Crop circles

Crop circles (or more accurately circles of crops) caused by center pivot irrigation in Colorado and the Sahara Desert in southeast Libya. Thanks for the tip Marc.

Alternate history prints

Alternate history prints by Matthew Buchholz on sale at Etsy. Via.

Glow in the dark constellation chart

Glow in the dark illustrated constellation chart by Scott Benson on sale at Etsy.



He also draws a good Samus:







*Buy Metroid toys at eBay.

Image roundup

Map explains countries' names.



Decaying castle.



Giving a koala a drink.



Two-headed turtle.



"The general's pet on my last deployment."

Link roundup

1. Fast Company:

In the latest installment of Butterfly Effect, we examine China's cheap knockoff cell phones. After being forced out of China and India, Chinese counterfeiters brought their product to the Middle East, where the sudden availability of information had unintended consequences for the region--and for China itself.

2. Ben Wilson paints chewing gum.

3. Map of undersea cables from 1901. Via.

*Buy vintage maps at Amazon.

Map of the solar system

Certainly the best map of the solar system I've ever seen.

*Buy telescopes at Amazon.

Holographic map

Holographic map, no glasses needed, by Zebra Imaging.

Here's a toddler interacting with one:



Via.

*Buy vintage maps at Amazon.

Holographic map

Holographic map, no glasses needed, by Zebra Imaging.

Here's a toddler interacting with one:



Via.

*Buy vintage maps at Amazon.

Aaron Koblin's Flight Patterns

Aaron Koblin's Flight Patterns, tracing the path of airplanes, is beautiful to watch. There are several wallpaper-sized images at the link (scroll down).

*Buy vintage maps at Amazon.

Aaron Koblin's Flight Patterns

Aaron Koblin's Flight Patterns, tracing the path of airplanes, is beautiful to watch. There are several wallpaper-sized images at the link (scroll down).

*Buy vintage maps at Amazon.

Los Angeles in Maps

Los Angeles in Maps by Glen Creason:

An illustrated cartographic history of the City of Angels from the colonial era to the present. Los Angeles inhabits a place of the mind as much as it does a physical geographic space. A land of palm trees and movie stars, sunshine and glamour, the city exists in the imagination as a paradise; of course, the reality is much bigger than this. Through seventy reproductions of seminal and historic documents, Los Angeles in Maps presents the evolution of this almost mythical place. Maps featured include historic Spanish explorers’ charts from as early as 1791, as well as more recent topographic surveys, tourist guides, real estate maps, bird’s-eye views, and more. Like the course of the Los Angeles River, the book winds through essential terrain: the discovery of oil, the rise of Hollywood, the streetcar system, Los Angeles Harbor, earthquakes, sprawl, and splendor.

37% off at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. How to create a retro scifi-style poster. Via.

2. Treasure map. Via.

3. "Gigantic piles of shrink-wrapped garbage have been moldering in the heat of a Hawaii industrial park for more than five months, waiting for a place to be shipped." Via.

*Buy treasure maps at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. Map of nightclubs in Harlem in 1932. Via.

2. Art giveaway.

3. Gawker on the woman accusing Julian Assange of sex crimes.

4. Jezebel on photoshopped images of Jennifer Aniston.

*Buy vintage maps at Amazon.

Mirage Cartography album cover by Chris Buzelli

Mirage Cartography album cover by Chris Buzelli. You can download the album here. And Chris has various prints on sale here.

*Buy vintage maps at Amazon.

Skeletor vs. Sock Monkey (link roundup)

Skeletor vs. Sock Monkey by Nate Wragg for the upcoming "It's not a Doll, it's an Action Figure!" show at Bear and Bird Gallery.

And a few more links:

1. Long article by Peter King gives a good look at what training camp has been like for Tim Tebow and the rest of the Denver Broncos Quarterbacks competing for a job.

2. Map of the island from Lost. Via.

3. Cyborg ROUS.

*Previously: Skeletor Beer.

*Buy Masters of the Universe toys at eBay.

Zero Per Zero railway maps (review roundup)

Railway maps by Zero Per Zero: Seoul, Manhattan, Tokyo and Hokkaido. You can find them on sale as maps, posters, mousepads, and more at Japanistic and ShopEssentials, which was kind enough to send me Tokyo. The map came packaged in a box, secured in a shipping tube, and as you can see, the maps are gorgeous.

And two more reviews:

1. Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Batman Reborn: I love everything Frank Quitely draws. Unfortunately, he only drew half of the volume. Grant Morrison is tremendously overrated. 34% off at Amazon.

2. Hasbro's Iron Man 2 Movie Series action figures are horrendously made. I got two for my boys, and noticed at the time that they were surprisingly cheap. There's a good reason. The Iron Man Mark III is so loose in the torso that you can spin his upper body like a top. And his hands fall right out of the wrists and had to be glued in place.

*You can read more of my reviews here.

*Buy vintage globes at eBay.

Zero Per Zero railway maps (review roundup)

Railway maps by Zero Per Zero: Seoul, Manhattan, Tokyo and Hokkaido. You can find them on sale as maps, posters, mousepads, and more at Japanistic and ShopEssentials, which was kind enough to send me Tokyo. The map came packaged in a box, secured in a shipping tube, and as you can see, the maps are gorgeous.

And two more reviews:

1. Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Batman Reborn: I love everything Frank Quitely draws. Unfortunately, he only drew half of the volume. Grant Morrison is tremendously overrated. 34% off at Amazon.

2. Hasbro's Iron Man 2 Movie Series action figures are horrendously made. I got two for my boys, and noticed at the time that they were surprisingly cheap. There's a good reason. The Iron Man Mark III is so loose in the torso that you can spin his upper body like a top. And his hands fall right out of the wrists and had to be glued in place.

*You can read more of my reviews here.

*Buy vintage globes at eBay.