Somewhere in Denver, a Geography minor dies inside

[auntiem]

wow, that map is just... well... it looks so strange.

Oh, and in Salt Lake if someone can't figure out North from South, East from West needs to be steralized to prevent them from breeding. Considering the streets are numbered by distance North, South, East, or West from Temple Square... ie, one block south of Temple Square is 100 south, two blocks south is 200 south, 21 blocks south is 2100 south, etc. One block north is 100 North, two blocks is 200 North, etc. Same thing with east and west... if the numbers are going up you are going that direction... if they are going down you are going the opposite of that direction.

That is what I loved about that town when I moved there. Extra bonus, we lived near the University in the one area that isn't like that (actual street names and all that) and we would sit out on Friday nights and watch cars wander around lost trying to find such and such address.

[Evil Queen]

*raises her hand* Though, they're usually for D&D campaigns in worlds where North, South, East, and West bear no resemblance to the world they take place on.
Not to mention, I don't believe in that setup, for lack of a better word.

Elvish maps have West as the top of the maps.

[SG15Z]

Elvish maps have West as the top of the maps.

Yes I forgot about those!

[prb]

I know north is usually at the top, but I still check because I've seen some that are different. A transit map I looked at this weekend had it on the side that I would have assumed to be west.

[amphrite]

I still have to remind myself sometimes with the saying

Never Eat Shredded Wheat

But then I just recently started to be able to tell left from right without even thinking about it.

[Automan Empire]

It amazes me how few people know the cardinal directions.

It amazes me more, the way such people have refused to even try to learn this simple and important concept.

I mean, I'm no Magellan, but I can use a variety of environmental cues to determine North. Once, while quadding, I even managed to use the stars to navigate back toward camp while badly lost.

But as far as maps, there is virtually always a North pointer. If not, the map usually includes some landmark clearly visible from anywhere on the map. But if you don't know where East and West are relatively, knowing where North is won't be much help anyway.

[Evil Queen]

But then I just recently started to be able to tell left from right without even thinking about it.

I have a hard time remembering that one for some reason. I'm seriously considering getting "L" and "R" tattooed on my [respective] wrists! I never had this problem until I moved to Houston.

Seems I never had a lot of problems before moving to Houston. Mmmmm....

[SG15Z]

I'm no Magellan,

You're so not gellin'

I have a hard time remembering that one for some reason. I'm seriously considering getting "L" and "R" tattooed on my [respective] wrists! I never had this problem until I moved to Houston.

Seems I never had a lot of problems before moving to Houston. Mmmmm....

Well this is understandable. Houston doesn't exactly have a simple roadway system.....I'm usually good at directions until I enter The Triangle of Doom™ of course.

[Dips]

But as far as maps, there is virtually always a North pointer.

Indeed they do. And most people know that the north arrow points north, but not everyone.

Note: DealsWithDips was my previous user name. That happened to a friend of mine.

[Nyoibo]

And I'm sure all of our members in Australia are familiar with McArthur's Universal Corrective Map of the World.

I was actually unaware of the existance of that map, I must now have one.

[Primer]

But as far as maps, there is virtually always a North pointer. If not, the map usually includes some landmark clearly visible from anywhere on the map. But if you don't know where East and West are relatively, knowing where North is won't be much help anyway.

If you can find either West, or North:

Put West to your Left (they rhyme) and North with be to your Front (OR and RO) or vise versa.

I have a hard time remembering that one for some reason. I'm seriously considering getting "L" and "R" tattooed on my [respective] wrists!

EQ, which hand do you write with? Write with Right, for most people.

These work in English, anyway.

[Setsunaela]

my uncle has issues with left/right also.. and he's fully ambidextrous, and will write with whichever hand was closest to the pen/pencil when he reached.. makes it harder lol

[dalesys]

There is an on-going argument about whether or not East & West are swapped in Oz.

The real Oz, not Australia.

I ordered that map (McArthur's Universal Corrective Map of the World) for my daughter's classroom - she can use it for delineating the difference between "fact" and convention.

I remember ferocious sophmoric arguments about which way electricity "flows". And in early grade wrestling with the concept of nothing... I mean, if it's really "nothing", how can it have a name?

[Cia]

I'm left/right dyslexic so in my world east and west are reversed so I write the directions clockwise as north, west, south, east and then I want to write the 'E' backwards. It does make life fun when trying to give directions.

On a test in college I placed Russia to the west of Germany and France to the east. Don't know why, but in my head I imagine the countries from looking out from the inside of a globe instead of from looking down onto it.

[Ironclad Alibi]

I'm left/right dyslexic so in my world east and west are reversed so I write the directions clockwise as north, west, south, east and then I want to write the 'E' backwards. It does make life fun when trying to give directions.

Have you ever seen the 1969 movie Journey to the Far Side of the Sun? It is about a duplicate Earth with left/right reversed.