The Keen eYe

olgaulanova: tomcatltd: westcoastavengers: Animated Covers by...

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:55:32 +0530

tomcatltd:

westcoastavengers:

Animated Covers by Kerry Callen

Oh, man these are crazy!

Ok, the Daredevil and the Dark Knight ones are amazing.

Super !

we-are-star-stuff: Who says North is up? Upside Down maps (also...

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:51:03 +0530

we-are-star-stuff:

Who says North is up?

Upside Down maps (also known as South-Up or Reversed maps) offer a completely different perspective of the world we live in.

Technically speaking, even referring to the earth with words like “up” or “down” or comparing places with words “above” or “below” is flawed, considering that the earth is a spherical body (it’s actually slightly “fatter” at the equator) and flying through 3 dimensional space with no reference of up or down. However, the issue of “up” and “down” does become an issue when viewing the surface of the earth projected onto a flat piece of paper (a map). And the effect of the orientation of a map is more significant than you might realize.

As all maps require orientation for reference, the issue of how to layout the map orientation is as old as maps themselves. As map orientation is completely arbitrary, it is not surprising that they differed throughout time periods and regions.

The convention of North-up is usually attributed to the Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy (90-168 AD). Justifications for his north-up approach vary. In the middle ages, East was often placed at top. This is the origin of the term “The Orient” to refer to East Asia. During the age of exploration, European cartographers again followed the north-up convention…perhaps because the North Star was their fixed reference point for navigation, or because they wanted (subconsciously or otherwise) to ensure Europe’s claim at the top of the world.

In modern times, reversed maps are made as a learning device or to illustrate Northern Hemisphere bias. Different from simply turning a north-up map upside down, a reversed map has the text oriented to be read with south up.

The famous “Blue Marble” photograph of the Earth taken from on board Apollo 17 was originally oriented with the south pole at the top, with the island of Madagascar visible just left of center, and the continent of Africa at its right. However, the image was turned upside-down to fit the traditional view.

While the orientation of a map might seem harmless, it can have a significant effect on one’s perception of the world, and the relative importance of the different place in it.

In speech, we often refer to places being “above” or “below” others. Think of how you would say you’re about to travel to the state or country to your north or south (to go “down” to Kentucky from Indiana, or “up” to Canada from the US). Without even mentioning geography, ask any grade school student whether Mexico is “above” or “below” the United States. We’re all familiar with the “land down under”. As we often correlate importance to relative height (think how a citizens of a country will fly their flag higher than all other flags), the north-up convention reinforces the idea that northern bodies are more important than their southern neighbors. Suddenly, traveling “down” to the South might have an inference much deeper than geographic location.

After looking at the map more closely, you may realize that the South-Up orientation may change your perception of the relative status of different places. For example, South America suddenly looks to have more prominence, and Africa and the Middle East completely dwarf Europe. Likewise, tucking Northern Europe, Canada, and Russia away at the bottom of the map, subconsciously takes away their status.

To summarize, unconditionally accepting the north-up map convention without at least appreciating the effect stands at odds with viewing all people and places within the world equally. x x

Trivia worth knowing

Fate #tree #india #street #typography #still-life #travel

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 07:10:59 +0530

Fate #tree #india #street #typography #still-life #travel

Obscured #urban #night #neon #highway #shady

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:33:24 +0530

Obscured #urban #night #neon #highway #shady

Mudra #wallart #graphicdesign #color #masonry

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:13:03 +0530

Mudra #wallart #graphicdesign #color #masonry

Yum #food (at Cafe Small Talk)

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:42:37 +0530

Yum #food (at Cafe Small Talk)

nevver: What happens

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 19:59:41 +0530

nevver:

What happens

nevver: What happens

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 19:57:30 +0530

nevver:

What happens

Get set go ! #speed #yellow #nostalgia

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:59:17 +0530

Get set go ! #speed #yellow #nostalgia

#unicorn #logo-mark #fantasy #symbol

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:54:00 +0530

#unicorn #logo-mark #fantasy #symbol

Jar’y’ Pattern #tradition #calligraphy #chinese

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 23:53:52 +0530

Jar’y’ Pattern #tradition #calligraphy #chinese

Today’s fortune :) #cookie #chinese #tradition

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 23:41:47 +0530

Today’s fortune :) #cookie #chinese #tradition

#typography (at Side Wok)

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 22:04:13 +0530

#typography (at Side Wok)

Yum #cake #delicious #chocolate

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:09:51 +0530

Yum #cake #delicious #chocolate

Liking the aesthetic of this logo

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 21:03:56 +0530

Liking the aesthetic of this logo

nevver: To Resolve Project It’s never too late for a...

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 23:14:12 +0530

nevver:

To Resolve Project

It’s never too late for a little resolution

nevver: Audio Cassette Anatomy Too good !

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 23:11:35 +0530

nevver:

Audio Cassette Anatomy

Too good !

http://cinemagr.am/show/88759017

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 23:15:44 +0530

http://cinemagr.am/show/88759017:

(Taken with http://cinemagr.am)

#Christmas

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 20:21:11 +0530

#Christmas

nevver: Calvin and Hobbes

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 22:01:39 +0530

nevver:

Calvin and Hobbes