court
@mapcourt.bsky.social
silly & curious | M.S. in digital mapping | bellingcat volunteer researcher | graphics in new york times, miami herald, tacoma tribuna, mcclatchy dc bureau, raleigh news & observer, sacramento bee, richland source | mapcourt.com | mapcourt.substack.com
Pinned
court
@mapcourt.bsky.social
· Jun 9
thought experiment 🔬
if scientists were to discover a silicone-based society of humanoid beings on a distant planet, functioning via an advanced system akin to what we call artificial intelligence — did we find life? (assume no trace of carbon-based life on the planet in at least a billion years)
if scientists were to discover a silicone-based society of humanoid beings on a distant planet, functioning via an advanced system akin to what we call artificial intelligence — did we find life? (assume no trace of carbon-based life on the planet in at least a billion years)
maybe I should be an agency instead of a freelancer
November 17, 2025 at 10:44 PM
maybe I should be an agency instead of a freelancer
wrote my first shader!!
big feeling like “if I can do this, I can do cooler, more useful stuff soon”
big feeling like “if I can do this, I can do cooler, more useful stuff soon”
November 17, 2025 at 5:48 AM
wrote my first shader!!
big feeling like “if I can do this, I can do cooler, more useful stuff soon”
big feeling like “if I can do this, I can do cooler, more useful stuff soon”
Reposted by court
For folks (and journalists) who want to search the Oversight Committee email texts, I made a database for searching the 20k text files:
splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app
splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app
Epstein Document Search
splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app
November 13, 2025 at 1:12 AM
For folks (and journalists) who want to search the Oversight Committee email texts, I made a database for searching the 20k text files:
splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app
splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app
Reposted by court
NEW: (gift) www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
Jeffrey’s journalists: Epstein emails reveal cozy relationship with two reporters
Emails reveal Jeffrey Epstein’s close interactions with reporters and how Michael Wolff counseled him after the Miami Herald’s South Florida investigation.
www.miamiherald.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:05 PM
NEW: (gift) www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
on a semi-related note, I’ve finally started reading Daniel Shiffman’s “The Nature of Code” and my brain is turning into computational goo (such as is the nature of brains, I suppose)
hard to believe this is possible in javascript!! three.js is so much fun.
the documentation is decent — though I’d be struggling a lot more with the concepts had I not suffered through the initial 3D learning curve with Blender earlier this year
the documentation is decent — though I’d be struggling a lot more with the concepts had I not suffered through the initial 3D learning curve with Blender earlier this year
November 13, 2025 at 7:04 AM
on a semi-related note, I’ve finally started reading Daniel Shiffman’s “The Nature of Code” and my brain is turning into computational goo (such as is the nature of brains, I suppose)
hard to believe this is possible in javascript!! three.js is so much fun.
the documentation is decent — though I’d be struggling a lot more with the concepts had I not suffered through the initial 3D learning curve with Blender earlier this year
the documentation is decent — though I’d be struggling a lot more with the concepts had I not suffered through the initial 3D learning curve with Blender earlier this year
November 13, 2025 at 6:50 AM
hard to believe this is possible in javascript!! three.js is so much fun.
the documentation is decent — though I’d be struggling a lot more with the concepts had I not suffered through the initial 3D learning curve with Blender earlier this year
the documentation is decent — though I’d be struggling a lot more with the concepts had I not suffered through the initial 3D learning curve with Blender earlier this year
one reason I love maps is because I can learn just about anything within the context of mapping.
trying to understand graphics shaders, and conceptually I think I understand how I could write a custom shader as a mapbox layer. (realistically it’s gonna take time to work this out, but !!)
trying to understand graphics shaders, and conceptually I think I understand how I could write a custom shader as a mapbox layer. (realistically it’s gonna take time to work this out, but !!)
November 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM
one reason I love maps is because I can learn just about anything within the context of mapping.
trying to understand graphics shaders, and conceptually I think I understand how I could write a custom shader as a mapbox layer. (realistically it’s gonna take time to work this out, but !!)
trying to understand graphics shaders, and conceptually I think I understand how I could write a custom shader as a mapbox layer. (realistically it’s gonna take time to work this out, but !!)
have successfully gotten 15 friends out of my instagram dms and onto signal now. 👌 all it took was making my entire personality outrage against meta.
November 12, 2025 at 3:28 AM
have successfully gotten 15 friends out of my instagram dms and onto signal now. 👌 all it took was making my entire personality outrage against meta.
learning about raycasting with three.js — as in, how does a web browser know what you’re clicking on in a 3d space?
this took a lot more brain power this evening than you might imagine 😅
this took a lot more brain power this evening than you might imagine 😅
November 12, 2025 at 2:19 AM
learning about raycasting with three.js — as in, how does a web browser know what you’re clicking on in a 3d space?
this took a lot more brain power this evening than you might imagine 😅
this took a lot more brain power this evening than you might imagine 😅
“let’s chat offline” is the most puzzling phrase. every it’s been said to me, it’s either been in a fully remote job (where there is never an offline place to chat) or in-person (already offline). I cannot be the only one thrown for a loop, surely? what does it mean!
