this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2024
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submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by The_Picard_Maneuver to c/comicstrips
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[–] [email protected] 54 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Alt text: "The Mercator projection drastically distorts the size of almost every area of land except a small ring around the North and South Poles."

[–] Gigan 9 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I thought the equator was the only part that wasn't distorted?

[–] [email protected] 57 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

They're saying the ring around the North and South Pole is actually 1:1 scale. An inch of land is an inch of map.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago
[–] wjrii 19 points 8 months ago (1 children)

This one is peak Dad Joke. I'm impressed.

[–] garbagebagel 4 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I'm dumb AF please explain

[–] [email protected] 17 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The Earth is a sphere, which means there’s no easy way to project it onto a flat surface. One of the methods used to project the Earth’s surface on the map results in certain places (such as Greenland) to be stretched to huge sizes, sometimes appearing as big as Africa (look up “Mercator map”). The joke here is that while we expect him to make a comment about the map’s projection, he instead comments on how Greenland on the physical map is only a few inches, as opposed to its actual size.

So yeah, subverted expectations, peak Dad joke

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

I thought it was funny also that Antarctica is blown up across the entire width of the map

[–] YarHarSuperstar 2 points 8 months ago

The map is not the same size as actual Greenland

[–] HollandJim 12 points 8 months ago
[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

https://xkcd.com/977/ Randall Munroe wants to know your location

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

I personally like the peters because it looks like North america is a fat baby dragon.

[–] IndustryStandard 1 points 8 months ago

That's one way to annex Russia

[–] mPony 10 points 8 months ago (1 children)

for even more of this same kind of joke, but from a totally different angle, may I present the "London To Edinburgh" sketch from Big Train.

[–] SiblingNoah 2 points 8 months ago

One of my favorites.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Ceci n'est pas un earth.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

This is especially disturbing when you consider that, for most of us, most of our knowledge consists of such secondhand, literally-interpreted abstractions. And then this bogus knowledge is firmly validated by our similarly deluded peers.

An organic version of The Matrix.

[–] NocturnalMorning 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

It highlights the role of interpretation in our social epistemology. A dozen people can cite the same argument, all nodding their heads wisely, coming to a good and reasonable agreement, yet hold a dozen different meanings

[–] NocturnalMorning -2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You must be fun at parties.

[–] [email protected] -5 points 8 months ago

It's important

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] captainlezbian 12 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Greenland isn’t small enough to put on a map on your wall. No significant body of land is

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Uhh aaaah. Thanks.