7 comments

  • ventana 1 hour ago
    The paper is basically like this (spoiler alert):

    “Some random user on Reddit posted a picture claiming that this is the longest straight line path on water possible on the Earth. We implemented a smart algorithm to solve this problem, found the elevation data, ran our algorithm... yes, that random user was right. Also, here's the longest path on land.”

    Thanks, I really enjoyed reading it, even though I hoped that they would disprove the original claim!

    Edit: here are the gcmap links to the two paths: sea [1], land [2].

    [1]: http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=25%B017%27N+66%B040%27E-58%B037...

    [2]: http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=24%B033%27N+118%B038%27E-37%B02...

  • shrx 39 minutes ago
    > Figure 9: Longest Drivable Straight Line Path on Earth.

    Walkable, maybe, but definitely not drivable (it crosses directly over the Alps, for example).

    • pbhjpbhj 22 minutes ago
      There might be icebergs or sandbars or rocks or volcanic activity or wars blocking the sailing route too. They seem like equivalents.

      The longest mettled straight route with minimal deviation would also be an interesting exercise.

  • mrgriscom 18 minutes ago
    I made a "first person" perspective rendering of this: https://mrgris.com/img/landfall/longest.png
  • paufernandez 7 minutes ago
    Nerd sniping at its best... ;)
  • dr_dshiv 31 minutes ago
    If it is undrivable in a straight line, why does that count? I’d assume the longest you could drive in a perfectly straight line would either be the longest straight highway or some drivable desert.