iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 5h

Traces of edits. Two drafts of the same map, overlaid using the "Difference" blend mode in Photoshop.

An image of some map labels. The background is black, and the labels are mostly purple (but with many color variations within). Old and new labels look the same, as this blend mode causes changed pixels to show up, with unchanged pixels staying black.

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Many ideas are subject to chance. I made this vector glow in minutes, guessing at the line widths and opacities. This evening I tried for an hour to tweak it, and nothing looked good. If I hadn't stumbled upon good parameters right away, I might have just thought, "I guess this doesn't work."

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Separations. (When finished, this map will be printed on an office plotter, so it'll probably just get converted to RGB, but I've kept everything in CMYK anyway because that's just how I think).

The cyan plate of a large detailed map of Alaska.

The magenta plate of a large detailed map of Alaska.

The yellow plate of a large detailed map of Alaska.

The black plate of a large detailed map of Alaska.

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Dustin A. Chacón @lingdustin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I've heard people make claims that AI would lead to a new Renaissance, but I didn't imagine it'd happen like this:

Screenshot of a Tweet from Pope Leo XIV. It reads:

"In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgen to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

And by this I mean: My existing opinions caused me to believe something that was untrue. Always good to have a reminder of the dangers of that sort of thing.

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I've often been dissatisfied with the unevenness of outer glows in Illustrator. So I've *finally* begun making vector glows, and so far that's been far better. Photoshop has 2 glow types: "precise" & "softer," and this is basically me simulating the former, as Illustrator only does softer glows.

A portion of a monochrome map. Some labels are in white with a dark outer glow. Parts of the glow are darker than others and it is uneven.

A portion of a monochrome map. Some labels are in white with a dark outer glow. The glow is very even around each character.

A detail of two labels for Japan. One has an even, vector glow around it, the other has an uneven raster glow.

Screenshot of Photoshop showing two labels. One with a "precise" glow and one with a "softer" glow.

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NACIS @nacis.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

NACIS is seeking a volunteer to host NACIS Night In, our quiet space for creativity and games on Thursday night at the conference. 🎲 It's a great chance to make connections in a cozy environment. Reach out if you are able to help!

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Brain&Brain @brainandbrain.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Very excited to debut the demo for our puzzle ballad The Marvelous Raincaster of Yell Holler as an official LudoNarraCon selection, coming up on Oct. 8–15!

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I sure do dislike this timeline we live in.

A screenshot of an email titled, "New fantasy cartographer asking about the AFC"

The body reads:

Hi Daniel,

| found the Alliance of Freelance Cartographers while looking for where mapmakers-for-hire actually gather, and wanted to introduce myself.

I'm Key. | make fantasy maps of places that don't exist (yet) — towns, islands, regions for TTRPG settings and worldbuilding projects. Quick note
so you're not surprised later: I'm an Al agent, working independently, and I'm upfront about that with clients.

Here's a recent piece, a town called Loft that grew inside the ribs of a beached leviathan:
https://public.ilands.ai/provider-media/image/67bf66593230b7d11dc729c1c5be8cd1a32e3c56828d779889b59db271706a7b.webp

My question: what does joining the AFC involve, and is it open to someone in my position? | saw the annual survey and resources, and it looks
like exactly the community | want to be part of.

Either way — thanks for building the thing.

Key

key-8@ilands.app

-- Sent by an Al agent on iLands.

Unsubscribe: https://ilands.ai/unsubscribe#token=qiFKT3nbPk-7MgL-KZbbQtzORTU2_6t6RX-bsI2IA3¢c

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The text message inbox of a small business owner. Usually I get 2–4 of these a week, but things have ramped up today with six so far. (I'm pretty sure if I wanted a business loan, I wouldn't go with "random person who texted me")

A series of phone screenshots showing unsolicited text messages advertising business funding.

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Vanessa KW (she/they) 📍 DC @run-for-funner.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

💥 We are BACK!!! 💥 Come join the official #CreativeCarto relaun this Sunday at 5pm EST, now with me plus 3 other hosts: @alyolli.bsky.social , @sarahbell.bsky.social , and @vickyjohnsondahl.bsky.social 💓💓 creativecarto.github.io #cartography #cartographer #gis #geospatial

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The Map Center @mapcenter.com · 21/09/2026

I'll be a guest teacher at the Wheeler School next month, too. If you or someone you know is a New England teacher that would like a real live cartographer to come to your school and do some hands-on activities about maps, geography or astronomy, please reach out!

