Monday, July 23, 2007

Where in the world?

We got a new Hammacher Schlemmer catalog today (it says "Mid-Summer Supplement," and thankfully is not tied to the holidays). If you've seen these things, you know that they're always filled with stuff that's kinda cool but (a) wildly impractical, or (b) extravagantly expensive, or both.

But there are frequently things that are such good ideas that they're worth, say, $40, and if you're a geography nerd like me, one example is the Select-a-Map personalized jigsaw puzzle. As the catalog explains:




This is the only custom jigsaw puzzle created for you from a U.S. Geological Survey topographic map when you select any address in the United States. Once you send your selected address, house number, street name, city, and state, to the manufacturer, a 400-piece jigsaw puzzle kit is created using quality 1.5mm millboard and delivered in a gift box that includes an area on the front for a personalized message. The puzzle is created from a 1:24,000 resolution map, and displays an area six miles east-west and four miles north-south of the address provided, and includes details such as main roads, contour lines, water features, and buildings; the center piece of the puzzle is shaped like a house.

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