February 2010 Archives

Shaj Mathew is a seventeen-year-old high school senior from Maryland. When he's not in school, he reads The New Yorker and talks soccer on his website. He was most recently published in the online literary magazine, The Millions. You can reach him at shaj.mathew@gmail.com.

If you would like to guest blog for My Wonderful World, please contact Sarah Jane: scaban@ngs.org.



The quintessential Indian car, the Hindustan Ambassador has remained popular despite an influx of new foreign imports.


Um...is that cow going to move?

The engine of the Toyota Innova (think Sienna lite) stutters to a low growl, providing an ambient backdrop in the few seconds of peace. Then a succession of high-pitched, squeaky horns arrest me, and I'm subject to the whimsy of my driver, whose vertiginous lane-changes (every few seconds at least), predilection for honking (often for no apparent reason), and blatant disregard for the few traffic regulations (which may or may not actually exist) make your average Grand Theft Auto player seem like an overly cautious motorist.The cow moves; we veer back on the road; I close my eyes.

Dear God, I don't want to die young - really.

What's in a logo? When it comes to the Olympic games: geography.

While the concept of a "logo" is a relatively modern phenomenon spurred by the rise of capitalism and reproducible print, the Olympics have long been infused with geographic symbolism. Take the Olympic flag, for starters: The five interlocking rings are typically taken to represent the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Why are the North and South American continents lumped together? That's a political question I hope another geographer out there can answer!

In addition to universal Olympic symbols like the torch and five-ring flag, each of the host cities supporting the modern games has developed icons to mark its unique incarnation of the event. Almost always, the posters, medals, and logos evoke a strong sense of place. The reasons are obvious: Olympics provide a great sense of pride for the host city, and often serve as a "coming out party" on the world stage. Let's take a look at a sampling of Olympic logos from 1896 - 2016 to investigate how geography factors into design.

Disclaimer: I am NOT an art history or graphics expert, so I welcome YOUR input on this topic!

 

The Mid-Atlantic United States has been hit by not one, but two major snowstorms in the last week. The Federal Government has been closed for four days, leaving many dutiful students and employees stranded at home. In between rattling off memos and writing papers from their remote locations, some area residents have taken advantage of the rare wintry conditions to have some fun--and avoid going stir crazy during the "Snowpocalyse."

A recent article from Fredericksburg, VA, included photos of local snow-masterpieces. I was impressed by a detailed Terra Cotta Warrior, constructed by a family who had recently visited the exhibit at our National Geographic  Museum. Another image from the snow photo gallery showed a seated male figure with chiseled abs, not unlike a Greek god. The story got me thinking: I wonder what other images of geographic snow sculptures I can find?

 

For 22 years, teachers and administrators, technology experts and industry leaders, students and parents from across the United States have gathered to collaborate, learn, and share innovative uses of geospatial tools and technology across the curriculum.

Join us March 4, 5, and 6, 2010, at the GeoTech 22nd annual "Technology in Education" Conference!