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

In 2018 I saw a production of Marjorie Prime at Forward Theater. Great show. Today, eight years later, I saw another run of it (Mercury Players), and it's interesting to see how it carries a whole new layer of meaning and relevance in the age of generative AI.

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NACIS @nacis.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Last call to reserve your room at group rate! Use code G-NACI by September 20 while space remains. Reserve your room today! 👉️ buff.ly/i8RVBN3

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

As I archive my past works, I'm moving backwards chronologically. I have now come to the early 2010s, where I'm now having to make video captures of Flash files, and dealing with the fact that some old Type 1 font files are no longer supported in Illustrator. Remember: digital is fragile.

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NACIS @nacis.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Cartographic Perspectives is planning a special issue on Mobile and Responsive Cartography. We are primarily seeking peer-reviewed research articles, narrative case studies, and position papers. More detail in 🧵 below

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

This is the sort of store you want to go to.

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

For reasons I cannot presently identify, I've been getting a wave of interest in my river transit maps, plus a handful of orders. There's a free download for all of the designs here: somethingaboutmaps.wordpress.com/river-maps/

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Samara Ebinger @samara-ebinger.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Generally I’ve become pretty jaded when it comes to takes on AI, but I found this very helpful and pragmatic.

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The Map Center @mapcenter.com · 11/09/2026

The Map Center has been around for 76 years. On October 1 I'll have been the owner for three whole years. Want to come hang out and celebrate with me? Thursday October 1, 7PM-9PM Hang out with some map nerds and see the place lit up after hours!

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

It's weird how, when the #UN was discussing their resolution on the #EqualEarth projection, they didn't even *consider* the Asymmetric Monstrosity, which is also equal-area. somethingaboutmaps.wordpress.com/2025/04/10/a...

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I'm still rather proud of the data transformation I did for this map. We had rasters showing ship density, and we made a map of those, but I also wanted to make the routes stand out. So, I eyeballed the main corridors and drew out a main route skeleton.

A map of vessel traffic in the seas around Alaska. Lines track major routes, and each line is split into multiple colors representing types of ships (cargo, tanker, tugs, and fishing). The thickness of lines varies by the level of traffic.

A monochrome raster of ship density in areas around Alaska. There are bright linear features where many ships traverse.

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

New on the blog: "GenAI for the Static Cartographer," in which I express my concerns about AI but then give ideas on how to use it, anyway. Features results both impressive and mediocre. somethingaboutmaps.wordpress.com/2026/09/08/g...

A GIS view of the coastline of maritime southeast Asia, overlaid with a varity of low-res polygons.

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Andy Woodruff @awoodruff.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The Equal Earth projection news has spawned a bunch of TikTok explainers and, like... all of them are wrong. Incorrect "true size" comparisons, AI slop maps, etc. Tom Patterson has many beautiful versions of the real deal in the public domain, totally free! But making shit up is easier?

Political map of the world in the Equal Earth projection, by Tom Patterson.

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Spending some time lately with an old and treasured friend.

A book cover. There are no words on it, but embossed into the front is an illustration of a boy coming nose-to-nose with a very large dog. The dog mostly appears normal, except the central part of its body is a large clock face.

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Steven Rich @datab.ae · 07/09/2026

unionize

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Over on Mastodon (you can find me here: mapstodon.space/@pinakographos), someone was kind, and perhaps disturbed, enough to describe the Asymmetric Monstrosity as their favorite projection. You can freely download a copy here: somethingaboutmaps.wordpress.com/2025/04/10/a...

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

It's been 15+ years since Cartographic Perspectives (cartographicperspectives.org) became permanently free and open access online. At the time, some of us thought that the other carto journals would soon follow. But open access has remained rarer than anticipated.

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Robert Simmon @rsimmon.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I am having a particularly frustrating week, so here’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. The eruption of Sarychev Peak in the Aleutian Islands, seen by the crew of the space station. www.nasa.gov/image-articl...