November 11, 2025 at 1:17 AM
“let’s chat offline” is the most puzzling phrase. every it’s been said to me, it’s either been in a fully remote job (where there is never an offline place to chat) or in-person (already offline). I cannot be the only one thrown for a loop, surely? what does it mean!
brb making gotta start making anti-aging interactive maps to get people interested
Anti-ageing trousers? There really is no fashion or beauty claim too wild
Anti-ageing trousers? There really is no fashion or beauty claim too wild
According to a neuroscientist, our brains are hardwired to keep falling for the latest beauty fads. It’s a booby trap too many of us fall down – and I should know
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:41 AM
brb making gotta start making anti-aging interactive maps to get people interested
#30DayMapChallenge
day 6, dimensions
An attempt to visualize two datasets on one map without visual overwhelm.
A lot more work than I anticipated. Lessons were learned. I made this layout with screenshots in Apple Freeform. 💀 Never again will I set my QGIS units to pixels, I can tell ya that much
day 6, dimensions
An attempt to visualize two datasets on one map without visual overwhelm.
A lot more work than I anticipated. Lessons were learned. I made this layout with screenshots in Apple Freeform. 💀 Never again will I set my QGIS units to pixels, I can tell ya that much
November 7, 2025 at 8:53 AM
#30DayMapChallenge
day 6, dimensions
An attempt to visualize two datasets on one map without visual overwhelm.
A lot more work than I anticipated. Lessons were learned. I made this layout with screenshots in Apple Freeform. 💀 Never again will I set my QGIS units to pixels, I can tell ya that much
day 6, dimensions
An attempt to visualize two datasets on one map without visual overwhelm.
A lot more work than I anticipated. Lessons were learned. I made this layout with screenshots in Apple Freeform. 💀 Never again will I set my QGIS units to pixels, I can tell ya that much
nobody makes me feel weird about my cleft lip/palate except for doctors/med students, both in clinical & dating settings.
“you can hardly tell,” “your surgeon did great” and “you’re very pretty anyway” are not compliments.
like i don’t need reassurance that my face is acceptable. that’s my FACE!
“you can hardly tell,” “your surgeon did great” and “you’re very pretty anyway” are not compliments.
like i don’t need reassurance that my face is acceptable. that’s my FACE!
November 7, 2025 at 12:33 AM
nobody makes me feel weird about my cleft lip/palate except for doctors/med students, both in clinical & dating settings.
“you can hardly tell,” “your surgeon did great” and “you’re very pretty anyway” are not compliments.
like i don’t need reassurance that my face is acceptable. that’s my FACE!
“you can hardly tell,” “your surgeon did great” and “you’re very pretty anyway” are not compliments.
like i don’t need reassurance that my face is acceptable. that’s my FACE!
Reposted by court
Not to the theme today, just was inspired by maps in the news and went on my own route!
Made in QGIS!
#30DayMapChallenge
Made in QGIS!
#30DayMapChallenge
November 7, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Not to the theme today, just was inspired by maps in the news and went on my own route!
Made in QGIS!
#30DayMapChallenge
Made in QGIS!
#30DayMapChallenge
Reposted by court
#30daymapchallenge day 1: Points
For our first map, we had to visualize spatial data as dots. @gsagostini.bsky.social worked on a dot density map showing dog density in New York City.
1 dot = 1 dog 🐕🐩
For our first map, we had to visualize spatial data as dots. @gsagostini.bsky.social worked on a dot density map showing dog density in New York City.
1 dot = 1 dog 🐕🐩
November 6, 2025 at 5:18 PM
#30daymapchallenge day 1: Points
For our first map, we had to visualize spatial data as dots. @gsagostini.bsky.social worked on a dot density map showing dog density in New York City.
1 dot = 1 dog 🐕🐩
For our first map, we had to visualize spatial data as dots. @gsagostini.bsky.social worked on a dot density map showing dog density in New York City.
1 dot = 1 dog 🐕🐩
whoa
AI describing mental images from brain scans
unsettling from the privacy/security/technological dystopia lens; pretty cool from the disability lens (I say as someone who required 13+ years of speech therapy)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
AI describing mental images from brain scans
unsettling from the privacy/security/technological dystopia lens; pretty cool from the disability lens (I say as someone who required 13+ years of speech therapy)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Mind captioning: Evolving descriptive text of mental content from human brain activity
Nonverbal thoughts can be translated into verbal descriptions by aligning semantic representations between text and the brain.
www.science.org
November 6, 2025 at 5:56 PM
whoa
AI describing mental images from brain scans
unsettling from the privacy/security/technological dystopia lens; pretty cool from the disability lens (I say as someone who required 13+ years of speech therapy)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
AI describing mental images from brain scans
unsettling from the privacy/security/technological dystopia lens; pretty cool from the disability lens (I say as someone who required 13+ years of speech therapy)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by court
Day 2 of the #30DayMapChallenge - Lines. This map shows the rivers of Africa, coloured according to the minimum river temperature.
