Category Archives: Maps

September Song (hot, hot, hot)

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Here in North America meteorological Fall started on September 1st. But if you live here and have been paying attention, you may have noticed that the usual cooling after the Summer season has been arriving late. That’s because the Autumn … Continue reading →

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“It takes a train to cry”

Posted on September 3, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

  Although I reside in the Philadelphia metro area, I frequently use the New Jersey Transit system to travel to New York City. When it works smoothly, the trip is quick, convenient and relatively inexpensive compared to Amtrak. However, NJTransit … Continue reading →

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Where in the world is the Republiko of Zendia

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

How do you find a republic that never existed ? During the 1950s Cold War, U.S Army cryptologist Lambros D. Callimahos created the mythical  “Republiko of Zendia” to use in wargaming for U.S. military intelligence codebreakers simulating the invasion of … Continue reading →

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A Visit To Narnia (with guest star)

Posted on June 8, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Incomprehensible

Posted on June 7, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Over the years I have had the opportunity to visit the UK many times and on every trip I find myself baffled by the overwhelming variety of accents and dialects. Patrick Foote of Name Explain investigated why the UK, a … Continue reading →

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A Tale of Two Cities

Posted on June 3, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I have always been intrigued by the many cities within cities in Europe that hide traces of their early Roman incarnations. Over the years when I’ve visited London I have sought out those barely hidden remnants of ancient Londinium . … Continue reading →

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It’s going as planned

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Passenger train networks: United States vs Europe.

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Extreme Cartography

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Mercator Extreme is a fun tool that you can use to choose any point on Earth as the pole and then view the resulting ultra-distorted Mercator map.

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Travel Cats

Posted on May 20, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I love cats and I love train stations, so the silly, but fun website BahnhofsKatzen is just my cup of coffee. This site is a well-maintained resource documenting stray cats at train stations around the world, but primarily in mainland … Continue reading →

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Sometimes going backwards is good

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority recently  revealed a revamped map of the city’s subway system that takes its cues from a 1970s throwback that was cheered by design connoisseurs and reviled by many traditionalists. It is the first major overhaul of … Continue reading →

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