The Map that Changed the World

I just want to follow Mercator's projections to the Mare tranquillitatis.

I just want to follow Mercator's projections to the Mar de las Tequilitas

Karma,  Jalopkin:   I  just  want  to  follow  Mercator's  projections  far  enough  to  find  someone  who  has  a  decent  map.         Like  most  men,  I  was  feeling  awkward  asking  for  directions,    some  sort  of  a  bravado  thing..... 

Americo Vaspucci's work has been document in Social Studies curriculums in NYC since at least hte 70's.  Maybe  its an ethnic pride thing, but kids know about him and Verrizano.  But then again maps are a major topic in 4th and 5th grader.  So I guess the people who commented in the BBC ariticle that they thought another guy named Amerigo  discovered America might not win on Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader.

 Am I the only map lover who had never heard of (until recently) Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)? http://geology.isu.edu/geostac/Field_Exercise/topomaps/utm.htm And in preparation for 'The Long March' next summer I've finally got to master taking bearings, plotting courses, accounting for magnetic declination, and entering waypoints into my Fortrex 101.

When I was a kid it was so much easier... I'd look up at the sun, and I could figure out within 15-20 minutes what time it was (so I'd be home for lunch), and when I used a compass I'd figure 'just a smidgen off to the side' is where north REALLY is. I'd gaze out 'really far' pick up some landmark I was trying to get to and head off in that direction. When every now and then I'd catch a glimpse of where I was trying to get to -- and it was off to one side or the other, I'd 'correct'.

And when I took up sea kayaking, it wasn't too hard either. Just point the boat at an angle to the wind, keep paddling, and eventually a landmark would rise over the horizon (hopefully in front of me!). Trust the map and not my eyes was the first and only really important lesson. (Promontories gradually appear and even if it looks as if you're paddling into open water, eventually they appear.) I also learned that distance is measured by a map; the eyes always fool you, especially when they say that two things are 'close together' when in fact one in miles in front of (or behind) the other. At three mph, that can mean an hour's paddling!

But I still love maps. Maybe it's the colors. And maybe it's simply as a visua-tactile, the idea of touching time and space is cool! And then maybe it's just the complexity and density of information that has been crammed onto one piece of thin paper.

morning all!
 
i love topo maps old and new.  is a garmin a map?  if i have a destination, i use it.

"born new" and "no place to land" could that be the pilots' excuse?.....and did they include directions for refolding them?

park 4, great post @7:24 p.m. yesterday....!

I find it comforting that my brother (Eagle Scout and boy scout troop leader) has admitted to difficulties reeding topo maps too.... are the lines circling around a peak or around a valley?  (Dang those numbers are SO tiny and SO hard to read!)  And are the lines 20 feet apart, or 10 feet or what?  Somehow, when hiking, especially with a 30-pound backpack, crossing three lines (60 feet) seems a lot more than just going up three times the height of a two-story house!  Now, all voices in unison: I LOVE MY GPS UNIT!  The maps tells you what's AROUND you, but the GPS tells you where on the )#(@ map you are!!!!!!

My map experience began when I had to drive all over the Washington, DC area doing promotional work for W. A. Taylor's Tia Maria.
 
One night on the way home when the capitol beltway was new and only had 4 lanes I got on going the wrong way and rode all the way around.
 
My ladies (girls) laughed their a**es off as we just kept going till we got to our exit. If I had gone the right way we only had 2 exits to go.
 
Most of the time we had better luck. I got prettry good with a map and still use them today since I don't have a GPS.

And I'm not even blond.

Korthal, THIS AMERICAN LIFE has done a feature on CUERVO MAN, I think he was called- a guy who went to bars and cruises, etc. in the service of Good Times. Is that the kind of thing you and your ladies did?  Maybe you could write about it  like CM did...      http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1063     ; well, like SOMEBODY did. Tia Maria, yowza.

My Ladies and I went to charity functions, luncheons etc and gave out samples of Tia Maria.
 
We had a great time. Costumes were supplied.
 
Most of the time we were gladly welcomed.
 
The chairperson would pre-arrange our arrival but one time at a country club, not to be named, the arrangements were not made because the chair THOUGHT it was okay to bring in liquor. Not so.
 
We got thrown out royally. 
 
I also did Cherry Heering and Courvoisier. 
 
My liquor cabinet was chock full of W. A Taylor product.
 
Pics to follow.

In my published pictures, as you can see, I wore more clothes the CUERVO MAN.
 
Sorry about that! LOL!!!!

It looks like you had better hats than he did, too.  Thanks for sharing.

KORTHAL:   I  hear  you  are  releasing  these  pictures  one  day  ahead  of  their  publication  in  the  tabloid  newspapers,  is  that  true?

These have already been in the tabloids.
 
Deep, deep in my albums are the unpublished ones.
 
The ones without the hats or much else.

that had to be fun!! korthal ! yeah on you!