November 2, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Day 2 of the #30DayMapChallenge - Lines. This map shows the rivers of Africa, coloured according to the minimum river temperature.
#30DayMapChallenge day 1: points
The trickiest of this was sourcing the data + processing it. Took a fair bit of work in that regard!
(Also I’m a day late. Busy weekend.🎃)
The trickiest of this was sourcing the data + processing it. Took a fair bit of work in that regard!
(Also I’m a day late. Busy weekend.🎃)
November 2, 2025 at 9:17 PM
#30DayMapChallenge day 1: points
The trickiest of this was sourcing the data + processing it. Took a fair bit of work in that regard!
(Also I’m a day late. Busy weekend.🎃)
The trickiest of this was sourcing the data + processing it. Took a fair bit of work in that regard!
(Also I’m a day late. Busy weekend.🎃)
I’ve begun writing interactive map descriptions for Bellingcat’s toolkit — a resource for finding the right tools for open source investigations.
Global Forest Watch now has a revised and expanded description, which I’ll be maintaining going forward as a Global Authentication Project volunteer.
Global Forest Watch now has a revised and expanded description, which I’ll be maintaining going forward as a Global Authentication Project volunteer.
Global Forest Watch | Bellingcat's Online Investigation Toolkit
Explore tree cover loss and gain data, recent deforestation and fire alerts, land use designations, carbon emissions, biodiversity metrics and more.
bellingcat.gitbook.io
November 2, 2025 at 6:58 PM
I’ve begun writing interactive map descriptions for Bellingcat’s toolkit — a resource for finding the right tools for open source investigations.
Global Forest Watch now has a revised and expanded description, which I’ll be maintaining going forward as a Global Authentication Project volunteer.
Global Forest Watch now has a revised and expanded description, which I’ll be maintaining going forward as a Global Authentication Project volunteer.
super stuck down a rabbit hole and there are a lot of bitwise operators down here ~ << | :(
November 1, 2025 at 6:20 AM
super stuck down a rabbit hole and there are a lot of bitwise operators down here ~ << | :(
Reposted by court
The #30DayMapChallenge starts tomorrow across social media platforms!
Pay attention to this hashtag if you love maps - there will be tons of creative examples from around the world.
Pay attention to this hashtag if you love maps - there will be tons of creative examples from around the world.
October 31, 2025 at 4:16 PM
The #30DayMapChallenge starts tomorrow across social media platforms!
Pay attention to this hashtag if you love maps - there will be tons of creative examples from around the world.
Pay attention to this hashtag if you love maps - there will be tons of creative examples from around the world.
sometimes I read things and have to reckon with the fact that I am 500% too kentucky to be reading them
As generous and thoughtful as it may seem to bring wine or flowers to Thanksgiving, you may be inadvertently assigning the host more work. Here are three simple things you can bring from home to be a great guest.
Want to Be the Best Guest at Thanksgiving Dinner? Bring These 3 Things.
A great Thanksgiving guest helps solve a host’s quandaries before they arise. Here are three simple things you can bring from home to do just that.
nyti.ms
October 31, 2025 at 12:09 AM
sometimes I read things and have to reckon with the fact that I am 500% too kentucky to be reading them
d3 is really not for 3d, but that can’t stop me from trying!!
4.5 hour personal project. trying to get speedier with d3.
hydra is a super cool moon btw 🌚
4.5 hour personal project. trying to get speedier with d3.
hydra is a super cool moon btw 🌚
October 30, 2025 at 10:32 PM
d3 is really not for 3d, but that can’t stop me from trying!!
4.5 hour personal project. trying to get speedier with d3.
hydra is a super cool moon btw 🌚
4.5 hour personal project. trying to get speedier with d3.
hydra is a super cool moon btw 🌚
Reposted by court
Vestibular disorders affect people's balance as well as their visual perception of their world around them. Don't make animations, sliders, videos, or rapid movement start automatically, as autoplaying elements could trigger a bad reaction in people who have vestibular disorders.
October 20, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Vestibular disorders affect people's balance as well as their visual perception of their world around them. Don't make animations, sliders, videos, or rapid movement start automatically, as autoplaying elements could trigger a bad reaction in people who have vestibular disorders.
Reposted by court
When possible, use simple and familiar data visualization techniques. Complex data visualizations can be visually appealing, but they can also be more difficult to understand. If a visualization gets overly complex, consider alternate chart types for the sake of understanding.
October 25, 2025 at 8:02 PM
When possible, use simple and familiar data visualization techniques. Complex data visualizations can be visually appealing, but they can also be more difficult to understand. If a visualization gets overly complex, consider alternate chart types for the sake of understanding.