The person(s?) responsible for the previously mentioned StrangeMaps blog are now compiling a print edition “Atlas of Strange Maps.”

They’re looking for help.  This ranges from map selection to copyright confirmation.  Seems like a monumental project for such a large and random collection, but with the modern speed of information who knows.

This is definitely something I’d like to have on a coffee table no matter the final format of the book.

Via:  Kottke

Color matters in maps. That’s all there is to it. When I lived in Karlskrona, Sweden for half a year, I would literally have been lost without my various maps of the country. Whether it was the free map I ordered from the board of tourism, the rail maps, or otherwise, it just helped to have a guide.

The only problem? They were all in Swedish. Seems I forgot to order the English version. Thankfully, they were well designed and easy to figure out, and color was a major part of why. To be fair, I actually learned a fair bit of Svensk språk while I was away, but reading like a fourth grader only gets you so far. (I say fourth grade because in the US, most major newspapers and magazines are written at a fifth grade level, and newspapers are where I drew the line for skill.)

For an interesting take on maps and color visit either your local public transit station, or take a look at this article over at ColourLovers.

Usually when I’m at my computer, and need to look up a word, I just use the “define:yourwordhere” operator at Google. After trying out definr, however, I’ll never use Google’s dictionary again. Unless, of course, they’re the only option left at the end of the “you can’t live without us war” currently raging on the internet. You just can’t beat definr for speed, and its definitions are accurate. There’s really not much more you can ask for in a dictionary.

definr - An incredibly fast dictionary.

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Have you ever had sketchy directions drawn on a gas-station purchased map in grease pencil? How many times have you gotten directions on a napkin to go? No matter what you do, no matter how neatly you can fold the damned things, or how many of them you print crisply and cleanly from Google, you’re bound to run into some strange maps in the course of your travels regardless of where said travels take you.

The blog Strange Maps is dedicated to just this sort of thing.

Some of the maps they have on display are whimsical, some political, some pointless. At the end of the day though, they’re a great resource for amateur cartographers, artists, and information designers. Edward Tufte would probably throttle half of those involved for their poor presentations of information if he got the chance though.

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Makes for one amazing mosaic.  The below photo is part of a larger collection of images created using nothing but apples.

[Via: CuriousPhoto]

I’m a big fan of — but by no means expert at — strategy games. One of my recent favorites is a free and open-source project called Battle for Wesnoth. Set in the fantasy kingdom of Wesnoth, the game features a variety of units spread across several races. With a built-in editor, there are literally limitless map and campaign options, including dozens of ready-made scenarios available directly for download. Did I mention this is all free?

I never though to mention this awesome game until recently after having rented Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for the Nintendo Wii from my local Blockbuster. Despite its flashy graphics and reasonably well translated backstory, the game really didn’t differ that much from Battle for Wesnoth in playstyle. That’s pretty impressive for a big-name contender on a next-gen console to be similar or equal in gameplay to a free offering.

In any case, you don’t have anything to lose by checking the game out. It’s free, cross-platform, and constantly improving.

Battle for Wesnoth Homepage
Download Page

Screenshot:

Several years ago, Kodak made the decision to stop producing and selling 35mm black-and-white film. Last year Polaroid quit producing their famous “instant” quick developing cameras on which the company’s name and reputation were built. Now they’ve decided to end production on film for said cameras once they’ve produced enough to last through the next year (2009).

Even ignoring the hundreds of jobs this takes away due to factory closings during a less-than-stellar point in the US economy, it really takes away something more. Polaroids have always held a special sort of place in photography, especially for the spur-of-the-moment fun of the things. There’s something entirely different about a shoebox full of Polaroids when compared to a dvd full of digitized image files. It’s a level of personality that coming generations may well be bereft of in their daily lives if trends continue.

Instant film is still currently being produced by Fujifilm.

[Via: Curbly]

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To me, one of the lasting marks of a truly great writer is the ability to evoke vivid and meaningful imagery in the mind of the reader. Something that often goes overlooked in descriptive writing is the proper use of color. Though the name of a color may simply appear as black and white on the page, to those who know the related color it is a blazing fire, or a cool stream.

Are you thinking I’m crazy yet? No? Good. Take a look at the latest installment of Colorful Allusions over at ColourLovers.

Now take a look back at volumes one, two, three and four.

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During the course of my undergraduate studies at Georgia Tech, one of my professors, Sha Xin Wei, related an anecdote about his son to the class.  The boy was somewhat undersized, and being worried about him, the professor’s wife took the boy to her native Italy for a pediatric exam.  The prescription for his treatment?  “White food.  Good Italian food!  Provolone, prosciutto, pasta.”

The class didn’t manage to muster more than a compulsory chuckle at the story, but there was actually a lot to it.  The color of our food has a lot to do with our perceptions of its nutritive value and can quite literally flavor our perception of the food.  According to this paper (PDF) in the Journal of Consumer Research, mentioned at ScienceDaily, and ColourLovers, the mere color of a liquid can greatly impact how sweet the imbiber believes it to be, as was proven with four identical samples of orange juice, one of which was darkened with flavorless food coloring, one of which was sweetened with pure sugar.

The ColourLovers post also points to an excerpt from Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, which details the results of feeding people a meal that looked normal under certain lighting conditions, and their gastric despair when the lighting was changed to indicate that their steak and potatoes were actually dyed green and blue.

A separate article from CL reminds us that certain vitamins, minerals, and other chemical bits and pieces can be found in commonly colored foods.

Even the US Food and Drug Administration admits to the value of food coloring as part of the experience of eating, saying:

The color of food is an integral part of our culture and enjoyment
of life. Who would deny the mouth-watering appeal of a deep-pink
strawberry ice on a hot summer day or a golden Thanksgiving turkey
garnished with fresh green parsley?

Even early civilizations such as the Romans recognized that people
“eat with their eyes” as well as their palates. Saffron and other
spices were often used to provide a rich yellow color to various
foods. Butter has been colored yellow as far back as the 1300’s.

Today all food color additives are carefully regulated by federal
authorities to ensure that foods are safe to eat and accurately
labeled.

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Juan Francisco Casas is an absolute whiz with a ballpoint. The artist — a man who can win an art contest with a Bic and a sheet of notebook paper — recently sold a large collection of his work for between 1,000 and 5,000 Euros each ($1.4k-$7.3k US).

His works, such as the one featured below feature people in a variety of poses, ranging from the serious, to the silly. His grasp of anatomy is wonderful, and the execution is flawless, especially considering the medium.

It just goes to show you: All you need is the basics.

Source: The Daily Mail