maps

This is why astronomers build telescopes in the mountains of Chile

When it comes to enjoying the full-blown magnificence of a star-studded sky, or the peak of a spectacular meteor shower, the Moon (to borrow a phrase from astronomer Mike Brown) is your nemesis. But if this map of light pollution in the United States is any indication, you might as well think of city lights…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Mar 14

A map of the United States, drawn in the style of Lord of the Rings

Have you ever wondered what a map of the continental U.S. might look like if it were subjected to the stylings of Christopher and J.R.R. Tolkien, who, together, illustrated the world encompassing LotR? Wonder no more; redditor Jvlivs has made Middle Earth-ified America a reality. Jvlivs originally drew the map on what looks like 1/4″…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Mar 12

The most detailed map of the Game of Thrones world yet

We’ve seen a lot of fan-made maps that try to capture the geography of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, but none have been quite so detailed as this monstrous map by one serMountainGoat — a map so thorough, it’s impressed Martin himself. This fan scoured the pages of Martin’s…

io9 Lauren Davis Mar 10

Why Apple Doesn’t Need Google Maps Anymore

The new version of iPhoto doesn’t seem to use Google Maps for the map features in Journals and Slideshows. It’s a small departure, sure, but it signals a much bigger play. Because thing is, Apple doesn’t really need Google Maps anymore. And it’s only a matter of time until it severs those ties completely. To…

Tech News Kyle Wagner Mar 8

Nukemap allows you to drop famous bombs all over Google Maps

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you blew up the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated smack dab in your living room? Thanks to science historian Alex Wellerstein and his handy Nukemap, you can ponder no longer. This grimly fascinating website allows you to drop everything from Fat Man to Minutemen I warheads…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Feb 23

Why You’ll Soon Be Using a Wonderful Little Service Called Pinwheel to Discover the World

“We’re doing things a little bit differently,” Heather Champ told me.1 No, wait. That’s not right. “We’re trying to stay under the radar,” is what she said, which I interpreted to mean she was doing something new and different that they didn’t want anyone knowing about. We were sitting in my office, in a comfortable…

Tech News Mat Honan Feb 17

Stunning animated maps reveal bird migrations across the United States

What you’re looking at here is a screenshot from one of the fifty so-called “Spatio-Temporal Exploratory Model” or “STEM” Maps published over on ebird.org — some of the most advanced models of birds’ migratory patterns ever released. Created in a collaboration between the Cornell lab of Ornithology, Cornell’s Institute of Computational Sustainability, and the Nation…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Feb 6

Perhaps the most well-researched map ever of The Hunger Games‘ Panem

Part of the fun of Suzanne Collins’ dystopian Hunger Games series is trying to figure out where in North America the districts of the future nation of Panem are located. One Hunger Games fan took a crack at mapping the fictional country, looking not only at information in the book, but also tectonic plate formations…

io9 Lauren Davis Feb 5

French Court Fines Google For Offering Its Maps For Free

A French court has ruled that Google is guilty of abusing the dominance of Google Maps, and so has ordered it to pay a fine and damages to a French mapping company. Apparently Bottin Cartographes argued that Google was planning to offer Maps for free only until all the competitors had been driven out of…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Feb 2

Google Maps Now Also Shows Where You Don’t Want to Be

Nothing ruins a road trip like having to ford flooded rivers and dodge oncoming tornadoes. Thankfully, Google Map’s new Public Alerts system should help keep you out of the path of Mother Nature’s rage. The alert system debuted today and pulls disaster warnings from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Weather…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jan 25

Bing Maps Are Being Rebranded as Nokia, Across All Platforms

It sounds a little like stealing someone else’s homework and then putting your name it, only slightly more expensive, but Nokia has convinced Microsoft to rebrand Bing Maps as Nokia’s own. In an interview with Pocket-lint, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop announced that the word “Nokia” will soon show up on maps from Microsoft, including those…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Jan 20

All Maps Should Be Displayed on Multitouch Domes

The demo kind of falls apart when they start poking around Windows, but Displax’s new 40-inch diameter Multitouch Globe looks like an absolute joy when it comes to navigating interactive maps. It’s just too bad it’s a bit impractical. Like any display that’s not a flat surface, Displax’s globe uses a projector with a fisheye…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Jan 19

Beautiful (but inaccurate) 18th Century French map depicts Alaska like you’ve never seen it

If you’re looking for the outline of the Alaska you know and love, you might as well give up now. This bizarre map, which appeared in the third volume of Diderot’s Encyclopédie, dates all the way back to 1772 — and it’s a total hodgepodge of misinformation. Here’s his [hi-res version. While some geographical features…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 17

Want to See Every Tree in America?

