Adam discovers Google Earth 01

Time for a story arc.  Brian Basset's titular character in Adam@Home discovered Google Earth back in 2007.  And since this is the last year for the TV show "Lost" (which I haven't watched at all) this is a good place to start.

Geographic devolution

From New Yorker regular Roz Chast from back in August of 1989.  Bemoaning the state of geographic knowledge in the US is an easy map cartoon target, as we can see here, here, here, here, here, and here,

But Hi & Lois' Chip makes this point, which is valid... there are more nations in the world now than ever before, and thus so much more to know/learn.  And what with the interwebs one doesn't need to memorize geography, right? ..... but that's different than being utterly oblivious to one's own geopolitical location, much less immediate neighbors.  Or maybe such people merely instinctively reject the divisive artificial political constructs of borders and know in their hearts that we are all simply fellow travelers on this Spaceship Earth.  Yes?  ... Maybe not.

Desk map

This may have been better if the desk were severely cluttered.  But it's simplicity is also good.

This is by Dave Allen.

Witch house

Lio by Mark Tatulli.  This one is a little like a "celebrity map to the stars" cartoon joke (there's quite a lot of those) but not quite.

I love Christmas

Sheer awesomeness! This joke kills me every time.  Do send a link to this to all of your social scientist friends. I did.

But what does this have to do with maps?  It's a stretch, but any GIS data junkie understands the paramount importance of maintaining good control data.  But mostly this is here because it fits so very nicely with yesterday's post.... and it's very, very funny.

Girl Genius by Phil and Kaja Foglio

Click on the image to enlarge it to a legible size.

Mad Social Scientist

Girl Genius (by Phil and Kaja Foglio) may be my most favorite webcomic ever.  This one and tomorrow's posting are a matched set because both feature this wonderful character: The mad social scientist.  It might be because half of my college degree is in sociology (the other half is geology).  But it's more likely simply because this webcomic is simply brilliant!

Click on the image to enlarge it to a more legible size.

Teen Weather

In case you can't read the caption on this one, it says "Teen Weather". I'm technically about 18 months away from experiencing a teenager full time in my house. Wish me luck! (Published in The New Yorker 10/2/1995 by Michael Crawford)

Jersey

David Malki's Wondermark again.  New Jersey has just the worst geographical luck being so close to New York's humor firing line.

Oenophile

Is this guy doing the ultimate walking tour of a wine country?  Simply strolling in the park with the most sophisticated oenophilic equipment imaginable? What's up with the dude on the grass?  I'm hoping that thing the pedestrian is reading is a map 'cause that's the only reason I can think to include this one. By Glyn Goodwin, probably meant as an illustration for an article. in some magazine. champagne

Pwned by XKCD

I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm enough of a gamer to get completely his one. XKCD by Randall Munroe everybody!

Go to this actual webcomic, hover over the image, and there will be an additional message in the "title-text" . This one says:

I'm sure a discussion of the reason for the disappearance of adventure games in favor of RPGs would be fascinating

 I still don't get it, though I wouldn't mind hearing that discussion. Even looking up what a "grue" is didn't help

Random McNally

"Close to home" by John McPherson. The irony is pretty intense. Rand McNally does seem to have lost out to the likes of Google, Mapquest, and Microsoft in the modern revolution in consumer-grade mapping. But they're still in that that game... though they're making a bigger play in the trucking navigation business... making this comic even more poignant.

Captain Estar

This is from a graphic novel "Captain Estar Goes to Heaven" by Winston Rowntree at the Subnormality webcomic (warning, it can be pretty dark, but it's intricately drawn with tons of detail, and not just in the dialog). The tagline on Subnormality is "Comix with too many words since 2007". This panel, just like the associated webcomic, very much lives up to that name. And why this panel? Notice the "Maps for the Galactic Backpacker" manual in the hands of the two folks in the lower right... not to be compared with the inestimable "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

Bastet

As a cat owner I can attest to the veracity of the inexplicable behavior of felines. And as a firm believer in God's sense of humor I'll atest to the final panel as well. David Malki's Wondermark is still a good websomic.

Apple

There's a globe on the shelf so this counts as a map-related comic. It's by Michael Maslin from The October 9th, 2009 New Yorker

@$#%!!

This is an immensely common experience, depicted here by Marc Tyler Nobleman

Batter's up!

This is another amazing webcomic from Randall Munroe's xkcd. This one is potentially very informative. I never quite figured out the baseball projection for the map of this subject.

Go to this actual webcomic, hover over the image, and there will be an additional message in the "title-text" . This one says:

I once got to second base with a basketball player. She was so confused.

Inner system

New Yorker cover from August 31, 1987. This one done by Eugène Mihaesco. More astronomy than map, but I feel it still counts, since astronomy is important to mapping and this isn't how astronomy typically presents itself to the earthbound.. except, of course, for new Yorkers. And it's my blog so I get to decide, so there.

Map IQ

Artist Scott Maser's take on advanced intelligence (or maybe the alien is just good at origami).  If folding maps go away jokes about the difficulty of folding them will become obsolete a la the "buggy whip".  Would anybody miss them?

Drafted?

"You are here" may be the most popular map-related comics gag there is.

GPurse

Betty cartoon from Gary Delainey and Gerry Rasmussen. Possibly also a "cheap GPS" gag.

Brussels

9 Chickweed Lane by Brooke McEldowney. There's a LOT of backstory behind this particular strip. The short version...let's see... These girls are friends from high school. Amos was an uber-geek who was friends with the blonde and infatuated with the brunette. Now these two are visiting having not seen one another for a few years. Amos, during that time, has changed.

Mine

Pearls Before Swine, by Stephan Pastis.

Reminds me of a remarkable little news story last week: Rwanda is the first nation to be officially certified as mine-free. That's nice.

Lost puppy

Close to home. by John McPherson. I don't think there's any extra meaning behind the name of the puppy or the location where it was found.