Category: General

TimeMaps: Showcasing Duration, not Distance

TimeMaps by Dutch designer Vincent Meertens redraws transit maps according to how long the trip is from any two points in the Netherlands:

Due to the good public transportation in the Netherlands distance has become irrelevant. We can reach almost any destination by train easily and relatively quick. In our busy lives we now think in time rather than distance. Therefore the current maps, as we know them today, are obsolete. Thinking in time affects a map and hence the shape of the Netherlands also depending on the perspective from which we look. From the perspective of Eindhoven, for instance, the Netherlands is relatively small because of the quick and easy connections to other cities. At the same time, seen from a more remote and small village such as Stavoren the Netherlands is much bigger. Not only the location from which one looks, or travels, but the hour of the day is very important. At night the map will expand because there are no night trains and in the morning it will shrink once trains will commence their schedules. The map of the Netherlands will never be the same again.

See also:

Shelter from the Storm

Well I’m living in a foreign country but I’m bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor’s edge someday I’ll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
“Come in” she said
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm.”

To the Bravest: An Open Letter to the NYPD

Portraits from Occupy Wall Street, Volume 4 by joe holmes

Portraits from Occupy Wall Street, Volume 4, a photo by joe holmes on Flickr.

An Open Letter to the Men and Women of the New York City Police Department:

American citizens have a right to assemble in public in order to communicate with one another and with their elected leaders. The right to public assembly is not a right to assemble for a second, or an hour, or a day. As Americans, we have a right to assemble until we are satisfied that our voices have been heard, and that our leaders are sustaining, not destroying, our safety and our livelihoods.

This is the key issue: freedom of assembly should not be beholden to bureaucracy which says you need to fill out some paperwork so you can speak your mind at set time, at a set place, for a set amount of time.

The fear is almost palatable seething from some quarters because of the sustained protest: this is fear of people in space; of people joined together, sometimes breaking into spurts of anarchy, but nonetheless joined together under one banner.

Change doesn’t come from the end of a barrel, it comes from the look in people’s eye.

You should really check out Joe Holmes’ Portraits from Occupy Wall Street: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3 & Volume 4.

Seattle Providing Space for Occupy Seattle

Space Needle, Seattle, Washington State, USA by Tomasito.!

Space Needle, Seattle, Washington State, USA, a photo by Tomasito.! on Flickr.

Update on Occupy Seattle:

My staff has been reaching out to and communicating with members of Occupy Seattle. Here’s how we are proceeding:

  • We are providing a permit for protest activities at Westlake Park which will allow them to have an organizing tent that can remain overnight. As a condition of the permit, protestors will have to allow for cleaning of the park, protect park property, accommodate the other existing permitted events, and protect access to businesses.
  • We are making City Hall Plaza available for those that wish to stay overnight, with reasonable restrictions on the tents so as to allow free use of the plaza during the day. Unlike Westlake, City Hall also has restroom facilities available. Both the permit and the ability to set up tents at City Hall Plaza would last for two weeks, at which point we can assess whether the arrangement is meeting everyone’s needs and should be extended.

These are extraordinary times. We have seen the Occupy Wall Street movement take off in cities across the country, and there’s a reason for it. There is real anger about the unprecedented concentration of wealth and power in this country and the inequality it has produced. I share the values and the message of the Occupy Wall Street movement. We want to provide the opportunity for the people of Seattle to express their views. And we are.

This is how you balance the right to assemble freely and the right to go about your day. Mayor Bloomberg should take note.