We may sing about purple mountains and amber grains, but one of America’s most vital resources is its vast amount of carbon-catching, oxygen-spewing trees. Now, after six years of effort, NASA knows how many we’ve got. Josef Kellndorfer and Wayne Walker of Woods Hole Research Center worked in conjunction with the National Geological Survey and…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jan 14

Beautiful, hi-res census maps provide fascinating snapshots of 1870s America

You’re looking at just one print from a collection that comprises dozens of spellbinding maps and charts based on the results of the 1870 US census — the ninth census ever conducted, and the first to be performed in the years following the Civil War. The images are more than just visually arresting — they…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 6

Microsoft Patents Directions That Help You Avoid Scary Neighborhoods

Microsoft has just received a patent for a new way to give you walking directions that take into account the many hardships you encounter while using your feet to get from place to place. The newly patented system for “pedestrian route production” takes into account conditions that specifically affect your journey on foot. In particular,…

Tech News Mario Aguilar Jan 4

The Best, Nerdiest Map of the US Took 6,000 Hours to Complete

Meed David Imus, the OCD cartographer behind one masterpiece of a map. It took him two years of daily labor to make his map of the USA, which has been officially named the greatest paper map of the year. Imus’ map, “The Essential Geography of the United States” won the Best in Show award given…

Tech News Mario Aguilar Jan 2

100 Years Later: The Evolution of the NYC Subway Map

If you’ve lived in the Big Apple for any amount of time, you’ve more than likely taken the Subway. You’ve also probably wasted plenty of time staring at the map. Our video editor Matt Toder threw together a video of the Subway map’s evolution, beginning with a map crafted 100 years ago. One thing I…

Tech News Adrian Covert Dec 29

What if the US highway system consisted entirely of subways instead?

Such is the scenario Australian designer Cameron Booth has dreamt up in two separate maps depicting both the U.S. Routes system and the U.S. Interstates as massive crisscrossing subway grids. For a somewhat similarly themed speculative geography project, see the effort to transform the entire globe into the New York City street grid. To witness…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Dec 20

Google Earth On 48 Screens Is the Best Way To Explore the Planet

Touring the world in person is expensive, time-consuming, and often dangerous. And is it really that much different to playing with Google Earth on this gigantic 48 screen display that covers 40 square meters with almost 100 million pixels? Like an ultra-modern version of the Orient Express, this installation lets you travel in comfort. Except…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Dec 17

This is why astronomers build telescopes in the mountains of Chile

A map of the United States, drawn in the style of Lord of the Rings

The most detailed map of the Game of Thrones world yet

Why Apple Doesn’t Need Google Maps Anymore

Nukemap allows you to drop famous bombs all over Google Maps

Why You’ll Soon Be Using a Wonderful Little Service Called Pinwheel to Discover the World

Stunning animated maps reveal bird migrations across the United States

Perhaps the most well-researched map ever of The Hunger Games‘ Panem

French Court Fines Google For Offering Its Maps For Free

Google Maps Now Also Shows Where You Don’t Want to Be

Bing Maps Are Being Rebranded as Nokia, Across All Platforms

All Maps Should Be Displayed on Multitouch Domes

Beautiful (but inaccurate) 18th Century French map depicts Alaska like you’ve never seen it

Want to See Every Tree in America?

Beautiful, hi-res census maps provide fascinating snapshots of 1870s America

Microsoft Patents Directions That Help You Avoid Scary Neighborhoods

The Best, Nerdiest Map of the US Took 6,000 Hours to Complete

100 Years Later: The Evolution of the NYC Subway Map

What if the US highway system consisted entirely of subways instead?

Google Earth On 48 Screens Is the Best Way To Explore the Planet

KAMRUI’s High-Performance Hyper H2 Mini PC Hits Its Lowest Price for Amazon Prime Members Only (32GB RAM, 1TB SSD)

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Blumhouse Wants You to Remember Brendan Fraser Isn’t in This ‘Mummy’

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