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September 10, 2005
Object Lust #3: A floating globe
One of the most vivid memories I have from childhood is when my dad explained how different parts of the world have daytime and nighttime simultaneously. With only our inflatable globe, a flashlight and two matchsticks, I saw how different parts of the world had different times of the day at once. I think this knowledge even predates my realization that the earth revolves around the sun, rather than vice versa. I have always been fascinated by globes, maps and any models of the earth, really. My fascination with these probably arises as a combination of my interests in geography and human-artifact interaction. (When I heard that geography becomes optional in the U.S. school system at a very early stage, I was appalled that anyone would not want to learn more about our world. Anyway, I digress.)
I spotted a web site dedicated solely to the production of custom globes (thanks, BoingBoing) that are installed at various locations around the world. See their catalog for a few examples of what a powerful education medium a simple sphere with our world drawn on it can be (warning: many images; can take long to load). I inquired with them about how much one of these globes would cost if I custom ordered them. I was particularly interested in #41, "The World at Night". A cheery representative apologized for the delay in replying and said they were a bit short on those globes right now, but that they could be custom made for a paltry $3,300. Moving right along...
Later, I came across another web site dedicated to globes, where I spotted this thing of beauty. It's an 8" (20 cm) diameter globe with black oceans and continents in vivid colors. It comes with a pedestal having electromagnets along a vertical axis. When plugged in, the globe floats in midair between the electromagnets and can be spun freely as it just hangs in space. Talk about an accurate model of the earth floating in the solar system! The pedestal has a handsome cherry finish and the whole thing would look incredibly classy on any desk or in any apartment.
They seem to be selling these off at a 20% discount from their usual price of $79.95. Combined with free ground shipping from JustGlobes.com, I definitely want to get my hands on one of these.
[The Floating World Globe; http://www.justglobes.com; $59.95 ($79.95 regular)]
Posted by Vishy at September 10, 2005 01:20 AM