty incredible. That’s exactly why it’s worth watching how it’s done. The video lacks details on how they do the technical drawings pre-globe-making, but I imagine you would need a lot more than 4 minutes to explain that.

[Via kottke.org]

Oh, and Happy Halloween!

How to choose an atlas

by Karen Walrond on

When my husband and I got married, we were also on the verge of moving from London to the United States. As a wedding present, a number of our friends chipped in and bought us a huge world atlas. It seemed like a somewhat strange gift at the time, but it’s surprising how much we’ve used our atlas, even in these times of Google Maps and other internet resources. There’s just something so nostalgic about pulling out the giant atlas, flipping over its huge papers and pouring over the maps, and inadvertently learning something new (the GDP of Singapore is $168.7 billion, who knew?). And nowadays, we often pull out the huge book to teach our daughter about the various countries of the world, as well.

If owning an atlas (or giving one as an unusual gift) sounds good to you, you’re in luck: Ben Keene, editor of Oxford University Press, has just posted his handy guide on how to pick an atlas. His tips include focusing on what you’ll be using your atlas for, determining whether an atlas is outdated or not (or a collector’s gem), and describes how an atlas’ index is much like a search engine. He even gives a compelling argument about why atlases are still relevant in a GPS world.