It was great fun and they paid me to do it.

Bert - next time you're lost and need to ask directions, try this:
 
My dad and I were heading to the yacht club last weekend.  It's in a residential section whose roads are about as organized as a bowl of spagetti.  After about ten minutes of driving in circles, we stopped to ask directions from a couple out walking their dogs. 
 
Dad said, "I've only got a half tank of gas left, will THIS road take me to the yacht club?"

SHANDONISTA:
 
Did that road take you to the yacht club or did you run out of gas.

I don't have GPS and when i drive with someone that does...it often takes us strange ways.  A couple of months ago my brother was driving us to a restaurant.  I knew where it was and exactly how to get there.  But, no..we had to use the GPS. The voice didn't match his driving speed and always was late.  He took more wrong turns and the wrong way.  Would my older brother listen to me?  Nope.  Nothing has changed since we were kids AND we are in our 60ths.
 
Korthal:  What fun...how on earth did you get a job like that and get paid for it too!

I worked for 2 agencies.
 
Cappa Chell Models and Manpower.
 
These jobs came from Cappa Chell.
 
Manpower got me interesting jobs too.

korthal - we got to the club in time and didn't run out of gas.  Win-win.
 
Kim - I don't have a GPS either.  Partly because I love using maps and partly because I'm becoming a contrary old fart. I told my daughter that we didn't need no stinkin' GPS because I had two other things that I could use to find my way...a map and my brain.  Long as they hold out, I can use my money for good wine.
 
 

KIM:
 
Wine is good!

Even if i lose my brain I would still rather buy wine. 
 
Since I am in the business of working with the elderly and brain dameged (and mentally ill too).... At the time i can't find my way, I will give up the car and send a taxi for the wine.
 
Off to brunch with my mom.

No No that was for SHANDONISTA.
 
But I agree with KIM, send someone else out for the wine if you can't go yourself.

KIM:
 
Enjoy your brunch with your Mom.
 
Hope the have EGGS BENEDICT. (sp)

i like how a gps works through and around area's im unfamiliar...i.e. dallas-ft.worth, houston, memphis, oklahomoa city, indi....saves what i have left of a brain.....some of the out of way might be to how it's set up....shortest route versus fastest...most direct usually takes you through the back woods to grandma's...can be quite interesting, jmo..

I make wrong turns intentionally just so my GPS will talk to me more often........she never gets impatient with me or calls me names either.. Have a great day folks.........  see ya under moonshine in the club car tonight.
 

Here is a story I am enjoying. I have the gps thingy that plugs into my lap top. I use the Windows Streets andTrips software. I can program the most scenic route, and I can program in the height necessary for the 12'6" Road Yacht to pass...sometimes you get to a bridge or tunnel that makes you stop all traffic while unhitching the little car,backing it out of the way,and trying to turn a 38foot vehicle around in 22feet of road,which is why it is nice to have the gps. And, I can put a roast into the oven,bread into the machine,and program the start/finish time based on the estimate of the gps as to where to parkwith a view(like a state park)...air conditioned gypsy that I have become....

Shandonista:   So  does  the  reference  to  saving  your  money  for  GOOD  wine  mean  that  our  days  of  buying  it  in  boxes  are  over?
 
RoadYacht:   Doesn't  all  of  that  calculating  &  multitasking  sort  of  take  the  "pleasure"  out  of  "pleasure  driving?"
 
I  have  GPS  capabilities  built  into  my   cell  phone.    Unfortunately  there  is  no  provision  for  detours,  accidents,  or  construction.   So  my  phone  tells  me  to  take  an  exit  that  is  obstructed  by  dozens  of  yellow  barrels.   The  worst  part,  however,  is  after  I  miss  the  exit  which  was  obstructed.   The  phone  tells  me  that  I  screwed  up,  and  hopes  that   I  will  retrace  my  steps,   this  time  concentrating  on  following  simple  directions.    So  the  bottom  line  is  that  I  have  named  the  voice  chip  in my  phone.  It  tells  me  I   screwed  up,   and  I  just  keep  driving  straight  ahead,  but  I  politely  chime  out  "Yes,  dear."
 
 

BERT:
 
Good wine comes in boxes!

Korthal~ so does chocolate

RY:

You're so right about that.
 
Boxes, bins, bags.

Korthal:  I alwaays have a lovely time with Mom... I didn't have eggs benedict this time but, they make an outrageous huevos rancheros with a stuffed passilla pepper on top.  oh so good.
 
She got a desert to go!

Dancing  shoes  come  in  boxes  as  well,  and  are  much  more  likely  not  to  sit  idle  if  the  dancers  sample  the  sparkling  wines.....

Hello, villagers.
 
Anybody want some extra Reese's peanut butter cups?  We have so many left...some little kid could have really scored last night had they stopped here to trick or treat, but we haven't lived in a "kid neighborhood" for about 14 years -- everybody's kids are all grown up around here. 
 
