I also used to do some bloggy things at Bostonography and the Axis Maps blog.
A small globe spotted for sale at Target the other day:
Apparently we’re allowed to just put warning labels on our maps instead of trying to make them, you know, accurate. Either that or this sphere has particularly sharp corners and is not safe for a classroom full of children.
Remember, bad maps kill! Cartographers, always protect yourselves with warning stickers! It’s not our fault if someone decides to use our maps!
The label is more a shield for the manufacturer and retailer. Maybe the country names are out of date. Who uses a globe for navigational purposes.
This is really about “WARNING: This Cup of Coffee is HOT!”
I liken it more to “WARNING: This cup of coffee HOT! Do not drink it!” Every globe becomes outdated at some point, and it’s odd that the manufacturer or retailer is advising that you not even try to learn from this one. But then, perhaps they’ve gone to such old-timey lengths as to use historical names and boundaries because of the ornamental power of anachronisms.
The much worse thing about my local Target stores, though, is that they don’t seem to carry water guns. And I need those!
This goes against the grain. There is a much larger number of poorly designed maps and globes that should carry the label “Not for decorative purpose. For education only.”
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