Lab 1-Map Descriptions

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://joecrubaugh.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/europeasseenbyamericans.jpg&imgrefurl=http://joecrubaugh.com/blog/category/art-culture/&h=450&w=600&sz=169&tbnid=e00NB_W0JdinJM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=111&zoom=1&docid=UzmwyTPIzuUf3M&sa=X&ei=bSaHT5qJKIqUiALcvdnlDw&ved=0CDQQ9QEwAw&dur=303

This map resembles Europe seen by Americans in a satirical way as presented by Frank Jacobs in 2010.  It offers an external, and even more one-dimensional perspective on European diversity. Americans apparently still see Russia as thinly veiled communists, and the Scandinavian countries as one big socialist union.  It must be a relief for the Danes to be called something other than Vikings, for the Finns not to be reduced to their mobile phone industry and for the Swedes to be linked to something else than Volvo, Ikea or Abba.  America’s favorite is most likely Turkey; everybody loves a good thanksgiving dinner.

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=KUQ&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1680&bih=956&tbm=isch&tbnid=iTIQB5OMjgSFvM:&imgrefurl=http://www.broadsheet.ie/2011/04/06/irish-tweeters-not-the-happiest-people-in-the-world/&docid=Mk57MBKTL3N1nM&imgurl=http://www.broadsheet.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/happymap.jpg&w=791&h=484&ei=kSeHT-naNMSIiAKRzoyAAg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=550&sig=100485945575774154934&page=1&tbnh=115&tbnw=188&start=0&ndsp=39&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:68&tx=129&ty=83

This map represents the levels of happiness from looking at high-level correlations between words and emotions compiled by Cambridge University Gates scholar Alex Davies.  It portrays results of where people were and what they were Tweeting and created language models to assess the distribution of words and icons associated with happiness and unhappiness.  Germany ranks as the unhappiest tweeters, although the Netherlands, France, Mexico, and America are not too far behind.  Africa is either happy as a clam or must be experiencing difficulty with AT&T’s savanna service. 

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1680&bih=956&tbm=isch&tbnid=JaXf46Rki8bU5M:&imgrefurl=http://www.photius.com/flags/usa_flag_burning_map.html&docid=EoXHkSEqaACdPM&imgurl=http://www.immigration-usa.com/flags/burning/usa_flag_burning_map.gif&w=648&h=413&ei=wCeHT-XsNZHZiQKdiaGAAg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=232&sig=100485945575774154934&page=1&tbnh=108&tbnw=169&start=0&ndsp=44&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:73&tx=164&ty=61

This above map marks in blue where there have been no recorded burnings of the American flag and was created by Photius Coutsoukis. Clearly, there are limited opportunities left for virgin flag burnings, though most Africans seem to have better things to do. In Mongolia, ostensibly, you are better off American than Chinese.  Perhaps this map represents the voice of freedom signing as it marks historical events of America's past.  Interestingly, Australia seems to be in the process of burning the American flag.  If the Aboriginal bond fire blazes high enough, it might just ignite New Zealand's lower half.