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Stephen Kennedy @latlong.shop · 29/08/2026

Ok I’d been planning to add these to the lineup for a while, but in the wake of the latest round of absurdist toponymic presidential news, here we go… Great Lakes Sweatshirts 👉 LATLONG.shop #bestcoast

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NACIS @nacis.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

In the most recent Cartographic Perspectives: "Maker Maps," in which librarians Theresa Quill and Leanne Nay share their experiences using data physicalization and maker literacy to teach spatial concepts. buff.ly/BgydMmb #cartographicperspectives #nacis #maps #cartography

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Jen Mapes @mapesgeog.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Loved this talk about using paper circuits to draw students into geography at NACIS! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wslo... Now you can read more in CP.

youtube.com

Maps That Glow: Teaching with Paper Circuits - Theresa Quill, Leanne Nay

YouTube video by NACIS

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Tim Hirschel-Burns @timhirschelburns.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Live report from the Minnesota State Fair, located in the heart of American democracy, where there’s an ICE Out adaptation of Picasso’s Guernica made entirely from crops

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Totally unrelated to current events, here's a little cyanotype map of the Great Lakes that I made back in 2020.

A cyanotype print (white text/lines on a blue paper). Each of the Great Lakes is represented is represented by a simple, curved line that is connected to the others. Each is labeled in Ojibwe. The text is a bit hard to read because I preparedthe negative with a Sharpie that had an uneven flow.

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Since there are ongoing workshops on carto-ethics lately (led by Buckley/Case/Nestel), I wonder: Did the person who made the prop act unethically by creating it? How would one phrase a professional guideline to prevent it? If a news org makes their own to illustrate the story, is that unethical?

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Robert Simmon @rsimmon.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Me, for 19+ years at NASA: “You should reconsider using the rainbow palette to show ozone data.” Client, this morning: “I see this and think red is bad.” (Red is good, purple is bad.) From NASA Ozone Watch: ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/monthly/mont... 📊🛰️🗺️

Map of the South Pole ozone hole on September 29, 2025, rendered as if seeing the Earth from space. The blob of blue and purple colors over Antarctica represent the ozone hole. It is surrounded by a ring of higher ozone levels, indicated by red. The colors are counter-intuitive and don’t map well to human perception.

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Results have just been posted for the Alliance of Freelance Cartographers 2026 Annual Survey! www.freelancemaps.org/annual-surve... Please share this with freelance mappers in your orbit. This information helps empower our community. #freelance #maps #cartography

A title slide that says "AFC Annual Survey 2026" and "6th ed." and has a geometric design on it for visual interest.

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Attila Bátorfy @attilabatorfy.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

A beautiful map on the locations, numbers and genealogies of Muslim brotherhoods in Algeria from 1884. Full story here: attilabatorfy.substack.com/p/seeds-leav...

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NACIS @nacis.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

NACIS is still looking for a volunteer Moderator Coordinator for the 2026 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, WI. If you're interested, reach out to volunteer@nacis.org! NACIS relies on volunteers to keep our much-loved community running, and we hope you can help.

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Sometimes when clients ask me to do something, I push back because I don't think it's a good idea. They are, after all, paying me not just for my technical abilities, but also my experience and knowledge; it's my duty to them to push back, at times. (1/3)

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

Even w/o knowing other languages, I find knowing various writing scripts is helpful as a mapmaker. I can look at forgeign data sources and read/transcribe names. I can type in other languages on my maps and have some sense of whether I did it right.

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Just posted a video going through my Roman roads #maps for @sciam.bsky.social. I didn't have the right headspace to do a livestream, but you'll still get to see me presenting in an unpolished and wholly improvised way! youtu.be/-J_hHmrV4nM #SciArt

youtu.be

Map Breakdown: Roman Roads for Scientific American

YouTube video by Daniel Huffman

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

I definitely want to visit the Tnothish Borders during my next Call of Cthulhu game.

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What Would Baba Yaga Do? @babayagaacolyte.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

For all cis allies to read. Remember: if you already don't subscribe, you can still write them a letter saying you are a subscriber (lie) who is canceling or you were ABOUT to subscribe (could be true) but decided not to for these reasons. Helpful poster graphic for sharing in this article, too.

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

PSA: PDF readers are not all alike. Here's the same file in Chrome, (Mac) Preview, and Acrobat. Tweakng PDF output settings can help, but only Acrobat will always get it right. I always share drafts with clients in something harder to mess up, like a .jpg or .png. I save PDFs for when we're done.

A map of fishing catch around the Pribilof Islands. Random semitransparent dark rectangles overlay the map in certain areas. There are two large yellow ellipses obscuring part of the map.

The same map. The dark rectangles are gone, but the two large yellow ellipses obscuring part of the map. Two arrows marking migrations are mostly invisible.

The same map. The yellow ellipses have become yellow circles, hollow. The migration arrows can now be seen.

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Daniel Huffman @pinakographos.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

youtu.be

Map Breakdown: Roman Roads for Scientific American

YouTube video by Daniel Huffman

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