SO much candy.  And Snickers which are my personal downfall, we have a lot of those.  They're not computer friendly I discovered: the little nuts fall into the keyboard causing big problems.  So as long as I'm here at my desk, I'm not eating candy.  (We'll see how long that lasts).
 
korthal:  I love your pictures -- that was some job!

Park4:  Do you want the rest of my Snickers?

Kim!  nooooooooooooooooooooo! thank you.  These should last me for a while, I think...don't you like them?

PARK4:  "Big Kids" like Candy too .......  There are a dozen different things that can be done with Reeses Peanut Butter Cups ... and every one of them delightful .......  A couple of them with a cup of Good Tea half an hour before a Meal, goes a long way to preclude one's overeating .......

Acutally, much to my mothers disgust i don't like swqeets.   she thinks I am a failure., (not really).. i hate shopping too...another black mark.

KIM:
 
Keep in mind if you didn't get the shopping gene it's your Mother's fault.
 
It is her responsibility to pass that on to you.
 
And you can tell her I said so.

I will be sure to tell her that.  She buys great clothes and we are the same size soooo, guess who gets the hand me downs. 

I didn't like sweets until a few years ago, and that's the truth.  My husband would come home from work and find me eating a bowl of broccoli or green beans for a snack, more often than not -- a story he's told over and over.
 
I have, however, always liked shopping -- in towns and villages not malls -- and I expect that will never change too much.  More and more, I tend more to bookstores, or the one bookstore in Lake Geneva -- and bakeries and handmade candy shops - which is a testament to the fact that I now like sweets, as well as brocolli.
 
I have a feeling I will be needing a couple Snickers tonight...yep, I'm pretty sure I'll be needing some...to help me get to sleep, of course.

More and more, I tend more...
 
One "more" would have sufficed...
 
It's after 7 and I'm typed out.
 
Have a good evening, Villagers!

Looking at the 1959 New York subway map brought back lots of memories -- back in the days of the BMT, IND, and IRT-- way too many to recount here.  I can see scores of images from those days riding with my Aunt Lucy and Cousin Bob on the rails over and under the city.  (Ah, the Far Rockaway line, rickety wood spanning Jamaica Bay, as one tore along, just above the water, destination: the beach!)

Maps are wonderful. I can spend ages looking at them and dreaming. I do that with dictionaries too. I like to know the beginnings of things, how things happened and developed and were imagined or named.
With maps I take trips, I zip down the little lines to places I've never been, and learning my way around a new city is a notch in my lifestock, a count of my experiences, a treasure to be held and savoured and re-lived and dreamt over.
For in the end, it's not the stuff, it's the memories, that make a life. When I can no longer wear the dresses and heels and hats and gloves, and go out and sashay through the world, I can sit in my rocker or my bed or my robot exoskeleton on Mars and relive the good stuff, the peregrinations with Pam, the train rides, the boat trips, the meanderings through Paris or Dublin trying to read the maps and the crazy street signs, the hillwalking in the Mournes, the Irish boys and the French guys and the Americans I love almost as much as John and Steve and Ivan and Paul and Mark and all you sweet men out there.
Maps are more than diagrams of the land-they can show us our lives, our hearts, our thoughts, and our dreams. The lines go from me to you, and no joy is as great as the knock on the door, the leap into the arms of the one you've missed, the sighting across the tarmac or the train station or the airport gate, the poignancy of that wave as the loved one boards, and your prayer of hope for a safe arrival.
We build our maps throughout our lives, the wee lines that take us here or there, and make the connections that we deal with, for good or ill, our whole life along. Decisions branch to decisions and outcomes, and the spiderweb of destiny tells our tale in the roads taken or not taken, actions and inactions, the positive spaces we inhabit, the negative spaces of might-have-beens.
We are always moving through time and space, physically and metaphysically, and the multidimensional passageways of our traverse leave a trail of experiential breadcrumbs in our synaptic forest. We follow them for pleasure or pain, regret or redress. Mental Maguffins and Mulligans, if we're lucky. Birnham Woods and bloody hands and mad fever dreams if not.
We are set on the rails by our early experiences, but the path is not without ramification, not fixed entirely. Rails have switches, lines have branches, people have choices. Sometimes the tunnels are long and dark, and the light is not so evident. Sometimes the way is clear and easily marked, and we breeze along like a pleasant dream.
Sometimes we drive, sometimes we are the passenger.
We make our plans and the clockwork gods laugh. The best we can do is to help each other find our way and try to be happy.

Hear! Hear!

i agree with the romantic view....i'm a romantic at heart, when dealing with matters of the heart and soul.......it's just when business dictates....and technology can accomodate..use the technology so you can return to the business that really matters..love....i second the hear! hear!

Olivia:  I thought that was outstanding.  Bravo!