Editing 1653: United States Map
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|List how the states are swapped around using the table}} | |
− | + | The comic is a map with the (rough) outline of the {{w|Contiguous United States|mainland}} of the {{w|United States of America}}. At first it looks like the real map, but actually all the states have been shuffled around in it. It seems that [[Randall]] took all of the states (minus {{w|Alaska}} and {{w|Hawaii}} the two states that are not part of this map and are only mentioned in the title text, see below), and then reassembled them in the style of a jigsaw puzzle, with the end result being a map with a similar outline to the original [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/National-atlas-blank-state-outlines.png unaltered mainland state map]. They can thus be reassembled into the real map as can be seen [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/88/1653-rearranged.png here] (see also the [[#Trivia|trivia section]]). | |
− | + | Previously Randall has played with the shapes of the united states in [[1079: United Shapes]]. In that map he did two separate drawings for {{w|Michigan}} with a mitten in the {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|lower part}} and an eagle in the {{w|Upper Peninsula of Michigan|upper part}}. Once again in this version he has split Michigan in two, the lower main part, the mitten just labeled ''Michigan'', is on the west coast on part of {{w|California|California's}} location, but the upper part is located on the east coast over {{w|New York|New York's}} location and has been labeled ''MI (upper)''. So even without Hawaii and Alaska, there are 49 "states" in this map, consisting of 47 states plus the two halves of Michigan. In the [[#Table|table]] below all 49 states in the map has been listed to indicate where the puzzle pieces have been moved to. | |
− | It seems | + | It seems at a first glance that the names have been written on the states as they would appear in a normal map, and that they have all then been rotated with the rotation of the states. But this is not the case for all states. For instance it seems like {{w|Utah}} has hardly been moved at all, and with the name written normally this may be intentionally to deceive the readers. Because Utah has been turned upside down, and according to how for instance {{w|Texas}}, clearly turned upside down, has it's name written upside down as well, Utah should thus also have been written like that. |
− | + | It seems likely that this could be a trick by Randall, to see if anyone spots that Utah has actually been moved. But it could of course be a mistake, as seems more likely with {{w|Montana}} where the same "error" has occurred, but since this state has been moved far from it's real position there would be no sport in doing so (see the [[#Trivia|trivia section]]). Of course there is the possibility that "Utah" was on purpose and Montana by mistake. With 47 of 49 ending up rotated as expected on the map and only two exactly upside down, there can be no doubt that it was on purpose that the the names are written according to the states rotation for the 47. Note that for instance the state California has been rotated, but in a way so the text is written normally. But due to the direction of the state, it is normal to write the name tilted down along the state, which just coincidentally ends up being rotated normal in the position it has in the comic. | |
− | The title text mentions how it would be unfair to use a [http://i.imgur.com/Mvi8j9s.jpg blank version] of this shuffled-up map as a quiz for knowledge of U.S. geography | + | Other states that have not been moved a lot include California which has only been pushed down the length of the west border of the US (and thus rotated acordingly), so the top part still overlaps with the bottom part California, but also {{w|Arizona}} and {{w|New Mexico}}. {{w|Maine}} has only been rolled left (i.e. turned upside down) to just outside its normal position. {{w|Colorado}} has been moved up a state to where {{w|Wyoming}} usually is, and Wyoming has then just been shifted right. But both have been turned 90 degrees, whichever way would be impossible to say for these rectangular states. But the text, if you dare believe in that, seems to indicate they have been turned counter clockwise. {{w|Wisconsin}} has only been shifted down below its usual position but then turned upside down. |
+ | |||
+ | The title text mentions how it would be unfair to use a [http://i.imgur.com/Mvi8j9s.jpg blank version] (already created by a user) of this shuffled-up map as a quiz for knowledge of U.S. geography; most people recognize states primarily by their relative locations, not their shape (and especially not their shape after being rotated). It also suggests a corresponding mean trick to play if you include Alaska and Hawaii, which are not present in the comic itself, namely to interchange the volcanic island of Hawaii (consisting of 8 main island and hundreds smaller ones) with those of the {{w|Aleutian Islands}}, also a chain of volcanic islands (14 large and 55 smaller) that partly belongs to the US partly to Russia. The island extends from the {{w|Alaska Peninsula}}. It would thus be possible to even make it difficult to correctly name these last two states, even though it would be obvious to begin with that it must be the two not belonging to the mainland. | ||
==Table== | ==Table== | ||
− | *This table | + | *This table list all states in the order of the transcript. But it can be sorted alphabetically. |
− | * | + | *It's purpose is two fold: |
− | **To list the rotation of the state compared to the real orientation of the | + | **To list the rotation of the state compared to the real orientation of the sate in the real world map |
**To list which state/states the states, in this comics map, have been moved over/inside. | **To list which state/states the states, in this comics map, have been moved over/inside. | ||
− | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable" | {| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
|- | |- | ||
! State | ! State | ||
− | ! | + | ! Orientation |
! Moved to | ! Moved to | ||
