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Zeitgeist — a spike by Chris Gathercole
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  2. Simon Willison — Creator of Datasette; co-creator of Django/

Mercator ↔ Equal Earth

Blog · Watch/Read · (gathered 2026-09-10)

  • Simon Willison developed an interactive tool that visually demonstrates the differences between the Mercator and Equal Earth map projections, highlighting how each represents the world and preserves distinct geographic properties.
  • The tool allows users to morph between the two projections using a slider, providing a clear, animated comparison of how landmasses are distorted or preserved.
  • The interactive visualization was built by leveraging GPT-6 Astra (medium) in ChatGPT Work to generate the D3 code for the animated transition, showcasing AI’s capability in quickly developing complex data visualizations.
  • Simon’s curiosity was specifically piqued by the Equal Earth map projection’s recent vote at the UN.