My BF and I have been putting together this spherical puzzle of the earth (it’s awesome – snort!) http://www.megabrands.com/esphera/index.html
Truth be told, I’m not really a puzzle person. Those kitties and waterscapes that are usually the subjects of puzzle prints are (yawn!) not quite engaging enough. This was different because I wanted to learn more geography (I think I was absent that day), so we started in.
At first, it was pretty easy. We pieced together the big continental blocks with telltale coloring. Africa was first, naturally. We had a setback when the curved pieces wouldn’t stay in place, but quickly resolved it by binding them together with clear nail polish. South America and Australia followed, then North America, Europe/Asia, and finally Antarctica.
Then, we started learning. We pulled up Google Earth and had a lot of fun watching the globe spin around in realistic satellite imagery, pointing us to our next jigsaw need. The Caspian Sea, Bulgaria, and Suriname all found their spots in the world.
Shortly, we were left with many, many (many many many) blue pieces and huge gaps in the globe. It’s true – the earth is mostly water. Luckily, there are multitudes of tiny islands dotting the seas, which helped guide us.
Not so lucky, Google Earth stopped being so useful. It didn’t have a clue about where we should snap in the piece that said Nuku Hiva. It didn’t even know the very western-sounding Johnston Islands!
Where to next? Wikipedia! Sure enough, listed by some caring soul was the location of Nuku Hiva, along with history, demographic information, and geography. How could Google forget this very important island? Herman Melville wrote a book based on his experiences there! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuku_Hiva
Does this mean Google is really just a stuffed shirt company, focused on the masses and totally unconcerned about our island neighbors? Probably not. What it really means is that the understanding of all of us individually really is so much more powerful than even the greatest goliath company filled with the smartest people. We really matter.
Nuku Hivaites, thanks for helping us finish this puzzle.I’m totally getting the fishbowl next.
Truth be told, I’m not really a puzzle person. Those kitties and waterscapes that are usually the subjects of puzzle prints are (yawn!) not quite engaging enough. This was different because I wanted to learn more geography (I think I was absent that day), so we started in.
At first, it was pretty easy. We pieced together the big continental blocks with telltale coloring. Africa was first, naturally. We had a setback when the curved pieces wouldn’t stay in place, but quickly resolved it by binding them together with clear nail polish. South America and Australia followed, then North America, Europe/Asia, and finally Antarctica.
Then, we started learning. We pulled up Google Earth and had a lot of fun watching the globe spin around in realistic satellite imagery, pointing us to our next jigsaw need. The Caspian Sea, Bulgaria, and Suriname all found their spots in the world.
Shortly, we were left with many, many (many many many) blue pieces and huge gaps in the globe. It’s true – the earth is mostly water. Luckily, there are multitudes of tiny islands dotting the seas, which helped guide us.
Not so lucky, Google Earth stopped being so useful. It didn’t have a clue about where we should snap in the piece that said Nuku Hiva. It didn’t even know the very western-sounding Johnston Islands!
Where to next? Wikipedia! Sure enough, listed by some caring soul was the location of Nuku Hiva, along with history, demographic information, and geography. How could Google forget this very important island? Herman Melville wrote a book based on his experiences there! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuku_Hiva
Does this mean Google is really just a stuffed shirt company, focused on the masses and totally unconcerned about our island neighbors? Probably not. What it really means is that the understanding of all of us individually really is so much more powerful than even the greatest goliath company filled with the smartest people. We really matter.
Nuku Hivaites, thanks for helping us finish this puzzle.I’m totally getting the fishbowl next.
No comments:
Post a Comment