The hottest Maps Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top News Topics

The 1746 Rocque Map Of London... Now In Colour

Londonist: Time Machine • 718 implied HN points • 22 May 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Maps Color Cartography History London
  1. The 1746 Rocque Map of London is the first detailed map of the city, showcasing individual alleys, courts, and more in color.
  2. John Rocque used meticulous techniques for accuracy in his map, and aimed to record street names for detailed insight into 18th-century London.
  3. Adding color to the map helps reveal the complexity of land use, highlights water channels, and brings out details that were difficult to interpret in black and white.

Seeing Like Google

Archedelia • 2201 implied HN points • 18 May 23
🕹 Technology Internet Maps Empire
  1. The post discusses how technology is adding unnecessary layers of control, making simple tasks more complicated.
  2. It touches on the idea of these additional layers acting as a tax enforced by private commercial entities.
  3. The post invites readers to subscribe for a 7-day free trial to continue reading and access the full post archives.

Should this be a map or 500 maps?

escape the algorithm • 279 implied HN points • 11 Jun 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Design Maps Creative work Expression Internet Art
  1. A story about 500 priests tasked with map-making highlights the contrast between shared protocols and individual expressiveness.
  2. The experiment's failure underlines the idea that modularity can limit expressiveness in creative work and systems.
  3. Expressiveness in design often involves a trade-off between specificity and adaptability, seen in various aspects of our designed world.

Mongol Storms and Asian Ruins

The Oswald Spengler Project • 379 implied HN points • 13 May 24
💾 History Translation Civilizations Maps Asia
  1. Spengler's work on Ancient Asia was a significant focus of his, but much of it remains untranslated into English, limiting its accessibility.
  2. Spengler had a deep interest in cartography and envisioned a new approach to universal history through the interaction of civilizations, highlighted in his sketch 'Altasien'.
  3. Spengler's plans for a series of articles on prehistory, including 'Ancient Asia', were cut short by his premature death, leaving many of his works and ideas unfinished.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

How To Collect The Lost Churches Of London

Londonist: Time Machine • 359 implied HN points • 15 May 24
💾 History London Collectibles Maps Urban Development
  1. The Lost London Churches project offers 110 collectable cards depicting City of London churches, encouraging exploration of historic buildings and supporting maintenance through donations.
  2. Collectors can visit surviving churches to pick up packs of five random church cards for free, promoting a sense of discovery and community engagement.
  3. In addition to the cards, a Collector's Booklet provides detailed information about the churches and includes a beautifully reworked version of the 1677 Ogilby and Morgan map, offering a rich experience for London history enthusiasts.

City of the Parisii

Cosmographia • 1178 implied HN points • 29 Oct 23
💾 History Paris Maps
  1. Nicolas Delamare's work on Parisian history through maps provides a detailed snapshot of the city's evolution from ancient times to 18th-century Paris.
  2. The Parisii, a Celtic tribe, built a prosperous settlement on the banks of the Seine River, minting their own gold coins before Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul.
  3. Julius Caesar's strategic battle against the Parisii, involving alliances and tactical maneuvers, exemplifies Roman military prowess in conquering ancient settlements.

A Deep Dive Into The Colourised Copperplate

Londonist: Time Machine • 379 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
💾 History London Maps
  1. The article provides a detailed exploration of 90 locations mentioned on the Tudor map's eastern plate, discussing the history and significance of each label.
  2. John Stow, a key London historian from the 16th century, played a crucial role in deciphering the information on the Copperplate map, offering valuable insight into the city's history in that period.
  3. The map reveals interesting historical information about various streets, churches, and landmarks in Tudor London, showcasing how the city has evolved over the centuries.

Happy Valentine's Day

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 219 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture History Art Maps Traditions Social
  1. Valentine's Day is a time to celebrate love and joy with good friends and family. It's a chance to show appreciation for those we care about.
  2. A historical map of Seattle from 1907 shows how the city was envisioned to grow. It highlights how places change over time and the importance of urban development.
  3. The story of Denny Hill's removal and the city's growth reminds us that progress can be slow. Cities evolve in their own time, often influenced by economic factors.

I Wrote Half a Book About Phantom Islands and Then Discovered I Was Scooped Seven Years Ago

Atlas of Wonders and Monsters • 712 implied HN points • 27 Jul 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Cartography Maps Exploration Books
  1. Phantom islands are cartographic errors where non-existent islands were believed to exist due to various reasons.
  2. Phantom islands can result from clerical errors, illusions, incomplete exploration, deliberate fabrications, or myths.
  3. Discovering similarities with existing works can provide unique perspectives and motivate to add more uniqueness to personal projects.

Mapping Landscape Change

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 279 implied HN points • 06 Jul 23
💾 History Maps Geography Cultures Urban Development
  1. Maps of Lake Union show how it has changed over time, reflecting both natural and human impacts. This gives us a glimpse into the area's history and development.
  2. The lake was named during an important picnic in 1854, where ideas about transportation and community connections were discussed. This moment highlights how people shape places.
  3. By the mid-20th century, Lake Union had become industrialized, illustrating the balance between nature and urban growth. It makes us wonder how it will look in the future.

