Blind Maps and Blue Dots


Book Description

On the ever-decreasing distinction between those who produce digital data, those who design its visualization and those who use it as a new form of cartography Mapmaking has been an essential part of human development since ancient times: through the art of cartography, people have been able to record geographical explorations and communicate spatial information in relation to themselves and the land around them, using fixed points and lived experiences as references. In the digital age, maps are just as likely to convey the relationships between individual users and amorphous data as they are to depict the relationships between human beings and the stars and planets above. Blind Maps and Blue Dotsexamines the impact of the omnipresent computer on current understandings of data visualization and graphic design, in which the boundaries between producers and users of maps has become increasingly blurred. This text is structured around three contemporary mapmaking practices: Google Maps' location function, referred to as the Blue Dot; a global map that displays the physical activity of users of the fitness app Strava; and the "Situation in Syria" maps series, a regularly updated map of the Syrian conflict designed by an Amsterdam teenager. Like every other field, graphic design must evolve to reflect the modern world and the needs of its people. Blind Maps and Blue Dotsoffers a new approach that acknowledges and even encourages the breakdown of the binary between producer and user.







How to Lie with Maps


Book Description

Originally published to wide acclaim, this lively, cleverly illustrated essay on the use and abuse of maps teaches us how to evaluate maps critically and promotes a healthy skepticism about these easy-to-manipulate models of reality. Monmonier shows that, despite their immense value, maps lie. In fact, they must. The second edition is updated with the addition of two new chapters, 10 color plates, and a new foreword by renowned geographer H. J. de Blij. One new chapter examines the role of national interest and cultural values in national mapping organizations, including the United States Geological Survey, while the other explores the new breed of multimedia, computer-based maps. To show how maps distort, Monmonier introduces basic principles of mapmaking, gives entertaining examples of the misuse of maps in situations from zoning disputes to census reports, and covers all the typical kinds of distortions from deliberate oversimplifications to the misleading use of color. "Professor Monmonier himself knows how to gain our attention; it is not in fact the lies in maps but their truth, if always approximate and incomplete, that he wants us to admire and use, even to draw for ourselves on the facile screen. His is an artful and funny book, which like any good map, packs plenty in little space."—Scientific American "A useful guide to a subject most people probably take too much for granted. It shows how map makers translate abstract data into eye-catching cartograms, as they are called. It combats cartographic illiteracy. It fights cartophobia. It may even teach you to find your way. For that alone, it seems worthwhile."—Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times ". . . witty examination of how and why maps lie. [The book] conveys an important message about how statistics of any kind can be manipulated. But it also communicates much of the challenge, aesthetic appeal, and sheer fun of maps. Even those who hated geography in grammar school might well find a new enthusiasm for the subject after reading Monmonier's lively and surprising book."—Wilson Library Bulletin "A reading of this book will leave you much better defended against cheap atlases, shoddy journalism, unscrupulous advertisers, predatory special-interest groups, and others who may use or abuse maps at your expense."—John Van Pelt, Christian Science Monitor "Monmonier meets his goal admirably. . . . [His] book should be put on every map user's 'must read' list. It is informative and readable . . . a big step forward in helping us to understand how maps can mislead their readers."—Jeffrey S. Murray, Canadian Geographic




Pale Blue Dot


Book Description

“Fascinating . . . memorable . . . revealing . . . perhaps the best of Carl Sagan’s books.”—The Washington Post Book World (front page review) In Cosmos, the late astronomer Carl Sagan cast his gaze over the magnificent mystery of the Universe and made it accessible to millions of people around the world. Now in this stunning sequel, Carl Sagan completes his revolutionary journey through space and time. Future generations will look back on our epoch as the time when the human race finally broke into a radically new frontier—space. In Pale Blue Dot, Sagan traces the spellbinding history of our launch into the cosmos and assesses the future that looms before us as we move out into our own solar system and on to distant galaxies beyond. The exploration and eventual settlement of other worlds is neither a fantasy nor luxury, insists Sagan, but rather a necessary condition for the survival of the human race. “Takes readers far beyond Cosmos . . . Sagan sees humanity’s future in the stars.”—Chicago Tribune




