Mapping Conflicts Around the World / / No Comments At the beginning of 2024 the specter of military conflicts haunts the world. Israel is engaged in conflict in Gaza, Russia continues its illegal invasion of Ukraine and the Syrian civil war is now in its thirteenth year. In response to the spreading threat of global conflicts a number of organizations have now released interactive maps dedicated to tracking the progress of military action around Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: around, Conflicts, Mapping, World
How to Play Grand Poo World 3 / / No Comments The underground world of creating and streaming Super Mario World-based ROM hacks continues to gain popularity. This popularity is a tribute to the creativity of gamers and the quality of the original 30 year old video game’s mechanics. Over the past decade, incredible ROM hacks like Grand Poo World 1 and 2, Invictus, and Dram World have brought joy (and horror) to the Mario community. Sure, Nintendo released Mario Maker and Mario Maker 2, but I love SMW Central patches because they allow all of us to create, much like open source. The most anticipated hack in years, Grand Poo World 3, was just released and is taking the Super Mario World community by storm. You cannot, however, just download... more → Posted in: JavaScript Tagged with: Grand, Play, World
Standing on Top of the World / / No Comments If you want an uninterrupted view towards the horizon in all directions then you need to stand on top of a mountain. But not just any mountain. What you need is an ‘on top of the world’ mountain. On Top of the World Mountains An “on top of the world” mountain, also known as an OTOTW mountain, is a mountain that is so high that no other mountains can be seen above the horizon from its summit. Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: standing, World
A Map of the World That Is Gone / / No Comments When Elan Ullendorff moved to South Philadelphia this summer he realized that he knew very little about the recent history of his new neighborhood. So he decided to change that. The result is Love Letters to Places I’ll Never Meet, an interactive map which summons up the recent past of South Philadelphia by creating an interactive map of some now shuttered stores. To create his love letter to Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: gone, World
The World Map of Podcasts / / No Comments MapsFM is an interactive map which can help you find and listen to podcasts produced around the world. Listening to location based podcasts could be a great way to learn more about a planned travel destination or even to learn more about your local neighborhood or town. Now you can easily find and listen to location based podcasts by using the MapsFM map of the podcast world.Simply share your Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Podcasts, World
Explore the World in 3D / / No Comments San Francisco as seen using Google’s new Photorealstic 3D Tiles At Google I/O this year the Google Maps team unveiled the release of Photorealistic 3D Tiles. Google Maps’ Photorealistic 3D Tiles are a new way to view the world in 3D. In essence the new tiles allow map developers to use Google Earth’s 3D buildings and terrain in their interactive maps. The new 3D tiles are ideal for creating Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Explore, World
Santa’s Map of the World / / No Comments A World of Good Wishes at Christmastime is a pictorial map which was published by the General Drafting Company in 1950. The map shows Santa Claus participating in a range of ‘local’ activities around the world. As you might imagine the map relies on a number of perceived Western stereotypes. For example in Scotland Santa is depicted playing the bagpipes, in Australia he is seen boxing with a Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: Santa's, World
Explore the First Route Around the World / / No Comments On September 20 1519 five ships set out with 239 men from Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Spain. Their goal was to find a new route to the Moluccan Islands, in Indonesia. On September 6 1522 just one of those ships, the Victoria, landed back in Spain. It was the first ship to have circumnavigated the globe. Only 18 men returned to Spain on the Victoria. Many of the others died on the journey, Maps Mania… more → Posted in: Interactive Maps Tagged with: around, Explore, first, route, World