The New IOS6 Maps

Any new mapping system is going to have glitches. It takes a long time and lots of user input to get to where google is and maybe Apple will always be a few years behind. In the meantime we can have lots of fun with their glitches. There is a page on Tumblr, The Amazing iOS6 Maps that collects these glitches.

Helsinki's Railroad Station as a park.

There are lots of melty pictures, a result of aerial and 3D image overlays. Here's a the Islington subway station in Toronto.

Other example include cities that have migrated, park expansion, missing water bodies and lost detail. Here is Minsk, a city of 1.8 million, with almost no roads and the city's center located outside the beltway.

Powell Butte in Portland, Oregon supersized.

Wilkes-Barre, PA moved inland after the flood.

Belgrade without rivers.

 There are dozens of additional pages of these images for your viewing pleasure. Just click the next button at the bottom of the page. Thanks to niece Olivia for discovering this page. I just got my new iPhone and will be setting it up later today so I have all this to look forward to. I'll leave you with this final parting shot.

Antietam Animated Map and Video

Monday was the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam. It was the bloodiest single day battle in American History. The Civil War Trust created a fantastic video and interactive map. Here are some screen shots.

After watching the video, this interactive map appears. Click on the points for details

The Battle of Iuka

The Civil War Sesquicentennial is ongoing. Today marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Iuka, in northeastern Mississippi. Two Union forces, one under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant and his commander General Ord were supposed to coordinate an attack on Confederate General Sterling Price's forces with General Rosecrans and his Army of the Mississippi. Rosecrans informed Grant that his army was running late due to bad weather so Grant ordered Ord to wait until he could hear the sound of fighting before engaging the confederates. Ord and Grant claim to have never heard the fighting so Rosecrans had to take on Price's forces without Ord's help. The battle was largely a draw though Price's forces withdrew from Iuka.

This is one of the excellent battlefield maps from the Civil War Preservation Trust. The positions are color coded by time of day and the topography is also helpful in understanding the battle conditions. The yellow area is land that is preserved by the trust. The modern roads provide some helpful context, but it's also a bit distracting to see a highway exit ramp in the middle of an 1862 battlefield.

For some context, this battle was part of the Kentucky Campaign of 1862 where both sides attempted to swing the war through control of this neutral state, as well as control of the Mississippi River. This map, via Wikipedia shows the western theater. Iuka is at the southernmost part of this campaign.

  

This battle is interesting because of the claim of Grant and Ord to have not heard the fighting. According to various web sources there was an "acoustic shadow" where the wind direction may have made it difficult for Ord to have heard the fighting. However, there was also clearly a rivalry between Grant and Rosecrans that may have contributed to the lack of support for Rosecrans. Also, the Army of the Cumberland web site speculates that Grant may have been too drunk to bring up his army.

Solar Powered Maps Lead You Through Leeds

The City of Leeds has installed a network of solar powered, backlit street maps.

The maps are oriented to the direction you are facing and also show walking times. Maybe some day these things will have interactive touch screens so you can indicate where you want to go. Here is an image from the Leeds City Council via ITV News of the panel in (gloomy looking) daylight conditions.

For more information see the Leeds Virtual Newsroom.

Makeup a State

I am currently on vacation so while there's probably lots of important things happening in the world, here are some images of makeup compacts. This is not an item I buy many of but here are two for sale online featuring state maps!
Utah:

 Available from e-bay for $35. There's a zoom viewer on e-bay's page.

Hawaii (not to scale):

This one was on Etsy for a mere $15 - and it features a "scattering of tropical fish." Unfortunately it's been sold. The page is still up and shows more pictures.