Denise snapped this truck on the A303. I wonder how many truck and van posts we have had in the last 8 years - there's a tagging job for someone to volunteer.

Rollo spotted this globe topped walking stick in a shop, he clicked a quick ic and only realised when he had walked on that it was a bit blurry.

Natalie Marlow’s Death Comes as a Shadow is a masterclass in historical noir, successfully transplanting the hard-boiled grit of Chandler and Hammett from the sun-bleached streets of Los Angeles to the murky, smoke-choked alleys of 1935 Birmingham. While the rest of the nation is draped in red, white and blue bunting for the King’s silver jubilee, the private enquiry agency in Needless Alley is facing a far more pressing crisis: the bailiffs are at the door.

Reinder Storm Reinder spotted this wall decoration in an Italian restaurant ‘La Piazzetta di Lauro’ in The Hague. He recommends the restaurant as well!

Elizabeth spotted this label on a recycled fabric shopping bag.

Let me say a couple words about paywalls. They’re annoying. I feel that (as a news consumer) and know that (as a news publisher). But asking for your email, either to read an article or even to access a gift link (someone said this happened to them a a Times gift link a moment ago) isn’t some …

Day 274 of #365DaysOfMaps. October 1st is International Music Day. I didn't even know what day it was 15mins ago. Now I have a pair of maps, a fun visual quiz, a blog, and social media posts. Guess the musical act by state! Musical Metaphors (274/365) https://mapdesign.icaci.org/2026/10/international-music-day-274-365/

Reinder Storm Another stunning globe from Reinder's visit to the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome

Ken was in Brno for the EuroCarto 2026 International Cartographic Association event. He spotted this neat map of Italy on the wall outside and Italian delicatessen.

Karen Rose kicks things off in The One Who Walked Away with a compelling setup, introducing bounty hunter Elle Randolph as she tracks a fugitive through the rugged wilderness of Mendocino County. Elle is still piecing her life back together following the fatal accident that ended her marriage to an abusive husband, giving her a quiet grit that grounds the narrative.

Reinder Storm Reinder saw this in the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome, Italy. A beautiful object in a quite stunning library. See

@4Estone@mapstodon.space Sylvain Pierre said "Really nice cover for last "We Demain" issue. Artwork from Enki Bilal"

On the confirmation that the City dynasty was a falsehood, the sadness that brings, and what should happen next.

Alex Shaw’s Codename: 61 gets off to a strong start, establishing a dual-timeline structure that alternates between the perilous world of the Special Operations Executive in 1942 and a quieter postwar reality in 1961. The narrative benefits from this premise, following railwayman-turned-commando Jim Tate as a wartime tragedy drives him into the shadows of occupied France, only for his peaceful life as a railway engineer in Kenya to be upended decades later by his former SOE partner, Adrian Snow.

Another one from Paul Hardy - I think this one is magnificent.

Berl Goldbart Berl shared this pic of his beer glass when he was last at Lords. Can't really argue with the sentiment after the summer we've had!

Paul Hardy Paul said "Mappy objects seen around Glencoe in Scotland. Note that General Roy went on to found the Ordnance Survey as the national mapping agency of Britain.

Just Fancy That! Earl Spencer and the Daily Mail. From the new Private Eye, out now.

Thanks to Zachary DeBottis what3words' 2025 accounts I am fascinated by what3words, it defies the laws of finance that apply to most businesses and shows how little my old fashioned understanding of business models is relevant in the modern tech economy. The idea of a verbal description of a 3m square as a proxy for coordinates might have sounded like a good idea a decade ago but adoption seems to have been slow and new technology may be about to overtake the idea.

Charles Cumming has built a solid reputation over the years as one of our more reliable contemporary spy writers, which makes Icarus 17 all the more disappointing. This latest outing leans much closer to a high-tech thriller than a traditional espionage novel, and unfortunately, the foundational premise proves remarkably flaky. The narrative relies on a lopsided technological setup where the goodies are conveniently equipped with omniscience regarding the villains' movements, while the opposition remains oddly blind, draining the suspense of any genuine tension.

@rjhale1971@fosstodon.org Randall Hale said "In 1987 I apparently got a board game. Never played it for some reason." Maybe you weren't interested in global domination?

David Edmondson David said "Having found Mappery via a teapot I had a look on the map of maps and thought the Mappa Mundi at Hereford Cathedral might be a good addition" I have to wonder how David found us via a teapot, sounds like a story. We may have had a Mappa Mundi pic in the past but no harm in reminding ourselves what a marvel this is.

After I had finished categorising all the posts on Mappery (see this post) it occurred to me that a similar strategy might be used for geocoding ungeocoded posts. If you have been following my vibe coding posts you will know that Arnaud and I built a geocoding and mapping plugin for our WordPress site that we are about to publish.

Reinder Storm Reinder said "In the Dutch Waterline Museum at Fort Vechten, a quite large scale model sheds light on how this huge defense construction in the Netherlands worked (between 1870 and 1945). Children really thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to play and explore the intriguing constellations. Very spectacular indeed. For when used properly, it actually really works." See and

@kennethfield.bsky.social Ken said "Oh... I didn't know about this exhibition. It's over now but glad there's an online version "

@christiannolle@mastodon.cloud Christian said "Prints from airlineatlas.com look like this when framed. Here in A2 on Hahnemuhle paper."

@kennethfield.bsky.social "It's a Map in the Wild but I'm not sure a telecom company wants to be advertising such a disconnected set of services as part of their disjointed and separated network!"