Sales of paper maps are soaring. Snoop Dogg’s adventures in vehicle wrapping. Massachusetts legislators use ChatGPT to write a bill…regulating ChatGPT. Wearing an ugly sweater can make you invisible to AI, if no one else. Scientists change the Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds to midnight. If it’s not one thing it’s another: now the Earth’s core has stopped spinning. Graphene-based sensors function like “electronic noses.” A Reddit embroidery forum 2022 award goes to embroidered chicken wing wall art. A bunch of aquarium fish pull off a credit card scam (not The Onion). Mountain Dew releases a hot sauce. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
A Road Map for Maps
A few weeks ago, our Friday data slice’n’dice included counts of map publishers, and we had remarked, “Printed maps are almost entirely replaced by GPS/Google Maps, but there is somewhat of a market for historical maps.” But, as it turns out, in recent years, sales of paper maps—and not just historical ones—are soaring. From Axios:
AAA produced 123% more maps in 2022 than 2021, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Digital maps, while powerful, aren’t perfect navigational tools: Phone batteries die, cell signals fail,” the Journal’s Kate Morgan writes.
“And though a smartphone can easily direct you to the quickest route, taking it often means you’ll miss the best scenery. A paper map … can provide a bigger picture.”
Case in…
