Maps: What Are They Good For?

Jasper Johns, Map, 1961, oil on canvas, 78 x 123 in.

With the rise of GPS, good old two dimensional maps are about as practical as a Jasper Johns abstraction or an ancient map with sea monsters. Maps are becoming merely aesthetic, as opposed to utilitarian. Hey, and while we're at it, does anyone have a globe in their house anymore? It was quaint, the way we used to orient ourselves in space (with north always pointing "up").