And thanks for your Time
“It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.” Dr. Stephen Hawking, 1942- 2018
So Long, Dr. Hawking…
Optical Illusion .. And It Isn’t A Trump One
Tales of Topographic Notions (II)
In which some feathers may get ruffled, politely
It’s a wonderful world, then…
But Mercator is problematic — not perhaps to 16th century European colonials, happy to see England in its rightful and dominant size and place, but …
It’s been widely used for centuries, including today in various forms by Google Maps and many other online services. This map preserves directional bearing, presenting rhumbs (imaginary lines that cut all meridians at the same angle) as straight lines, thus making it a useful tool for navigation.
Despite its benefits, the Mercator projection drastically distorts the size and shape of objects approaching the poles. This may be the reason people have no idea how big some places really are
But all the other attempts look horribly distorted too, and at least we’re used to Mercator. Even if it does make Greenland look the size of Africa, for example. (You could fit 14 Greenlands in the real Africa.)
But now enter Tokyo-based architect and artist Hajime Narukawa and his AuthaGraph map. Quite fascinating. It seems if you take the sphere of the earth and project it onto an inflated tetra… Or to look at it another way, if you flatten the earth’s 96… Well, here’s the diagram.
Simple, yes? Until you see the product, which you may find — odd. But very accurate, insists Narukawa, who is a man on a mission.
According to Narukawa, his map means a lot more than just a faithful cartographical representation of our planet. Because Earth is now facing down issues like climate change and contentious territorial sea claims, Narukawa believes that the planet needs to look at itself in a new light — a view that perceives the interests of our planet first and its countries second.
Business Insider
The Chaps could not say fairer than that.
No we couldn’t – and lest you think the chaps are out there on yet another meaningless tangent – know that the Boston Public School system are already on the ‘abandon Mercator trajectory‘ … now we just need to pop over there and let them know about Narukawa san … this is new.
Tales From Topographic Notions
Not to get too graphic, but —
The Chaps have proudly proclaimed before their liking for the skillful graphic presentation of varying types of information. The sort of presentation that makes, say, the route and attrition of Napoleon’s March on Moscow accessible to anyone interested in, say, why it was such a disaster.
And indeed there is such a graphic, illustrating not only route but temperature and diminishing size of the force.
Just Because You Can… (Part 1)
…does not mean one actually should. However…
While the Chaps are always appreciative of Great Leaps Forward, they also appreciate Great Leaps Sideways, or in some cases Great Standings Still. So it is with a sigh of relief from the other, more depressing technological high-jinks around at present that the Chaps greet the newest Ig Nobel Prizes. Or, as they style themselves, research that could not, and probably should not, be repeated.
There is also a Journal of Irreproducible Results–
but such things seems to have gone worryingly mainstream of late.
Clipping The Eclipse
It was a wonderful event…
Or so this Chap heard, from someone who does not live at the base of a west-facing mountain. He understands there are, oh, oodles of photographs from all one’s friends, who are dying to share them.
And yet, as this Guardian feature delicately points out, photographic enthusiasm may be little substitute for skill. Especially when the subject is, as here, just a little tricky and elusive… Still, better luck next time, what?
The Chord Turned Upside Down
Welcome to the dark side …
No, not Aussie music, not that there’s anything wrong with the convict heritage… This Chap is actually very partial to Midnight Oil, in particular…
.. and I assume we are also not back to Pink Floyd so please – do go on …
Thank you!
… because we aren’t exactly searching for this Chord are we? Just inverting it? Continue reading “The Chord Turned Upside Down”
At Last, The Truth
This Chap is proud to note…
…a rational, albeit unintentional, upside to the POTUS 45 farce.
So that’s that, then.
Nothing To See Here …
.. move along now.
This chap’s eye was caught by …
… this ‘billy do’ he spotted here.
What other proof does one need that there is something happening to the global climate. Now – of course – that is not to say that is humankind’s fault. Which is why I offer you this second billy do, and rather a jolly way of whiling away your time.
Still Thinking About Paris
As this Chap mused ruefully, earlier…
When US businesses are speaking out en masse in favor of the Paris Agreement, on business grounds, and the head of the EPA is agin it — well, summat’s definitely nasty oop i’t woodshed.
The evident caprice and almost-risible evasions and denials suggest strongly this was not, shall we say, a consensus political decision … more an individual, less-considered agenda.
Continue reading “Still Thinking About Paris”