That is the subtitle of an interlinked set of 17 profusely illustrated web pages dissecting Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion map. I contrast it with the octahedral projection of B.J.S. Cahill (1866-1944), published in 1909, and developed over a thirty year period. The full set is at my "B.J.S. Cahill Resource Page" http://www.genekeyes.com/...
In this diary I will quote from its conclusion:
• Even in the 21st century, the prevailing world view is still corrupted by Mercatoritis: for instance, all Google Maps.
• A century ago, in 1909, B.J.S. Cahill was among the first to denounce the mis-use of the Mercator in education and all non-maritime venues.
More after the jump.
• B.J.S. Cahill’s 1909 whole-continent, whole-earth octahedral map preceded R. Buckminster Fuller’s inferior Dymaxion map by 35 years; Cahill’s patent preceeded Fuller’s by 33 years.
• Cahill’s world map is a design masterpiece with internal as well as external symmetry; has perfect consonance with a globe at a glance or in exacting closeup; has reasonably undistorted whole continents; and 10,000-km Great-Circle-edges in harmony with the metric system.
• Fuller’s world map is a flawed attempt, versus Cahill’s cartographic tour de force: the Dymaxion is asymmetrical both as a whole, and in any of its facets; it is off-axis and non-comparable to a globe; the word "undistorted" does not apply to Fuller’s graticule, nor to his Eurasia; and it ignores the metric system, with which it is incompatible.
• In general, the concordance of a world map and a globe cannot be judged well unless both have at least a 5° or preferably 1° graticule highlighted at 5°.
• When Buckminster Fuller first presented his cubo-octahedron Dymaxion map in Life magazine in 1943, it had a partial 5° graticule, but disrupted continents.
• When Fuller published his 1954 icosahedral Dymaxion map with whole continents, it had a downgraded 15° graticule, which prevents adequate comparison to a counterpart globe.
• Closer inspection of Fuller’s icosahedral reveals that with a 1° or 5° graticule, it deviates vividly from the smooth regular grid on a globe, and from the smooth regular grid on a Cahill world map.
• Closer inspection of Fuller’s icosahedral further reveals severe distortion of Korea and vicinity, plus Norway and vicinity. Fuller’s map cannot be scaled upward without exposing the ruinous deformities of its graticule, of East Asia, and of Northern Europe.
• Fuller’s map is shown to be inimical to the metric system; its triangle edge length is an undeclared and irrational 7,048.89 km; and none of its meridians or parallels are true to scale, nor aligned to the edges of its triangles.
• Fuller’s map for all these reasons proves to be a poor geographic teaching tool at any level from grade school to grad school, and likewise a poor learning tool for oneself in any context.
• Fuller’s map can, however, be seen as a transitional phase toward the geodesic dome; plus "Energetic-Synergetic Geometry"; and likewise as a nice piece of art for art’s sake; but not a good replication of a globe, compared to B.J.S. Cahill’s octahedral world map.
• In sum, a Cahill world map, and counterpart globe, synoptically point to a realistic whole-earth basis for renovating geographic education, and general-purpose mapping. Fuller had the right idea, but the wrong map. Cahill had it right all along. A Cahill world map is the alter ego of the Earth and its globe.