> > I saw a USA-centered world map once. It looked totally strange! Every world map we usually see here has Europe and Africa in the middle.
>
> That's weird. I don't think I've even seen a map like that myself.
>
> This talk of maps reminds me how cool it is to look at a map of Antarctica. Normally all we see of Antarctica on maps is this vague jagged thing lining the bottom edge of world maps. Consequently, when you look at a map of Antarctica and find out what it's actually shaped like, it's pretty neat, because it looks as foreign as an map of an imaginary world in a fantasy novel, except that it's real.
>
> Maps of the Arctic are nifty, too, for the same reason, and also because it provides a pretty interesting look at how completely geographically MESSED up northern Canada is.
>
> The Arctic: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/islands_oceans_poles/ArcticRegion.jpg

Yeah, Antartica TOTALLY rules. Even if you own a globe, it doesn't help much to see it, because some wiseguy figured that it would be best to put the axes of a globe on the axes of the earth, although you COULD plunk them down in the middle of oceans on opposite sides of the world so all the land masses are completely visible. But OH, NO, we can't mess people up like THAT. Fine. Let the little people play with their globes... Let them spin them... And shine lights on them, and pretend the lights are the sun... And simulate the seasons by shifting the angle at which the light shines... And spin the globe to simulate day and night... And watch it go aROUND and aROUND in its hypnotic little pattern... Ooh, spinny...

Excuse me, I need to go find a globe and a flashlight.

Don "..." Monkey