This is a map of the distribution of McDonalds and Starbucks in the world. The larger the red or green dot, the more Starbucks or McDonalds there are in the country. I found it on http://thr36ixty5ive.wordpress.com/2008/07/14/the-world-map-by-mcdonalds-starbucks/. This map is interesting because it shows how fastfood has taken over the world. One of the major markers of development is having things like McDonalds, Starbucks, and Subway in your country. Equally as interesting is looking at which areas do not have fast food chains. These are the places that need quick, easy, cheap food the most, but do not have it because they are not good for business because people are too poor to afford the food.
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I found this map at http://vi.sualize.us/view/hagure/4fabe6839d30e893fa4e64bb0a7bdbc8/. The map shows the world according to America. It is interesting because it shows the stereotype of Americans being completely clueless to what is going on in the rest of the world. On some level, the map is true in that many Americans are very content to never venture anywhere outside their borders or to learn anything about other countries. While the average American is smarter than what the map depicts, most Americans have no idea where Afghanistan or Iraq are on the map, yet we have been at war with these countries within the last decade.
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I found this map at http://www.lolcaption.com/funny_pictures_tags/google-maps-failure/. The map shows Google Maps directions from Japan to the United States, with one of the steps being "Kayak across the Pacific Ocean". It is interesting because it shows how technology is not perfect and that it cannot always be as blindly trusted as it is today. Computers lack something that is very hard to program: common sense. While it makes no sense to the brain of a human to kayak across the Pacific, it makes complete sense to a computer. Our human brains are very sophisticated and can easily spot holes in data, make connections when data is missing, and solving problems when they arise. The take-home message from this map is: make sure you are always critical of the information given to you.
