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Not sure I enjoy it. It's aesthetically pleasing at first, but then it just annoys me. All maps have problems with representing distance and space in a 2D form

Not sure I enjoy it. It's aesthetically pleasing at first, but then it just annoys me. All maps have problems with representing distance and space in a 2D form, but this become a little absurd. As an artistic experiment I'd give him a pass except he explicitly said: "Let's get the geography as well because, with maps, shapes and geography are important. Let's try to make my map better than TfL in every way". He then absolutely butchers the geography in terms of relative or absolute position, changes the shape of the Thames in weird and unfamiliar ways and makes it hard to reason about distances in many cases (Note: don't try and walk from Richmond to East Putney, as it's a lot further than it looks on that map: about half the distance (4.9mi) from Richmond to Farringdon (10.3mi). I understand why maps get redesigned into different forms, and generally I love it if you're communicating a new idea about distance, space, or some other data point. But I don't really get what the idea behind this is other than "circles".

jonhohle 2y ago
I agree with everything you said. This isn’t what I would want to plan a route or get my bearings. However, it may be a reasonable logical representation which could have benefits for determine relationships. Logical maps have their place. We don’t complain that a device tree doesn’t show me _where_ in the computer storage is relative to say USB ports, just how things are connected. I can monitor my solar panels using a physical representation or logical representation. If there was a problem I’d start with the logical to identify the device that failed and what is affected and then switch to the physical to know where to fix.
bombcar 2y ago
This is the thing people forget about maps - any map is a falsehood, because it's not the thing mapped. It has a purpose and will bend various things to best serve that purpose. A subway map is NOT a walking map; it's (usually) a guide to the transit system and how to get from station to station.
- usrnm 2y ago
  A subway isn't just any random graph, though, and preserving the information about geography at least to some extent makes it more useful in a variety of real life cases.
- herculity275 2y ago
  In London lots of platform signs are directional - "northbound" vs "southbound", "eastbound" vs "westbound". Navigating them effectively often requires knowing (at least vaguely) which direction you're moving in. This map completely removes that intuition, in that sense it's strictly less useful than the default TfL one.
  - klondike_klive 2y ago
    What used to drive me nuts was the announcements referring to the platform _number_ on the underground. Always struck me as the most user-unfriendly way to do it - it works above ground because you can usually see other platforms from the one you're on. But underground you may as well call them by flower names or famous pigs of history for all it helps in navigating.

jonhohle 2y ago

I agree with everything you said. This isn’t what I would want to plan a route or get my bearings. However, it may be a reasonable logical representation which could have benefits for determine relationships. Logical maps have their place. We don’t complain that a device tree doesn’t show me _where_ in the computer storage is relative to say USB ports, just how things are connected. I can monitor my solar panels using a physical representation or logical representation. If there was a problem I’d start with the logical to identify the device that failed and what is affected and then switch to the physical to know where to fix.

bombcar 2y ago

This is the thing people forget about maps - any map is a falsehood, because it's not the thing mapped. It has a purpose and will bend various things to best serve that purpose. A subway map is NOT a walking map; it's (usually) a guide to the transit system and how to get from station to station.

usrnm 2y ago
A subway isn't just any random graph, though, and preserving the information about geography at least to some extent makes it more useful in a variety of real life cases.
herculity275 2y ago
In London lots of platform signs are directional - "northbound" vs "southbound", "eastbound" vs "westbound". Navigating them effectively often requires knowing (at least vaguely) which direction you're moving in. This map completely removes that intuition, in that sense it's strictly less useful than the default TfL one.
- klondike_klive 2y ago
  What used to drive me nuts was the announcements referring to the platform _number_ on the underground. Always struck me as the most user-unfriendly way to do it - it works above ground because you can usually see other platforms from the one you're on. But underground you may as well call them by flower names or famous pigs of history for all it helps in navigating.