North Is Not Always Pointing Up – Orientation of Train Station Maps in Japan
Calvin Chan:
In Japan, maps in public places such as train station and street, are oriented to the direction you are physically facing it, instead of always pointing North at the upper edge of the map.
I did not know this! Chan discusses some of technological consequences of this. He includes an iPhone Maps screenshot (mockup?) that is particularly sad.
Iran threatens to sue Google for not labeling Persian Gulf
Another one for the “Iran Is Crazy” files, courtesy of Josh Levs of CNN:
On state-run Press TV, the Iranian regime warns it may take legal action against Google for not labeling the Persian Gulf.
…
“Toying with modern technologies in political issues is among the new measures by the enemies against Iran, (and) in this regard, Google has been treated as a plaything,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Thursday, according to state-run Press TV.
He added that “omitting the name Persian Gulf is (like) playing with the feelings and realities of the Iranian nation.”
Place names can legitimately be serious business. This is not one of those times.