aWESOME!

but it's not really a drawing... or is it...?

yes, the drawing is the journey...I think it is a pretty ingenious idea...but then again I am a bit of a gps/gis fan

no way

That is really fun to imagine that as a journey, the big dip south in the Atlantic, all the lopp-ti-dos in the North Sea...

that is awesome.

Incredible. But I feel a little let down. While the video is definately fun and entertaining, I'm not so sure it doesn't take away from the 'mystery' behind the drawing itself. It's almost too much information. I think the receipts (pictured at the bottom of the website) of the trip itself could accompany the description and be enough. It might allow the curious to make up their own journey. I want to really believe the brief case made all of those loops and random turns, but then again, I almost don't. I do love the "Travel instructions to DHL".

i think that drawings is a highly stylized version of the actual gps tracing.
jet aircraft don't get to do pirouette's over the atlantic ocean.

could have saved a lot of time, effort , and money by drawing it at 1:1,000,000.

That's kinda what I mean, el jeffe. I just think there's too much information presented in the travel video. And the video of him actually drawing (the portrait) is rather hokie (IMO). What I find most fascinating is how he pulled it off. For example, what was the first phone call like to DHL. I don't really find the end results very compelling.

Actually, now that I think about it, I think the reason I don't like the video is because he accompanied its travels. I would very much preferred to think of this anonymous brief case floating around the world without anyone (necessarily) keeping track of it. Instead, in the end, it becomes overkill.

Nah...I think you guys are over thinking it...pirouette? maybe if it was at the scale of a state...but at the global level those are casual turns at best...I still find it a very smart idea and the tracking alone confirms it for me...but, there will always be detractors I guess.

Also, I don't think it was a 'typical' dhl flight at all...they obviously made a unique arrangement for him and it probably works as a bit of advertising for them.

There was an event here in houston where a guy walked through the city with a very large piece of chalk rock tied to him making a line everywhere he went...I see this as the same thing, just done through digital tracking.

i don't believe it. he may have done SOMETHING but i'm thinking dhl is a point-to-point destination-driven kind of operation. why would they change directions repeatedly over oceans?

VERY cool idea and i want to suspend disbelief but....nah.

I didn't watch the video. I assumed this was under his own power, using boats, trains, etc.

"i don't believe it. he may have done SOMETHING but i'm thinking dhl is a point-to-point destination-driven kind of operation. why would they change directions repeatedly over oceans?? "

we somewhat agree steven...although I think he may have paid them to...that is my guess anyway...or like I said, for publicity...he specifically thanks them as a company for their help...and I do think it is specific point to point like the pdf off of the page...so I agree it may not be the exact line as far as resolution...but I do think the package that was tracing gps points traveled to all the points on the pdf he is showing on the site in the order that they are listed. Then the box itself plots out its full journey between those points...still very cool to me...lots of ideas in the context of ones moving through space and the formations and patterns that we are not privy to.

...and Strawbeary...you are correct...he takes motorcycles, etc too.

there's no such thing as a casual turn more than a few degrees in high-altitude airways...it isn't dhl's decision to be doing those kind of maneuver.
the pilot would be in a world of trouble doing stuff like that.
you think dhl's insurance carrier would let them do that???

I wonder what the actual gps plot looks like? Why isn't that presented?

well seeing how the line thickness itself more than likely represents hundreds of miles I still think the resolution is a bit misleading...other than that I think it is a great idea...ya'll should write the guy with your questions.

This is a quote from his school site:
http://www.beckmans.se/erik-nordenankar/



"The best advertising is developed with society. using a GPs and the
express shipping company DhL, i drew a self-portrait on our planet.
i used the technological aids of our time to make the world’s biggest
drawing, along with advertising adapted to the contemporary era.
a campaign the recipient wants to see and which is interesting
enough for people to want to share it with their friends. "

So, I don't think it is in anyway a typical DHL service...it is advertising for DHL...but I have stated that already.

I also found that he has a facebook account so, you can just add him via facebook and ask him...no harm done...I still think it is the idea that is really engaging...anywho.

eric nordenankar...pretty easy to find.

I think he may have a little jesus complex...that's who i thought of when I saw that. And no I'm not EB!!

What are you talking about? The bottom of this page has the disclaimer "This is fictional work. DHL did not transport the GPS at any time." I think this thing is unbelievable because it is a hallucination of the ultimate world shrinking exercise, reducing the world to sheet of paper with the fruits of american military and european corporate supremacy.

That was added recently...very funny.

Ah, that is _lame_ .

agreed.

what a bunch of crap.