Flat earth

I have been struggling to wrestle my globe onto a piece of paper. By Googling "flat world map" I found that many other, much more capable minds than mine have tackled the problem of translating three dimensions into two.

The version that most appealed is Fullers Projection perhaps because of the clever animation. But there are many more including butterfly shaped maps, to unrealistic rectangular maps which have been slightly modified in many ways. It all points to the unreliability of maps!

So here is another site to teach you how to make a flat map out of a round world.

Mapping the Landscape

Over the last quarter century Pippin Drysdale has been refining her forms, her materials and her colour palette to create a unique body of work that is a response to various landscapes. Read more in a article by Ted Snell at HandEye

Japanese maps

Robin has discovered a wonderful on-line collection of maps of Japan.

The Japanese Historical Map Collection contains about 2,300 early maps of Japan and the World. The collection was acquired by the University of California from the Mitsui family in 1949 and is housed on the Berkeley campus in the East Asian Library.

http://www.davidrumsey.com/japan/

Embroiderers Guild's maps

On Sunday October 17 we visited the Embroiderers Guild of NSW in Concord.


They have two framed, embroidered maps that were worked within seven years of each other. The older, worked in 1798 is of the counties of England and Wales. It is worked in silk and wool on very closely woven (?) linen cloth. The ink that was used to draw the map and write the names of the counties and their principal towns seems to have contained some kind of bleach.



We thought that the writing was printed until we looked at it with a strong magnifying glass and found that it was finely embroidered in black silk. The counties are outlined in coarser woollen yarn in larger, clumsier stitches. Perhaps it was a joint effort of governess and pupil.















The second map is worked on a more open weave linen cloth. It is a map of Europe with the capital cities noted (although sometimes not positioned accurately.) The countries are outlined with several rows of coloured, cross worked silks. The countries names sometimes have a larger first letter with colour added to the black silk. These are generally 2 over 2 cross stitches but the smaller wording is worked in one over one.


Some of the names of the countries were a surprise: like Candia for Cyprus.

The west and the map of the world

The ABC's Artworks broadcast a feature about maps and the politics implicit in them. It is available as a podcast and worth listening to.

"Maps haven't always told us where to go. Often they've told us what to think -- about ourselves and about other people. Early maps were powerful documents not because they were accurate -- mostly they weren't -- but because they reflected the politics and ideologies of the world of the map-maker."

Ask your phone where you are

There are ways to tell the world were you are from your mobile phone which may, or may not be a wise thing to do.

http://www.techworld.com.au/article/341479/geolocation_101_how_it_works_apps_your_privacyhttp://

www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/advertising-promotion/internet-marketing/MAR_ADP_INM/655280-39101050

http://www.facebook.com/help/?topic=places

Cooktown

Is a town that remembers Cpt Cook every year in June when the Endeavour was repaired there. http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/cooktown-place-of-endeavour.htm