Whole Earth a Generation Later

Whole Earth imaged, finally, isolated and distant in space:


8-8-08
A generation later, we project the whole Earth within the human sphere, dominating it totally:


Next?

This image from the Beijing 2008 opening ceremonies also reminds me of the way people would put together "cabinet of curiosities" collections back in the centuries-ago day, something about being able to hold and manipulate models of the world.