http://brainoff.com/weblog/2004/11/24/119 Mikel Maron :: Building Digital Technology for Our Planet Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:44:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://brainoff.com/weblog/2004/11/24/119/comment-page-1#comment-59588 Brain Off » How do *we* determine the names for things? :: Mikel Maron :: Building Digital Technology for Our Planet Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:11:48 +0000 http://rockburger.com/wordpress/2004/11/24/119#comment-59588 [...] I’ve had an interest in the nature of borders and conflicts in mapping ever since maps started to take over my life . Traditional cartography hadn’t done a very good job of representing the multiple, fluid realities of the world, especially in the age of nation states. The reality of borders isn’t represented very well by a thick black line. For instance, the national boundaries within the EU are tending towards something like US state borders; in fact, crossing into California, through the agricultural checkpoints, is more restrictive than driving from Germany to Austria. Better are the maps indicating the shifting line of control of WW2, so fascinating to me in my childhood atlas. The thick black line gives the illusion of stasis and control, which ultimately is temporary. [...] [...] I’ve had an interest in the nature of borders and conflicts in mapping ever since maps started to take over my life . Traditional cartography hadn’t done a very good job of representing the multiple, fluid realities of the world, especially in the age of nation states. The reality of borders isn’t represented very well by a thick black line. For instance, the national boundaries within the EU are tending towards something like US state borders; in fact, crossing into California, through the agricultural checkpoints, is more restrictive than driving from Germany to Austria. Better are the maps indicating the shifting line of control of WW2, so fascinating to me in my childhood atlas. The thick black line gives the illusion of stasis and control, which ultimately is temporary. [...]

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