A Double-Shot of Inspiration

Chartography • 117 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual metaphors Information Design Charts Maps
  1. Dogpatch, San Francisco is hosting data-graphic office hours at Wooly Pig, showcasing inspiring data visuals
  2. RJ Andrews will be discussing 'glorious data graphics' in an upcoming event with Rob Saunders at the Letterform Archive, both in-person and virtual
  3. RJ Andrews is offering a workshop on Principles of Data Graphics at Cooper Union, focusing on dissecting elements of effective visual design

Super Sundry, Vol. 4

Chartography • 176 implied HN points • 17 Oct 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Charts Maps
  1. Chartography offers insights and delights from the world of data storytelling.
  2. Discover tools like Emoji kitchen and Weatherspark for unique data visualization.
  3. Check out amazing maps, diagrams, and designs from talented creators.

When Your Map Doesn't Match Reality

Good Reason • 227 implied HN points • 13 Dec 23
📖 Philosophy Reality Logic Hypocrisy Maps Bias
  1. Regardless of how well you know a situation, remember your knowledge is just a map and not reality itself.
  2. Be cautious of projecting your biases onto situations to force them to fit your preconceived notions.
  3. Acknowledging and being aware of your own potential biases can help prevent misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

Circles & Joy

Chartography • 117 implied HN points • 28 Nov 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Charts Maps Diagrams Joy
  1. Today's post features maps, diagrams, and charts in a super-sundry edition.
  2. Circular charts were cleverly used to visualize survey answers and climate change data.
  3. The post also highlights beautiful pieces of art, including a 3,400-year-old paint box and a sculpture made of defunct brass band instruments.

#97 Design: a map

Design Lobster • 259 implied HN points • 06 Dec 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Design Maps Navigation Exploration
  1. How map projections like the Mercator can heavily distort our perception of the world and influence political narratives.
  2. The concept of maps can extend beyond traditional paper forms to include tactile representations, like the wooden Ammassalik Map, challenging our preconceptions of navigation.
  3. Designers should be conscious of how they interpret reality in their designs and consider different perspectives and ways of representation.

Map of Maps

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 99 implied HN points • 09 Dec 21
🎭️ Culture Maps Art Geography Urban Studies Community
  1. Maps can show us unique aspects of the places we live, like different features and stories about our communities.
  2. Using maps can help us connect with our surroundings better, as they give us a broader view than just following GPS on our phones.
  3. Exploring local maps can bring new insights into our cities and encourage us to appreciate the history and art around us.

A New Map Of Medieval London

Londonist: Time Machine • 1 HN point • 12 Jun 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Maps History Research Archaeology Cartography
  1. A detailed map of medieval London has been created, showing intricate parish boundaries, city structures, and landmarks from the 13th century.
  2. The Historic Towns Trust has produced detailed maps of Tudor and medieval London, using extensive research and archaeological knowledge.
  3. Mapping the city's past presents challenges due to gaps in historical records, uncertainties in field boundaries, and complexities of plotting locations like churches in ancient London.

Rabbit Holes 🕳 #33

Creative Destruction • 5 implied HN points • 17 May 23
🎭️ Culture Food Work Maps Climate Social justice
  1. Irritation can be a useful tool for reflection and insight, even if it feels annoying and inadequate.
  2. Quantitative aesthetics, focusing on numbers and stats, can overlook important aspects of life and inquiry.
  3. The decline in food diversity due to mass scaling and globalization poses risks to our food systems and resilience.

Still firmly in the not-crazy camp

Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends • 0 implied HN points • 23 Jun 14
🕹 Technology Maps Wikipedia Internet Social media Wearable Tech
  1. Finding one's hometown using online maps is possible, as seen in the story of Saroo Brierley.
  2. Wikipedia may seem chaotic, but it actually faces challenges due to bureaucratic processes.
  3. David Sedaris, the popular essayist, once displayed obsessive behavior with his Fitbit, walking an incredibly high number of steps in a day.

Maps, Society & The Digital Age

The Digital Anthropologist • 0 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Maps Digital Age Culture Society Augmented reality
  1. Maps are cultural artifacts deeply embedded in human societies, used for navigation and decision making.
  2. Maps offer insights into cultural and social aspects beyond just geographical information, such as political power systems and societal organization.
  3. As maps become more democratized in the digital age, they are evolving to become a new channel of communication that adds socio-cultural and societal benefits.

OpenStreetMap Raster Tile Server : A Long Journey

rtnF • 0 implied HN points • 20 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Maps Web Databases
  1. The post discusses setting up a custom tile server with OpenStreetMap data using own server.
  2. It provides step-by-step instructions to prepare the OS, database, and download, standardize OSM data.
  3. It also guides on configuring the stylesheet, renderer, and miscellaneous tasks for server monitoring.