Ishihara’s Test Chart Book


Book Description

COLORBLINDNESS/COLOURBLINDNESS/COLOR BLINDNESS/COLOUR BLINDNESS/ Accepted by leading authorities as a simple and accurate method for discovering congenital color blindness and red-green blindness, each in two forms, complete and incomplete. Includes four special plates for tests to determine the kind and degree of defect in color vision. Makes use of the peculiarity that in red-green blindness, blue and yellow appear remarkably bright compared with red and green. Color plates encased in specially designed album-type books for ease of handling. Detailed instructions included Test Chart Books Features:* Accepted by leading authorities as a simple and accurate method for discovering congenital color blindness and red-green blindness, each in two forms, complete and incomplete.* Includes four special plates for tests to determine the kind and degree of defect in color vision.* Makes use of the peculiarity that in red-green blindness, blue and yellow appear remarkably bright compared with red and green.* Consist of a number of colored plates.* On each plate is printed a circle made of many different sized dots of slightly different colors, spread in a random manner.* Within the dot pattern, and differentiated only by color, is a number.* What, or even if, a number is visible indicates if and what form of color blindness the viewer has.* The full test consists of thirty-eight plates, but the existence of a deficiency may be clear after fewer plates.* The Ishihara Color charts are accepted by leading authorities worldwide as a simple and accurate test method.* Color plates encased in specially designed album-type books for ease of handling.* Detailed instructions included.What is colorblindness? * Color blindness (color vision deficiency) is a condition in which certain colors cannot be distinguished, and is most commonly due to an inherited condition. Red/Green color blindness is by far the most common (99%) form and causes problems in distinguishing reds and greens. Another color deficiency Blue/Yellow also exists, but is rare (1%) and there is no commonly available test for it. * There is no treatment for color blindness, nor is it usually the cause of any significant disability. However, it can be very frustrating for individuals affected by it. Those who are not color blind seem to have the misconception that color blindness means that a color blind person sees only in black and white or shades of gray. While this sort of condition is possible, it is extremely rare.* The Ishihara color test is a test for color blindness* It was named after its designer, Dr. Shinobu Ishihara (1879-1963), a professor at the University of Tokyo, who first published his tests in 1917.* It makes use of the peculiarity that in red-green blindness, blue and yellow appear remarkably bright compared to red and green.* It consists of a number of colored plates, on each plate is printed a circle made of many different sized dots of slightly different colors, spread in a random manner. Within the dot pattern, and differentiated only by color, is a number. What, or even if, a number is visible indicates if and what form of color blindness the viewer has.* The full test consists of thirty-eight plates, but the existence of a deficiency is usually clear after fewer plates.* The Ishihara Color Charts are accepted by leading authorities worldwide as a simple and accurate test method. * The color plates are available in an album-type book for ease of handling. The books are printed in Japan and are protected by international copyright.Graham-Field has been supplying the healthcare market with one of the broadest selections of high quality healthcare products and services. All of their products have been designed with a single objective - to enhance the quality of life of the people that use their products and their caregivers.Their brands, such as Everest & Jennings and LaBac, Lumex, Labtron, Grafco, Smith & Davis and Simmons-offer the quality and value you've come to trust. Recent Tags: Exam Room Equipment > Vision Testing > Color Vision Tests, Test Chart Books Features:* Accepted by leading authorities as a simple and accurate method for discovering congenital color blindness and red-green blindness, each in two forms, complete and incomplete.* Includes four special plates for tests to determine the kind and degree of defect in color vision.* Makes use of the peculiarity that in red-green blindness, blue and yellow appear remarkably bright compared with red and green.* Consist of a number of colored plates.* On each plate is printed a circle made of many different sized dots of slightly different colors, spread in a random manner.* Within the dot pattern, and differentiated only by color, is a number.* What, or even if, a number is visible indicates if and what form of color blindness the viewer has.* The full test consists of thirty-eight plates, but the existence of a deficiency may be clear after fewer plates.* The Ishihara Color charts are accepted by leading authorities worldwide as a simple and accurate test method.* Color plates encased in specially designed album-type books for ease of handling.* Detailed instructions included.What is colorblindness? * Color blindness (color vision deficiency) is a condition in which certain colors cannot be distinguished, and is most commonly due to an inherited condition. Red/Green color blindness is by far the most common (99%) form and causes problems in distinguishing reds and greens. Another color deficiency Blue/Yellow also exists, but is rare (1%) and there is no commonly available test for it. * There is no treatment for color blindness, nor is it usually the cause of any significant disability. However, it can be very frustrating for individuals affected by it. Those who are not color blind seem to have the misconception that color blindness means that a color blind person sees only in black and white or shades of gray. While this sort of condition is possible, it is extremely rare.* The Ishihara color test is a test for color blindness* It was named after its designer, Dr. Shinobu Ishihara (1879-1963), a professor at the University of Tokyo, who first published his tests in 1917.* It makes use of the peculiarity that in red-green blindness, blue and yellow appear remarkably bright compared to red and green.* It consists of a number of colored plates, on each plate is printed a circle made of many different sized dots of slightly different colors, spread in a random manner. Within the dot pattern, and differentiated only by color, is a number. What, or even if, a number is visible indicates if and what form of color blindness the viewer has.* The full test consists of thirty-eight plates, but the existence of a deficiency is usually clear after fewer plates.* The Ishihara Color Charts are accepted by leading authorities worldwide as a simple and accurate test method. * The color plates are available in an album-type book for ease of handling. The books are printed in Japan and are protected by international copyright.Graham-Field has been supplying the healthcare market with one of the broadest selections of high quality healthcare products and services. All of their products have been designed with a single objective - to enhance the quality of life of the people that use their products and their caregivers.Their brands, such as Everest & Jennings and LaBac, Lumex, Labtron, Grafco, Smith & Davis and Simmons-offer the quality and value you've come to trust., Ishihara Test Chart Book, for Color Deficiency, 38 Plate Book




New Grammar of Ornament


Book Description

Ornaments are omnipresent ? they can be found on buildings, fabrics, jewelry, tiles, ceramics and wallpaper. Scorned at the beginning of the modern age, ornament has long since returned to architecture and influences design drafts as much as tattoo motifs.00In New Grammar of Ornaments, Thomas Weil compares current ornamental objects with the results of archaeological research on ornamental artifacts and concludes that there is an anthropological constant. From the recurring arrangements of stripes, rectangles, triangles and dots and the frequency of the forms of floral ornaments used, he derives a new ?grammar of ornament.?00More than 160 years after Owen Jones' influential publication, New Grammar of Ornaments is a new standard work. It categorizes the variety of ornamental forms used worldwide and for the first time places them in a major art and cultural-historical context.