! Note | ! Note | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Ohio}} || Upside down || Washington || | + | | {{w|Ohio}} || Upside down || Washington || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia}} || Upside down || Oregon || | + | | {{w|Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia}} || Upside down || Oregon || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Michigan (lower part)}} (as {{w|Michigan}})|| Upside down || | + | | {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Michigan (lower part)}} (as {{w|Michigan}})|| Upside down || Top part of California || Michigan is the only state split in two, as it is also split in two peninsulas in real life. In real life these two parts lies very close on the shores of the {{w|Great Lakes region|Great Lakes}}, and not as here, with one at each coast of the US. But at least they still both lies on a shore. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Maryland}} (as MD) || Upside down || | + | | {{w|Maryland}} (as MD) || Upside down || Middle part of California || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|California}} || Rotated counter clockwise || | + | | {{w|California}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Bottom part of both California, Arizona and New Mexico || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Kansas}} || Upside down || | + | | {{w|Kansas}} || Upside down || Right part of Washington, top part of Idaho and left part of Montana || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Pennsylvania}} || Rotated clockwise || | + | | {{w|Pennsylvania}} || Rotated clockwise || Right part of Oregon and Idaho || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Oklahoma}} || Rotated clockwise || Idaho | + | | {{w|Oklahoma}} || Rotated clockwise || Idaho and Montana|| |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|New Mexico}} ||None || Nevada, | + | | {{w|New Mexico}} ||None ||Nevada, and parts of the surrounding states || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Nebraska}} || Upside down || | + | | {{w|Nebraska}} || Upside down || North parts of New Mexico and Arizona|| |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|South Dakota}} || None || Montana || | + | | {{w|South Dakota}} || None ||Montana || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Colorado}} || Rotated clockwise || | + | | {{w|Colorado}} || Rotated counter clockwise ||West part of Wyoming || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Wyoming}} || Rotated counter clockwise || | + | | {{w|Wyoming}} || Rotated counter clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Utah}} || Upside down || Utah | + | | {{w|Utah}} || Upside down || Utah || Has hardly been moved at all, as the only state, but only rotated. But the text is written upside down on the state, making it appear normal in the comic. This may be an intentional trick from Randall. Only other state where this has occurred is Montana. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Alabama}} || None || | + | | {{w|Alabama}} || None || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Massachusetts}} (as MA) || Rotated counter clockwise || | + | | {{w|Massachusetts}} (as MA) || Rotated counter clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Virginia}} || Rotated counter clockwise || | + | | {{w|Virginia}} || Rotated counter clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Arizona}} || Rotated counter clockwise || | + | | {{w|Arizona}} || Rotated counter clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Washington (state)|Washington}} || Rotated counter clockwise || | + | | {{w|Washington (state)|Washington}} || Rotated counter clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
| {{w|Montana}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Colorado, New Mexico and Texas || The text has been written upside down on the state, so in a correct map using this state the text would be upside down. Only other state this has happened with is Utah. | | {{w|Montana}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Colorado, New Mexico and Texas || The text has been written upside down on the state, so in a correct map using this state the text would be upside down. Only other state this has happened with is Utah. | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|New York}} || None || | + | | {{w|New York}} || None || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Minnesota}} || Upside down | + | | {{w|Minnesota}} || Upside down || Stays in place || |
− | |||
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Texas}} || Upside down || | + | | {{w|Texas}} || Upside down || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Connecticut}} (as CT) || Rotated clockwise || | + | | {{w|Connecticut}} (as CT) || Rotated clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Mississippi}} (as Missi-ssippi) || Rotated clockwise || | + | | {{w|Mississippi}} (as Missi-ssippi) || Rotated clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Nevada}} || None || | + | | {{w|Nevada}} || None || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Idaho}} || Rotated clockwise || | + | | {{w|Idaho}} || Rotated clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|South Carolina}} || Rotated counter clockwise || | + | | {{w|South Carolina}} || Rotated counter clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Missouri}} || Upside down || | + | | {{w|Missouri}} || Upside down || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Wisconsin}} || Upside down || Illinois || Very deformed, | + | | {{w|Wisconsin}} || Upside down || Moved South over Illinois || Very deformed, looses it's Western indentation |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Kentucky }} || Rotated clockwise || | + | | {{w|Kentucky }} || Rotated clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|North Dakota}} || Rotated clockwise || | + | | {{w|North Dakota}} || Rotated clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Florida}} || Rotated counter clockwise || | + | | {{w|Florida}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Lower part of Michigan and the very top part of Ohio. || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|North Carolina}} || Rotated clockwise || | + | | {{w|North Carolina}} || Rotated clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Indiana}} || None || | + | | {{w|Indiana}} || None || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Rhode Island}} (as RI ) || | + | | {{w|Rhode Island}} (as RI ) || Any