World Geography Blog

About twenty years ago I learned about "bumping" on airlines, or at least thought I did. I remember hearing that all you had to do to get a free flight was ask to be "bumped", or placed on the ne...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/10/standby.html

Despite some "disconcerting" signs, the London Olympics were a great success. We've learned that it is much more difficult to plan an Olympiad in a busy city than in the middle of nowhere. We've ...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/08/map-of-previous-olympic-host-cities.html

I've always been hesitant to write or highlight things in books, magazines or newspapers. For some reason I feel like it will ruin it for the next time I read it. I consciously do this knowing th...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/07/mapping-2012-un-security-council.html

I know, I know, Google Maps API V3 is all I've been talking about, but there really is no end to what one can do using it.  As a mapaholic learning more and more each week, I can't help but want...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/07/google-maps-with-some-style.html

I had been planning on posting another fun map created using Google Fusion Tables, but with another week of experimenting under my belt, I've come across too many issues and will instead use this...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/07/fusion-table-dead-end.html

The Failed States Index is a great mashup of data and maps. This year, the data feels much more accessible. The Fund for Peace website has been redesigned and you can actually download the data e...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/06/2012-failed-states-index.html

While I strive to write about things you might not otherwise read about, I've never had a "breaking news" story.  While preparing for today's post, however, I came across what I believe to be a ...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/06/did-google-get-hacked.html

If you are just a causal map user, or a map enthusiast who has been hiding under a rock, you might have missed the map spars Google and Apple are taking at each other.  I'll preface this by sayi...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/06/apple-takes-bite-out-of-google.html

A few short months ago the web was all a twitter with Joseph Kony and the #Kony2012 campaign.  I wrote that despite all the misconceptions and misrepresentations, the whole phenomenon was a goo...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/06/remember-kony.html

...or at least I wish that's what this post was, or that I could find a Google Maps API for dummies book or website....or anything.  So for those of you who find this post looking for such a thi...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/05/google-maps-api-for-dummies.html

By now I was hoping to have a great selection of pictures from my recent trip to Prague and Paris.  Unfortunately, it looks like those are still a couple of weeks away.  However, this delay see...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/05/brushing-up-on-google-earth-tours.html

Over the last year or two Google has been moving to give all of its products a more uniform look. From blogger, to ad sense, ad words, Google Maps, Search, Google+, Youtube, everything looks dist...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/05/grr-google-grr-esri.html

Admittedly I knew very little about Prague before traveling there a few weeks ago; Central European styling, new EU membership and 1,000 years of history at every street corner.  That was the ex...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/04/few-quick-notes-on-prague.html

Wednesday is the big day. I'm headed out for seven days in Prague and Paris. I've included a couple maps showing where our hotels are. We'll be running the Hervis half-marathon on Saturday. I've...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/03/on-holiday.html

In February, Google posted on its lat/long blog that they had uploaded new imagery for more than a hundred different countries. Better yet, they released a KML file that showed the locations of ...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/03/finding-clarity-in-updated-imagery.html

In 2009 I added the veil of green to my twitter avatar to "support" the Green Movement protests and promote awareness of election fraud in Iran.  It seemed like a nice thing to do.  Realizing, ...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/03/so-you-want-to-help-ugandans.html

I've been reading up on a few sub-Saharan Africa conflicts of the last 50 years.  It's easy to get lost in the alphabet soup of rebel groups.  Most recently I've been working to remember which ...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/03/keeping-tabs-on-southern-africa.html

A little over a year ago I wrote about updating some of the streets in Iringa , to better match existing imagery.  While the individual updates were rewarding, I complained about the inability t...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/02/iringa-update.html

A couple of weeks off has provided me an opportunity to reflect. While the time was fleeting, the reflection was powerful and important. When it comes to geography, I have a renewed sense of wond...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2012/01/hot-maghreb-and-nice-warm-mitten.html

The idea is to go from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa on a sail boat as fast as possible. Not having their own database companies and billions in disposable income, most people instea...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2011/12/nice-little-sail-south.html

It's incredibly frustrating to fork over hundreds of dollars a month for gas.  Being addicted to gas is not fun.  There's no way out - you can't live without it. You can put it off for a day, h...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2011/12/strait.html

From time to time, events in one's everyday work life will lead that person to evaluate their continued service.  It's at that time that I, er, one, considers the possibility of moving somewhere...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2011/12/brain-drain.html

Just a few days away from Thanksgiving, it's time to take a look at a little slice of the earth.  The Prime Meridian is the ugly step child of the equator.  It's the go to longitudinal line, un...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2011/11/prime-slice-before-thanksgiving.html

I spent the weekend in Chicago two weeks ago. It was a short trip, only two days. It was enough for me to catch the big-city-life bug again. The place we stayed was right downtown, within walking...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2011/11/big-city-lights.html

You've probably heard of the effect where, if you're pregnant, you'll notice pregnant people everywhere, taking over the earth. It turns out the same happens with new websites coming online. ...

http://www.worldgeoblog.com/2011/11/zombie-apocalypse-in-phillipines.html