Geocomputation with R


Book Description

Geocomputation with R is for people who want to analyze, visualize and model geographic data with open source software. It is based on R, a statistical programming language that has powerful data processing, visualization, and geospatial capabilities. The book equips you with the knowledge and skills to tackle a wide range of issues manifested in geographic data, including those with scientific, societal, and environmental implications. This book will interest people from many backgrounds, especially Geographic Information Systems (GIS) users interested in applying their domain-specific knowledge in a powerful open source language for data science, and R users interested in extending their skills to handle spatial data. The book is divided into three parts: (I) Foundations, aimed at getting you up-to-speed with geographic data in R, (II) extensions, which covers advanced techniques, and (III) applications to real-world problems. The chapters cover progressively more advanced topics, with early chapters providing strong foundations on which the later chapters build. Part I describes the nature of spatial datasets in R and methods for manipulating them. It also covers geographic data import/export and transforming coordinate reference systems. Part II represents methods that build on these foundations. It covers advanced map making (including web mapping), "bridges" to GIS, sharing reproducible code, and how to do cross-validation in the presence of spatial autocorrelation. Part III applies the knowledge gained to tackle real-world problems, including representing and modeling transport systems, finding optimal locations for stores or services, and ecological modeling. Exercises at the end of each chapter give you the skills needed to tackle a range of geospatial problems. Solutions for each chapter and supplementary materials providing extended examples are available at https://geocompr.github.io/geocompkg/articles/. Dr. Robin Lovelace is a University Academic Fellow at the University of Leeds, where he has taught R for geographic research over many years, with a focus on transport systems. Dr. Jakub Nowosad is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geoinformation at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, where his focus is on the analysis of large datasets to understand environmental processes. Dr. Jannes Muenchow is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the GIScience Department at the University of Jena, where he develops and teaches a range of geographic methods, with a focus on ecological modeling, statistical geocomputing, and predictive mapping. All three are active developers and work on a number of R packages, including stplanr, sabre, and RQGIS.




Mapping Society


Book Description

From a rare map of yellow fever in eighteenth-century New York, to Charles Booth’s famous maps of poverty in nineteenth-century London, an Italian racial zoning map of early twentieth-century Asmara, to a map of wealth disparities in the banlieues of twenty-first-century Paris, Mapping Society traces the evolution of social cartography over the past two centuries. In this richly illustrated book, Laura Vaughan examines maps of ethnic or religious difference, poverty, and health inequalities, demonstrating how they not only serve as historical records of social enquiry, but also constitute inscriptions of social patterns that have been etched deeply on the surface of cities. The book covers themes such as the use of visual rhetoric to change public opinion, the evolution of sociology as an academic practice, changing attitudes to physical disorder, and the complexity of segregation as an urban phenomenon. While the focus is on historical maps, the narrative carries the discussion of the spatial dimensions of social cartography forward to the present day, showing how disciplines such as public health, crime science, and urban planning, chart spatial data in their current practice. Containing examples of space syntax analysis alongside full colour maps and photographs, this volume will appeal to all those interested in the long-term forces that shape how people live in cities.




Blindsight


Book Description

Hugo and Shirley Jackson award-winning Peter Watts stands on the cutting edge of hard SF with his acclaimed novel, Blindsight Two months since the stars fell... Two months of silence, while a world held its breath. Now some half-derelict space probe, sparking fitfully past Neptune's orbit, hears a whisper from the edge of the solar system: a faint signal sweeping the cosmos like a lighthouse beam. Whatever's out there isn't talking to us. It's talking to some distant star, perhaps. Or perhaps to something closer, something en route. So who do you send to force introductions with unknown and unknowable alien intellect that doesn't wish to be met? You send a linguist with multiple personalities, her brain surgically partitioned into separate, sentient processing cores. You send a biologist so radically interfaced with machinery that he sees x-rays and tastes ultrasound. You send a pacifist warrior in the faint hope she won't be needed. You send a monster to command them all, an extinct hominid predator once called vampire, recalled from the grave with the voodoo of recombinant genetics and the blood of sociopaths. And you send a synthesist—an informational topologist with half his mind gone—as an interface between here and there. Pray they can be trusted with the fate of a world. They may be more alien than the thing they've been sent to find. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.




Basic Vision


Book Description

If you've ever been tricked by an optical illusion, you'll have some idea about just how clever the relationship between your eyes and your brain is. This book leads one through the intricacies of the subject and demystifying how we see.