xBlog: The original visual thinking weblog

“It’s possible to determine your orientation using an analog watch (i.e., one with hands) in place of a compass. The direction will be accurate if the watch is set for true local time, without adjustments for daylight savings time. And the further you are from the equator, the more accurate this method will be.”

“Before you take that photo, you may need permission for the following: Photographing buildings, works of art, or other copyrighted items; Photographing people; Photographing on public or private property. In this short article, attorney Dianne Brinson briefly discusses when permission may be required.”

“By conserving and explaining the capital city’s transport heritage, London’s Transport Museum offers people an understanding of the capital’s past development and engages them in the debate about its future. We adopt the highest standards of curatorship and communication, and aim to be the world’s leading museum of urban transport. Covering a wide spectrum of materials and media, including vehicles, rolling stock, posters, signs, uniforms, photographs, ephemera, maps and engineering drawings, the Museum’s collections make up the most comprehensive record of urban mass transit in the world.”

“This is a listing of the most commonly used traffic signs in the United States… Traffic signs are devices placed along, beside, or above a highway, roadway, pathway, or other route to guide, warn, and regulate the flow of traffic, including motor vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, equestrians, and other travelers.” And here’s the official government Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

“Body gestures have different meanings according to the country in which they are expressed. We shall seek to examine the proper body etiquette in the nations of the world on a per continent basis. We shall begin our review with Europe.”