week one: three maps

 

where this map is at

this is a map of the crime topography of San Francisco. The raised areas are where there are high levels of crime in the city, which happen to appear like the hilly areas that are all over the city. 

I like this map because it shows that certain crimes, like prostitution, center in one certain area. It does not really need to be spread around the city, as people who want prostitutes will be willing to travel to that one area in order to find them. Other crimes, like vehicle theft, are all over the city, as they are probably crimes of opportunity. They thefts spike in some areas a little bit above others, but really, your car can be stolen in almost any area of SF.

where this map is at
This is a map of the BP oil spill, but in a different area. You can move around the location of the BP oil spill, to scale, to different parts of the country. Here, it is centered around Los Angeles.
I like this map because it shows how amazingly and obscenely large the BP oil spill was. You can imagine the driving route you would take to some of these various places in Los Angeles, and that whole time you would be driving in the BP oil spill. As in, you could make the very long trek from north of Santa Barbara, all the way to San Diego, and still be in the oil spill. CRAZY!

where this map is at
This is a map, series. More information than a map, but its really interesting. This basically says that if everyone in the united states wanted to live like people in brookyln, we could all fit in new hampshire. We wouldn't even need that big of a state! 
I like this map because it shows the low density of the United States, especially compared with european countries. Sure, no one in brooklyn has a giant house, but when you're in brooklyn, the first thing that comes to mind is not, wow, its so crowded here! Commuting would be so much easier (and environmentally friendly). The one problem I see is transportation of food from so far away. But then again, without all those people in the way in the rest of the country, there would be plenty of room for really fast, electric trains...