I just finished a compelling book of non-fiction called The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic and How It Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World [2006]. Written by Steven Johnson, it chronicles the gripping true story of a cholera epidemic that raged through a small neighborhood during August and September in 1854 London. More than 50,000 men, women and children died that summer (many dying within 48 hrs). Part detective story, part historical narrative, part medical mystery, this book is a real page-turner! I found many parts to be truly frightening, other parts scientifically fascinating. It’s a fast read and an insightful parable about how we have learned to live with and conquer deadly disease. The book gets its name from that map created by renowned physician Dr. John Snow, in which he plotted not only the deaths (and recoveries) in the outbreak, but also the movement of the residents to and from various public water pumps. This turned out to be a revolutionary idea for its time and helped prove the existence of waterborne disease and disprove the myth that infectious air was the cause. It is believed to be the first example of the use […]
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Role Playing Games, or RPG, have been popular social recreation for hundreds of years. In modern times, Dungeons & Dragons is probably the most widely-known and popular commercially available tabletop RPG. It was launched in 1974 but it’s heyday was in the mid- to late-1980s (though it has recently seen a resurgence among fantasy enthusiasts). Maps are a critical part of these games, as they guide players through imaginary worlds. The website Atlas Obscura recently posted some homemade maps made by RPG players. These are a fascinating sub-genre of fantasy maps. You can check them out here.
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Speaking of holiday travel, I recently came across the site TravelRiskMap.com that uses GIS functionality to show relative safety risks in medical, security and road safety categories. “Are countries that are generally considered to be dangerous really not suitable to visit? How safe is your home country, and places that you’ve visited before? It can be difficult to discern how safe places are with alarmist news stories breaking every other hour.” (Source: TheCultureTrip.com) The interactive Travel Risk Map is rudimentary but it may be helpful if you are planning your first visit to a foreign country.
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The American Automobile Association (AAA) estimates that 48 million Americans will hit the roads for the turkey holiday this year, thanks partly to the relatively low gas prices. If you are going to buckle up for a road trip this Thanksgiving, I’d like to talk to you about maps. Paper maps, specifically. Does anyone even have one in their glovebox anymore, let alone actually use it? I know they’re still printed because I see the lonely little wire tower of maps in the corner of just about every service station or rest stop lobby I encounter. But with easy access to GoogleMaps or a GPS in their car, why would you possibly need an analog road map that just rips and tears as you try to unfold it and are darn near impossible to fold back up again? Roy Berendsohn from Popular Mechanics offers you six solid reasons why paper road maps are still relevant in the digital age. Click here to check them out.
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