clear rotation? || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Oregon}} || Rotated clockwise || | + | | {{w|Oregon}} || Rotated clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Iowa}} || None || | + | | {{w|Iowa}} || None || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Tennessee}} || Upside down || | + | | {{w|Tennessee}} || Upside down || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Illinois}} || None || | + | | {{w|Illinois}} || None || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Maine}} || Upside down || | + | | {{w|Maine}} || Upside down || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|New Hampshire}} (as NH) || None || | + | | {{w|New Hampshire}} (as NH) || None || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Michigan (upper part)}} (as MI (upper))|| Rotated 45 degree counter clockwise || Pennsylvania and New York|| Michigan is the only state split in two, as it is also split in two peninsulas in real life. In real life these two parts | + | | {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Michigan (upper part)}} (as MI (upper))|| Rotated 45 degree counter clockwise || Pennsylvania and New York|| Michigan is the only state split in two, as it is also split in two peninsulas in real life. In real life these two parts lies very close on the shores of the {{w|Great Lakes region|Great Lakes}}, and not as here, with one at each coast of the US. But at least they still both lie on a shore. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Arkansas}} || None || | + | | {{w|Arkansas}} || None || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|New Jersey}} (as NJ)|| None || | + | | {{w|New Jersey}} (as NJ)|| None || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Louisiana}} || Rotated counter clockwise || | + | | {{w|Louisiana}} || Rotated counter clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|West Virginia}} || Rotated 45 degree clockwise || | + | | {{w|West Virginia}} || Rotated 45 degree clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Delaware}} (as DE) || Rotated counter clockwise || | + | | {{w|Delaware}} (as DE) || Rotated counter clockwise || || |
|- | |- | ||
− | | {{w|Vermont}} (as VT) || Upside down || | + | | {{w|Vermont}} (as VT) || Upside down || || |
|} | |} | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[A white map with an outline that closely resembles that of the mainland of the United States of America with gray all around the black border. But on closer inspection most of the states do not look right. The 48 mainland states are all there, however, with their name or abbreviations written on them as a label in gray text. But they have all been shuffled around and then reassembled as a jigsaw puzzle in the same shape as USA. The name labels for most of the states have been rotated, often to follow the new rotation of the state in the map. So some are written upside down or have been rotated 90 degrees clockwise or counter clockwise or even somewhere in between. One state, Michigan, has even been split up in two so there are 49 instead of 48 labels. For the states that have been named only with state abbreviations the full name is written in brackets behind the transcript of the abbreviation. Here below all the states are listed approximately in columns going from the top left and down and then moving right to the next column across the map. Any rotation of the text from normal is noted in brackets behind the name.] | + | :[A white map with an outline that closely resembles that of the mainland of the United States of America with gray all around the black border. But on closer inspection most of the states do not look right. The 48 mainland states are all there, however, with their name or abbreviations written on them as a label in gray text. But they have all been shuffled around and then reassembled as a jigsaw puzzle in the same shape as USA. The name labels for most of the states have been rotated, often to follow the new rotation of the state in the map. So some are written upside down or have been rotated 90 degrees clockwise or counter clockwise or even somewhere in between. One state, Michigan, has even been split up in two so there are 49 instead of 48 labels. For the states that have been named only with state abbreviations the full name is written in a brackets behind the transcript of the abbreviation. Here below all the states are listed approximately in columns going from the top left and down and then moving right to the next column across the map. Any rotation of the text from normal is noted in brackets behind the name.] |
:Ohio [Upside down] | :Ohio [Upside down] | ||
:Georgia [Upside down] | :Georgia [Upside down] | ||
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==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
− | + | *Using two A3 printouts of both the [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/National-atlas-blank-state-outlines.png real map] from Wikipedia and this comic, is approximately the same scale it was possible to reassemble US putting the states in their correct place. | |
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− | *Using two A3 printouts of both the [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/National-atlas-blank-state-outlines.png real map] from Wikipedia and this comic, is approximately the same scale it was possible to reassemble US putting the states in their correct place. | ||
**The result displayed surprisingly accurate drawings of the states, although it is clear that on the borders between states that are not drawn by a ruler, they cannot be correct for both states in all cases. | **The result displayed surprisingly accurate drawings of the states, although it is clear that on the borders between states that are not drawn by a ruler, they cannot be correct for both states in all cases. | ||
**From this map it becomes clear that not only Utah but also Montana has the text written upside down according to the correct position of the state. | **From this map it becomes clear that not only Utah but also Montana has the text written upside down according to the correct position of the state. | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:1653 United States Map 49 piece jigsaw solved.jpg]] |
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | [[Category: | + | |
+ | [[Category:Maps]] |