cartography

We told you , a few months back, about how MP3 players connected to long-range acoustic devices are being used to thwart pirate attacks. While blasting deafening sound waves at a bunch of machinegun-toting lunatics seems great, wouldn't it be better to avoid the pirates altogether?

Geographers from the University of South Carolina have created a map of the United States depicting a county-level representation of natural-hazard-related deaths -- the first systematic attempt to look at mortality in this way. While highly publicized media reports on catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina and the wildfires in Northern California may lead the public to believe these disasters are the most deadly, it is actually extreme weather -- the very hot summers and very cold winters -- that cause the most deaths.