23 replies to this topic

[David T]

The recent thread about CartoTalk Schwag got me thinking about what sorts of things we own that shows us as (proud) map geeks. From little squeezey globes at our desk, to ESRI mouse pads, to t-shirts, what sorts of things do YOU own that shows the world how proud you are do be doing what you do?

Me, I'll admit to owning a couple of ESRI polo shirts. A couple of good t-shirts (my favorite is my t-shirt from the ESRI conference a couple of years ago - it shows a guy being crushed by an unfolded map - his arms and legs are visible coming out the sides of the map - and the words ' Maps Can't Hurt You' written on the map).

I also have a couple of polo shirts with our office logo on it, along with the words 'Geographer' on it (since that is my job title).

And, one more that I'll admit to - my license plate:


Okay - time for the rest of you to own up to it.
(I've already got my CartoTalk Schwag on my Christmas list, too)

[Nick Springer]

One of my favorite T-Shirts is from the AAG conference in 1999 in Honolulu.

[DaveB]

Well, aside from all of the maps, globes, and books about maps and cartography...
Sitting here at my desk, a NACIS slinky, a spongy rubber ball with raised continents, a globe keychain, and a ticket from my visit to Greenwich from a few years ago.

[Matthew Hampton]

Most of my mapschwag (I think the previous word might end-up in the 2006 OED) is from ESRI - I think they are the mapschwag kings. My favorite is a mousepad that doubles as a notpad. I think it has about 50 sheets and most of my critical project info (cmyk-rgb values, phone #'s, schematics, etc.) start there.

Aside from that, I saw a nifty tattoo on someone at NACIS... now that would be the ultra mapgeek thing.

[margaret]

Is someone you know a Map Geek? A handy checklist of Warning Signs compiled from years of participatory observation:

Is there something wrong with his/her wrist?
Does this person become lost easily?
Does he/she become irritable when forced to read something in an offensive typeface?
Do the words "repetitive," "detailed," and "solitary" bring a smile to his/her face?
Does he/she arrive by bicycle or motorcycle?
Is this person scribbling notes in a tiny notebook and/or pda?
Does this person use a quick trip to the hardware store as an excuse to loiter for hours in the paint chip department?
Does he/she display an obsession for compact travel gear despite the fact that they never go anywhere because they are always working on a project?

...

[Martin Gamache]

HAHAHAHA

I love the paint chips one....

[DaveB]

Signs of mapgeekdom:
Have they mapped their own yard?

[DaveB]

Lost? I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

[margaret]

Signs of mapgeekdom:
Have they mapped their own yard? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

o yes I've done this--poorly--a few times, with results interesting only to me as usual!

[Rick Dey]

Signs of mapgeekdom:
Have they mapped their own yard? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wait you mean that wasn't a landscape plan?? Don't let my wife know.

[Hans van der Maarel]

Funny enough, there's not that much map stuff in my house... most of my wall-space has already been used by various concert posters (my 'real' hobby). I do have a couple of globes in my living room, hundreds of maps stored in the attic (including several of those big ones used in schools) and a Geo Memo Block on my desk (made from old OS maps).

I need to get a bigger house

[Derek Tonn]

I'll temporarily take the bag off my head to admit that I have about 20 globes, 50-75 old wall-mounted maps (still in their 1940s and 1950s green metal housing) from some university "dumpster-diver" expeditions, and two steamer trunks full of just about every printed map I have come across over the past 15-20 years. After I die and they are auctioning off all my stuff to close the estate, I'm sure people will say "Look at all this map-stuff! It's sad that he didn't have a chance to get out and live a little while he still had the chance."

[rudy]

Hey - what about the map ties? I have about 4 of them and am always on the look out for more. It's easy to find ties with old maps on them - I want the ties with relatively modern looking maps on them. Any suggestions where I can get more of them (without paying an arm and a leg? My favourite one cost over $70 - too much considering I don't have to wear one every day).

[frax]

rudy -- aren't there places where you can design your own tie? Like sending in a jpeg and they print it up for you?

Compared to some of you, I don't have that much. What I have though is a unique lampshade, that I made out of a discarded globe that I found cheaply (without a stand) -- I made it into a ceiling-hanging lamp instead (with a stronger bulb than a normal globe.

[rudy]

rudy -- aren't there places where you can design your own tie? Like sending in a jpeg and they print it up for you?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah! But where can I get a tie made with the map of my choice without spending a fortune?