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| Common map projection types |
We'd already noticed this particular topic in the original by Riz Kahn, so we were interested in what knowledge Beck could bring to the table. In keeping with the rewrite pattern, Kevin expanded the text by about a factor of four (from 174 words to 627). Unlike most of the rewrites, Beck didn't merely reword what Riz had written. No, he managed to add new obfuscation and stupidification, beginning with his introduction (we've bolded some of the stupidity):
"Geographers use multiple mathematics-based graphical systems to describe specific positions on the surface of the Earth. These systems can be wielded with great precision, and can be used to pinpoint a spot to within fractions of a meter as long as enough decimal points are included in the data."Those are cartographers, not geographers. The "mathematics-based graphical systems" are map projections, which are used not to "describe specific positions on the surface of the Earth" but to represent a curved surface on a flat plane. And finally, it's not "enough decimal points," kemibe, it's decimal places. |
Beck blunders on, claiming that,
"The State Plane Coordinate System, or SPCS, is unique to the United States, and makes use of northing and easting coordinates. It is now a tool largely limited to the domain of civil engineering."Of course, anyone who knows jack about projections knows that all projections use northings and eastings, not to mention that a whole host of disciplines use state plane coordinates. Why? because the SPCS projections are carefully chosen to minimize distortion over a small area of said state. Idiot. He also doesn't know that almost all countries specify a map projection and most specify several for different parts of the country. And, of course, Kevin blows the purpose of a projection system:
"Being able to know how far "over" (east or west) or how far "up" or "down" (north or south) you are from a fixed reference point when you are given certain numbers called coordinates – or alternatively, being able to determine the coordinates from information about distance – is exactly the point of these coordinate systems."No, you putz, the purpose is to minimize errors in measurements on maps, not knowing how far "up" or "over" someone is. A lack of space, not to mention patience, precludes our correction of all of Beck's many errors, so we'll skip to his final paragraph: |
"...if you put in the lat-long coordinates 45 and -90 (45 degrees north latitude and 90 degrees west longitude) and click "Convert," this gives the SPCS output as being in WI C-4802 in the state of Wisconsin at a position of 129,639.115 northings and 600,000 eastings, in meters. These values translate to 129 kilometers and 600 kilometers respectively, or about 80 and 373 miles."It would have helped had Beck provided a reference¹ for a place to "put in the lat-long coordinates" but we figured that out on our own (we know a LOT more about projections than KeMiBe). Regardless, it's pretty obvious that Beck had no idea what he was talking about. First, the bozo converted LL to XY instead of the other way around, as he was supposed to; second, he clearly has no idea that ""WI C-4802" means the Wisconsin State Plane Central Zone. And his last statement about the northing and easting distances? It means bupkis.
No, Beck has no idea what he's talking about (again), and that's why he's collecting yet another Dumbass of the Day award for his... "work."
¹ That might be the fault of the idiots at Leaf Group
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SI - MAPS
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