The Voice of Vexillology, Flags & Heraldry

Sunday, October 18, 2015

United Underworld from the 1966 Batman Movie

The leaders of the 1966 United Underworld organization dedicated to crime and mayhem include Catwoman, the Penguin, the Riddler, and of course the Joker.

In the original Batman movie from 1966 the campy cutting edge crusader was launched in the imaginations of the world. More than just an American Comic book, Batman's rise to world class status was established in the raucous 1960s. Hard to notice but its campy, surreal, 1960s feel captured the flavor of the mid 60s.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Baseball Pennant from The Peanuts Movie - 2015

A unique flag appears in the upcoming new The Peanuts Movie 2015. It is a baseball pennant with crossed bats, a red star near the hoist, and has an indigo frame. Here the hero or rather anti-hero of the Peanuts Gang, Charlie Brown, can be seen holding a playful wooden kids pirate sword. Charlie Brown loves sports yet is often lackluster in performance.

Charlie Brown is first of first lovable losers. His perpetual grey cloud and negative self-talk is sad yet endearing. His tendency to overthink and worry, leads his to sordid antics and high drama that is balanced by his loyal and just do it dog - Snoopy. Peanuts painted out and showed that there are more than fifty shades of gray, which can have its own kind of charming sparkle. Charlie Brown is an anti-hero for the ages that nearly every kid and adult can relate to, and fall in love with.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Flags in Blade Runner - 1982

One vexilloid appears in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner 1982. It is not a traditional flag but rather an ornament upon a chess piece. To be specific it is a black lance pennon. It appears in the bedroom of the CEO of Tyrell Corporation - a powerful holding industry that manufactures humanoid cloned organisms that are bonded to the serve the pleasure of mankind.

Checkmate

Blade Runner is a science fiction movie that carries on the themes of Frankenstein with real projections for the future of genetic engineering. Before the 21st Century is over, the conjunction of technology, labor demands, and genetic engineering will see that some fraction of the future portrayed in film Blade Runner will indeed come to light. Strange as this world may seem, persons and lawyers have already tired to copyright the human genome for their own private ownership, while other industries have copyright patents in legal effect with food materials and crops, that millions have already consumed and use in their daily lives. Although 'replicant' humans are yet to be uncovered, 'replicant' crops are already making a deep impact in the agriculture and farming industries.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

International Seabed Flag

International Seas are classified as "International Jurisdiction Per Common Heritage of Mankind." Likewise there is International Airspace. Finally there are International Seabeds, which will become very important in the next 50 years. As a life aquatic will be a real driving force for the energy economy.

The flag for areas unclaimed by the nations for International Seabeds is composed of four colours: red, orange, yellow, and green. Note that mining operations along the seabed are much cheaper and easier to access than hair-brained schemes to mine asteroids in outer space. Also mining in International Seabeds is already a current activity and a billion dollar industry.

https://www.isa.org.jm/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Seabed_Authority

International Airspace Flag

International Airspace is another area of the planet that is an ill defined frontier zone, where the laws of the nations dive into the gray ambiguous zone. This flag represents International Airspace and is composed of the colours black, white, violet, and yellow. It has bright and dark colours so it can seen during dim and sunny sky conditions.

International Airspace is still in its infancy and will be regulated and more structured as the years progress. A low estimate puts this barrier at 19 miles above the Earth, since this is the highest airplanes and balloons can fly.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

International Waters Flag

The International Waters Flag is composed of four colours - red, white, navy blue, and indigo. It is represents the unclaimed high seas that are beyond the jurisdiction of the nations. It has a swallowtail design. Once you have sailed to these deep blue waters, you can fly this flag. This area of the Earth is the last unclaimed and vast expanse where national laws are ambiguous.

The design of the flag takes elements of the two scuba diver flags - the 'metric' blue and white 'alpha' and the red American Diver Down. Currently International Waters begin 12 nautical miles from the lowest point of a low tide, directly out to sea. 12 nautical miles is about 14 miles or 22km.

Famous places flagged under International Waters include the wreck of the HMS Titanic at 41°43'55" North 49°56'45" West, the North Pole, and where the Prime Meridian meets the Equator at 0°0'0" North/South 0°0'0" East/West. Finally the return of the first mission from the Moon unto the Earth, landed in International Waters, just beyond the waters of Johnston Island.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Flags for the Years 1900- 2015

Flag for #1900

Metric Flags are based upon the modified rainbow colour to number coded system. It allows for higher order of numbers by flags to be easily created and recognized.