More maps from the endlessly fascinating site: "strangemaps.com." None of these maps look very good when reduced to the size they are here, so be sure to click to enlarge them.
So, what do you think of this 1950s map of Europe as seen by Moscow (above)? It's amazing what a difference a new vantage point makes!
This (above) anal-retentive, proposed reconstruction of London is a powerful argument to prove that Mensa should never be allowed to rule the world.
Here's (above) a map of Europe from 1915. When I was a kid newspapers would frequently put up high-quality novelty illustrations like this, but as time went on I saw less and less of them. It's wrong to say that internet news outcompeted newspapers. The newspapers the computer beat were hamstrung versions that hardly resembled the dynamic papers of the past.
A fascinating star chart (above)! According to this the first transmissions of "Seinfeld" have already reached Altair.
Here's what these cities (above) actually looked like when the map was made 60 years ago. Some have human faces. Boy, cities are kind of ugly when seen in silhouette.
No attempt at realism in this cyber map (above), but it's still intriguing.
Holy Cow! Africa (above) is THAT big!!!????
I reprint this map of the Hollow Earth (above) just in case your car breaks down while you're driving in there.
Another map with a novel orientation (above)...the world as seen from Irkutsk.
This (above) won't mean anything til you enlarge it. It's a vulture's map of Ethiopia, maybe from the 40s. Why a vulture? I don't know, but it sure is neat!
Here's (above) a children's book map of some imaginary islands in the South Pacific.
A map of Europe (above) made with girl's underpants!
I have no idea where this map (above) comes from, but it's hilarious! You could make this kind of map of the desks in your classroom, or of your work place.
BTW: This is my thousandth post on Blogger! Imagine that! I didn't know I had a thousand things to say! I wish this stuff was broadcast, rather than crammed into the phone lines. It would be exciting to know that some...thing... with tentacles slithering around Altair 4 would hear about this someday and wonder who I was.
There is nothing more depressing than reading a messageboard for Mensa types. Have you ever read the discussion page on a wikipedia article? Pedantry at its most hilarious and pathetic
ReplyDeleteWow, these are really interesting!
ReplyDeleteI love the internet community one. Especially the way they included the "series of tubes" haha!
The "improved" Londom map is a pretty good illustration of why I can't stand technophile computer programmer types views on art and whatnot. Logic is boring
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your 1000th post Uncle Eddie. You're an inspiration to us all...whatever the hell you're talking about!
ReplyDeleteI see London, I see France...
ReplyDeleteNice ones!
ReplyDeleteAlso found those really interesting:
http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2008/08/dogs-of-war.html
Congratulations for your 1000 posts!
A review of this gallery show just happened to be in the NY Times this morning.
ReplyDeleteArt galleries as islands, and the artists thy represent or used to represent.
Its a little arcane....
maps.
Congrats on 1K posts, Eddie!
ReplyDeleteThe Cyberworld map must be a couple of years old; otherwise the size of MySpace and Facebook would be reversed. (Also, where's 4chan?)
BTW, Mensa is the organization for people not smart enough to =not= join an organization like Mensa.
ever notice when youre in an airplane coming into a big city like new york or l.a how the city with its buildings and geometric shapes looks like a a computer chip. everything squeezed together, leaving little space, how do we live like this?
ReplyDeleteTheres a huge difference between being smart enough to join Mensa and being the sort of person who pays the hundred dollar fee to join Mensa, shows strangers their membership cards and looks forward to meetings by saying "finally I will get to stimulating conversations with people of my intellectual stature, discourse with the common phillistine has been so tiring."
ReplyDeleteUncle Eddie You Have A Lot Of Things You Want To say Yet,Congrats for your 1000th post!☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
ReplyDeleteEddie,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 1000th post, and may there be many more to come!
Congrats on your 1,000th post, Uncle Eddie!
ReplyDeleteHey, Blogger! Will you make this man's blog one of your "Blogs of Note" already?
jennifer, Jeff, Eclectic, Denise, Stephen: Many thanks for the kind words. About Blogger of Note: I was a Blogger of Note. It was a year ago, or maybe a little less than that.
ReplyDeleteAnon, Buzz, Anon: I went to a Mensa convention with John and David Silverman. Some very nice people there. I discovered that Mensa is actually a kind of federation of activity groups. Every month or two members get an updated list of where and when groups are meeting. it looked like it would be fun, but I'm not sure I have an IQ high enough to get in.
Eclectic, Thomas: Thanks for the links! The Dogs of War link was great! Do you mind if I use one of those maps? The other link reminded me of the cyber link on this post. It's amazing that naming imaginary cities after people you know works so well.
No. of course, thats fine, glad it fits in with your post.
ReplyDeleteWow, now I REALLY have no idea how to feel about living in Toronto....Oh, Hey Eddie, I just had a dream where you had written a novel about all your regular readers. For some reason I was the annoying one who always gave you a hard time. No clue, man...no clue.....
