i’d see the graphic created by pleated jeans called ‘the united states of shame’ before. it reveals one thing that each of the 50 states is worst at. funny, and a little interesting.
(click image for a larger version)
but i just discovered the optimist’s response: the united states of awesome (from political language). one thing each of the 50 states is best at. pretty funny mix — looks like they had to scrape the barrel on a few of ’em.
(click image for a larger version)
i’ve had this sitting in my drafts folder for a long time, so let’s push it out.
i kinda like geography. so i was fascinated by this u.s. map with the states redrawn so that every state has an equal population (of just over 5 1/2 million, btw). you can click on the map to get a slightly larger view. pretty creative, and interesting. as i stared at it, i found myself speculating on what the implications would be of a reality like this, where the playing field is leveled.
This map is the creation of Neil Freeman, who noted that the current 50 states have populations ranging from a half million to 33 million.
(ht to neatorama)
americans are classically and stereotypically clueless about the world outside our borders. so i didn’t expect to kick butt on this geography test of northern africa and the middle east. at least i’d heard of all the countries (well, all but one: i’d not heard of “western sahara”). there’s no scoring on this — you either get the answer correct or not, and you can keep trying ’til you get it correct. but i think i actually knew (or could closely guess, and guessed right) just under half of them.
ok, i consider myself a bit of an amature geography buff. nothing big-time — but i like maps. so, i was surprised by how poorly i did on this altered states quiz. 10 of the 50 u.s. states are shown, without orientation, and altered in their direction (but otherwise unaltered). i only got 70%, which kinda ticked me off. the ones i got wrong brought a total “duh! of course!” response when revealed.
