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Glow Map
Paper map printed with glow-in-the-dark ink. | |
For those of us without the nifty car navigation devices or hand-held electronic devices, a glowing map which would allow us to see where we're going without resorting to turning on the interior car light. Also a definite must for those tired of rummaging through a poorly packed rucksack for the flashlight
whose battery doesn't work anyway and being forced to hold the map close to your digital watch for illumination and hoping that you can find the shelter soon because that really sounded like a bear.
Glow-in-the-Dark Sky Map
http://www.art.com/...0036607&RFID=926674
For, um, the aliens amongst us. [DrCurry]
Might be a little more practical
http://www.wonderfu...ible_map_light.html [DrCurry, Aug 06 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]
Might be a little more practical
http://www.wonderfu...ible_map_light.html
[namaste, Aug 06 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]
Fluorescent inkjet cartridges
http://www.classicc...com/imagebrite.html
Not "glow in the dark", but pretty bright. [pottedstu, Aug 06 2002, last modified Oct 21 2004]
[link]
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Better still if you could put a luminescent / UV fluorescent ink cartridge in a standard inkjet printer, and print a map straight off AutoRoute or MultiMap. |
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I like the idea of being able to print them off the computer, but it might get a little messy (especially if your printer is as bad as mine). Perhaps set it up like a flip book of acetate overlays with a luminescent sheet at the back that could be folded under individual sheets. That would still get a bit heavy for hikers, though. Hmmm... |
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You can get fluorescent inkjet cartridges (see link). But they won't work in total darkness. |
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<quibble> Actually, they would work in total darkness if you had a black (UV) light. </quibble> |
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// Actually, they would work in total darkness if you had a black (UV) light. // |
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<double quibble> If you have a UV light, then technically it isn't dark, it's just bright with light that you can't see (but bees, etc. can). </double quibble> |
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There seem to be a number of possibilites here: |
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1. UV fluorescent ink (still needs a source of illumination) |
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2. Luminescent ink (self-radiating). |
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Sounds like the map needs to be printed either with the stuff that goes in lightsticks, or be the light-absorbing glow-in-the-dark stuff. |
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Theoretically you could use luminescent radiaoctives but they'd be too dangeraous in practice. Inks with Tritium bonded in replacing ordicary hydrogen would also glow. |
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You could print with standard dark ink on luminous paper. |
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The idea of acetate maps laid on a luminescent panel sould cheap, simple and practical. A one-off purchase of the map wallet, and print your own maps on standard acetate sheet. |
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Unfortunately, luminescent materials all have significant deficiencies. As 8th notes, those powered by radioactive decay present a health risk. The stuff in lightsticks is consumed in the chemical reaction that makes the light, so your map might glow all night after it's activated, but days or weeks later it would be dead. And the "glow-in-the-dark" pigments that absorb light and re-emit it later are relatively bright in darkness for only a half hour or so, losing strength continuously. In absolute darkness, you can see an image (though as DrCurry implies, detail is not very fine) for several hours, but with the light pollution in a car interior, you wouldn't be able to see the glowing lines even one hour after the map had last been illuminated. |
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