{"id":8763,"date":"2011-07-07T18:38:09","date_gmt":"2011-07-07T23:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/?p=8763"},"modified":"2022-02-02T07:52:21","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T12:52:21","slug":"bullseye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/bullseye\/","title":{"rendered":"Bull’s Eye"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s been awhile since I\u2019ve given much thought to the Degree Confluence Project<\/a>. I featured them in the earlier days of the Twelve Mile Circle, nearly three years ago<\/a> as I recall. The project has its roots in a time before the complete ubiquity of the Internet, when the web was still capturing public attention and solidifying its potential, when people connected through screeching dial-up modems on telephone lines, when AOL was cutting-edge, and websites were simple and clean so they could be downloaded with limited bandwidth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Original Intent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, the Degree Confluence Project celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2011. It has a rather elegant premise: “to visit each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world, and to take pictures at each location<\/em>.” The project has a single unified purpose and it performs its mission stunningly well. Maybe too well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stop by occasionally to read the latest stories. Over time I noticed that new conquests become more distant and exotic as the years passed. The United States tapped-out ages ago<\/a> except for confluences over water or extreme spots in Alaska and the like. The same can be said for most other nations with even a modicum of infrastructure. North Korea continues to provide plenty of opportunities for exploration, but little other virgin territory remains. Modern-day fortune seekers have picked the confluence bones clean. Places like the 45×90 spot<\/a> were clich\u00e9 by the time I arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a>
The 45\u00b0N, 90\u00b0W Degree Confluence near Poniatowski, Wisconsin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That’s abundantly true for my tiny corner of the world. The four closest confluences that circle my home are 39\u00b0N 78\u00b0W<\/a>, 38\u00b0N 78\u00b0W<\/a>, 38\u00b0N 77\u00b0W<\/a>, and 39\u00b0WN 77\u00b0WW<\/a>. Every one of them has been visited and recorded multiple times. The fourth confluence is an apartment complex in suburban Maryland just outside of the Washington, DC. There’s little challenge left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Proposal for Rejuvenation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I figured I\u2019d let someone else worry about the 1990\u2019s look-and-feel of the website. I focused on content and wondered if I could I rejuvenate some of the original spirit and excitement. Thus I came up with a concept I’ll call the Bull’s Eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n