ReplyDeleteOf course, my favorite is the underpants map!
ReplyDeleteThere are some very long, whimsical, and interesting descriptions of the world in Moby Dick. Check it out.
You're probably right about Mensans Eddie, I've just been put off by the sort of people who play the Mensa card online. Most of them are probably "self diagnosed" Mensans.
ReplyDeleteWhat are your thoughts on Aspergers syndrome Eddie?
Actually that map isn't JUST made up of girl's underpants.... but you knew that, I hope...
ReplyDeleteAnyways, Eddie -- it was great seeing you again the other night. Here's that site I was telling you about melodrama...
http://selfstyledsiren.blogspot.com/2009/09/ten-melos-siren-would-watch-instead-of.html
That should link you to the specific column on melos... but her whole site is great. (Self styled Siren)
Gordon Kent
Whoa, whoa, wait - David Silverman is a MENSA MEMBER??? I suppose that figures - who else would be smart enough to figure out how to make Matt Groening like you cartoony drawings? Seriously, if anyone else did the stuff he did on The Simpsons, they would be sent packing by the next morning.
ReplyDeleteAnd at the expense of wearing this out, HAPPY 1,000th POST!!! You're still everyone's favorite Uncle. (Real Uncles are weird.)
As a Scottish person who is tired of all the times people equate "Britain" with "England", I approve of the 1915 map where all of Great Britain is portrayed by that Highland type guy.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind David Silverman, it's the direction of people like Al Jean and Mike Sculley that ruined the show.
ReplyDeleteThe Frank Grimes episode would have been the perfect episode to end the show on.
"The Frank Grimes episode would have been the perfect episode to end the show on."
ReplyDeleteIn my mind that IS the last episode. I don't even consider anything after that to be The Simpsons at all. I call it "That yellow people show" of something similarly derisive.
Where did the Sooperman post go?
ReplyDeleteGordon: Many thanks for the link! I looked it up and the site was as interesting as you said it would be. Some of her own links were worth seeing, too.
ReplyDeleteZoran: David became a member!? Well I'll be dogged!
Eddie....
ReplyDeletere: Sooperman...
you are hilarious!
gordon kent
(by the way, you have my email address, right?)
Eddie: No, I just assumed he was a member. He's into Burning Man, he plays a flaming sousaphone and, weirdest of all, he drew facial expressions that were actually funny AND demonstrated a knowledge of how a real face works and how to draw it ON THE SIMPSONS....and not only did he not get canned for it, he was promoted to executive producer. I, being under the impression that he is one highly unusual man, naturally figured he'd be a part of any organization he could point out while walking down the street. And besides, there was a Simpsons episode who's plot largely revolved around the Springfield chapter of MENSA, so someone on the show must be a member.
ReplyDeleteIf you look back on The classic years of the Simpsons they had some really weird and brilliant people working on the show. Guys like George Meyer and Jon Swartzwelder and even Conan Obrien.
ReplyDeleteI watched a British tv special on the 300th episode of the Simpsons and every writer they interviewed were guys who had joined the show in the last 5 years and they were a bunch of generic good natured hipsterish guys and fat neckbeards.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Swartzwelder This is an interesting man, this is not a man who twitters.
ReplyDeleteGordon: I don't have your email address. When I click on your name at the top of your comment a window comes up that says something like, "Bugger off! My personal information is private!"
ReplyDeleteAnon, Anon: Thanks for the mention of Shwartzwelder! And thanks for the link! He sounds like an interesting guy!
Anon: Aspergers is an affliction, and I don't envy the people who have it. On the other hand, an awful lot of nice and effective people have it, and I suspect that some companioes would collapse if their aspergers employees ever decided to quit.
What i wonder is, is it possible to have 1/2 a dose of aspergers? At half strength the assets may outweigh the liabilities.
Zoran: Well, maybe you guessed right. He seems like he's bright enough.
Thomas: Thanks!
So enjoyable and creative. Thanks, Eddie!
ReplyDelete"What i wonder is, is it possible to have 1/2 a dose of aspergers?"
ReplyDeleteThat would be me. Except that aspergers is a subcategory of ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. The key word there is SPECTRUM. It's a set of fundamental characteristics which can vary in both severity and proportion. Math geniuses with no appreciation for art, or the complete reverse - both might have variations on this basic condition. So it's not in wholes, halves or quarters - it's the psychological equivalent of "cold" - as in, "Hey, it's kinda chilly in here" or "I have hypothermia and I'm about to go into shock and die". Same condition.
In a way my interest in comedy and cartooning cured me of my Aspergers syndrome. So much of good comedy is in mocking pedantic bureaucratic "wikipedia editor" types.
ReplyDelete