Jerry Kindall was able to find more web info on the nonexistent map destinations by virtue of knowing the story of the towns “Goblu” and “Beatosu.” These fake towns were listed in Michigan’s official state highway maps for 1978-1979 and refer to the rivalry between University of Michigan (blue) and Ohio State University. Of course those probably weren’t placed for copyright infringement as much as school spirit. These two town names also led Jerry to a Straight Dope article on this very topic. The term for this is “copyright traps” and readers of the column sent in a few. Thomas Guides, a popular California car accessory, are also perpetrators of this tactic. And a poster to an alt.folklore.urban thread claims that Etak, the digital map people, also use copyright traps, with one employee promoting their driveway to a street and naming it after him/herself. Perhaps if you want to make finding online directions to your home easier, you could get an insider to use you as a copyright trap. “Just go to maps.yahoo.com and search for my cat’s name. That’s my house.”

Diet Vanilla Coke is reportedly coming in October. I finally tried regular Vanilla Coke and my reaction was “they’ve managed to change the aftertaste of Coke to be vanilla.” It’s not something I’d go out of my way to drink, but then I don’t usually drink colas. While I was looking for the Vanilla Coke I noticed something new which turned out to be Clearly Canadian in new bottles. I loved their old bottles which had a distinctive shape. The new sleeker shape was rolled out a couple years ago and now they’ve pumped up the label graphics. It’s snazzy but not my style.

While skimming through an article about ordering paper maps online I discovered a fact that was new to me. Mapmakers at Hagstrom and AAA add a nonexistent destination to every map in order to protect their copyright. The director of cartography at Hagstrom says “Every map has a few signature streets, usually something off a cul de sac where you’re not going to lead someone astray, and our researchers name them after their cats or something.” I idly wondered if there are people who make a hobby out of finding the fake streets on maps. If so, it’s not easy to find them on the web, so if you know of a site that lists fake map locations, send it along. I did find an old article that called these copyright features “key traps” and “paper streets”. It also quotes someone who says that mapmakers have always done this to protect their work. But a Rand McNally spokesman says that their maps are as accurate as possible, with nothing fictitious. That’s bad news for the cats of Rand McNally mapmakers.

Feeling nostalgic for 1960s Disneyland or want to do some advance planning for a trip to Six Flags Over [take your pick]? Theme Park Brochures has brochures and maps from parks all over the world. From the 1964 Disneyland brochure: “KEN-L-LAND Located to the right outside the Main Entrance. You may leave your pet in an airy, individual enclosure at a cost of 25 cents for the day. The charge includes a choice of Ken-L-Ration pet food ‘dinner.'” Disneyland still has a Kennel Club where they will take care of your pet for the day at a cost of $10. Yesterland lists Disney’s discontinued attractions and they have a photo of Ken-L Land. Sponsors since then have included Kal Kan, Gaines, and Friskies. (thanks kafka!)

Reader Mail
Marc Takeno sent me three great links. First, in response to yesterday’s Starbucks post, he pointed me at an interesting Seattle Times article that describes the competition between Tully’s and Starbucks in Japan. Tully’s is holding its own with a smoking section (Starbucks is smoke-free) and an older clientele who stay loyal to their brand. Starbucks is trying to transition from being a trendy brand enjoyed by young consumers to having some staying power in a fickle market. The next link from Marc is the NASA Java applet that lets you see the path of the satellites orbiting our home planet. Examine the cluster of satellites in geosynchronous orbit over North America sending info to those little dishes attached to houses. Figure out which Iridium satellite you’d be using if you had one of their phones. And marvel at how far away the GPS satellites are when you can use a handheld device to access their transmissions. Last link from Marc: A Pringles can turned wireless Internet antenna.

Food, glorious food…
The Exploratorium in San Francisco has started an Accidental Scientist series which focuses on the science in everyday life. Their first subject is the science of cooking. Now that’s something every kid can really sink his or her teeth into. From little bread yeasties to the bacteria that make the lactic acid in pickles, this website takes a multicultural look at how various foods are produced. There’s a fun tour of a lollipop factory and tips on making good barbecue.

If you weren’t pleased with the updated “Joy of Cooking”, Ethan Becker, the grandson of the book’s original author, agrees with you. He thinks the “committee of 100” approach in the 1997 edition took away much of the book’s family voice and left it less usable. Although he was listed as an author of that edition, he says the editor shoved his contributions aside. Critical information was not included, such as how to use different yeasts and the differences between types of flour. This time around, Becker and his wife will be taking the cookbook back to its family roots. No word on whether the porcupine, armadillo, raccoon, beaver, woodchuck, muskrat, and bear cooking instructions will return, but you know, there’s always the web to turn to. (full L.A. Times article available, registration req’d)

“Boston residents line up for ‘Big Dig’ tour” See, there’s actually something being built under there! 14.6 billion dollars of something. Meanwhile, discussion is open on what to do with the 25 acres of land on top of the tunnel that will be exposed when the Artery comes down.

In response to Monday’s book leasing post, a reader wrote in with the information that Brodart, a library services company in Williamsport, PA, has an outlet store. You can purchase previously leased, almost new books for cheap! So if you’re visiting the home of Little League Baseball you might want to try stopping in (or you know, you could make a special trip).

Dunkin’ Donuts, the ubiquitous New England landmark, used a similar tactic to Starbucks’ store clustering technique. Starbucks cannibalizes their own locations for long term gains. They’ll cheerfully open up stores close to each other and actually experience an increase in sales over time from increased awareness. They are their own advertising, effectively creating demand just by being everywhere. The article does discuss the risks of the tactic of opening too many stores too quickly and ends with a bit on a guy who is trying to visit every Starbucks in the world. I fear it may take several lifetimes.

A Washington Post article runs through the latest happenings with “shelter mags”. Looks like “House Beautiful” is aiming to shed some of its tony image and go after folks in the country too. But “Architectural Digest” and “House & Garden” are sticking to their luxurious guns. There’s a trial issue of a new design magazine called “Living Room” from the publishers of that old standby “Better Homes & Gardens”. This one isn’t for moms though. It’s aimed at single women in a first home of their own. But like its parent, it offers a mix of recipes, gardening tips, decorating, and crafts. Also coming out is “Chic Simple”, designed for a similar audience. This new arrival will likely be little more than a thinly disguised catalog of merchandise, shopping being the purported only way to get your home decorated, of course. It’s neat, though, that there are magazines aimed at women who have their own money to spend on what they want (and it’s not clothes or cosmetics). Fancy that!