Have you come across GeoMidpoint? This web service will help you find the midpoint between any number of geographical points. They’ve got all kinds of proposed uses for it, like finding a convenient restaurant that’s equidistant from each of you and your friends, but one of the more frivolous activities you can enjoy using it for is to find your home “centre of gravity”. Put in everywhere you’ve lived (and, optionally, how long you lived there for, as a weighting factor), and it’ll show you the centre point.
I gave it a go. Here’s where I’m centred.
Dan's centre point (the green 'M' pin).
Okay, you think – it’s not so surprising that the centre point is near Preston: I spent over a decade living there. But here’s the quirk: my addresses weren’t weighted by how long I’d lived there. All I did is put in everywhere I’d lived for six months or more, and let these places all have equal weight.
Curious, then, that the centre point comes to within a quarter hour’s drive of either of my parents’ houses, in Preston.
I suppose there are some balancing factors, here: places that cancel one another out quite nicely. The Northern bias of Scotland is counteracted by the comparative Southernness of Aberystwyth, Oxford, and Surrey. The strong Western bias of the many different places I lived in Aberystwyth are invalidated by quite how far East Aberdeen and London are. But still, it seems to be a quirky coincidence to me that the centre point would be so close to where I did most of my growing up, despite how much I’ve moved around.
New Earth, where we'll be moving later this year
This observation comes only a little while after the other Earthlings and I have finished signing the paperwork on what is later this year to become our new home, New Earth. It’s still in the Oxford area, but provides us with some nice things that we’re looking forward to, like more space (something we never seem to have enough of!). And any of you who’ve visited by car will probably appreciate how much more accessible the driveway is…
We’ll be moving this Summer, and in doing so we’ll pull my little green triangle over into Chorley. Better that, I think, than out in the Irish sea, which is where it’d be if I weighted where I’d lived by the amount of time I’d spent there!
![Where'd the ball go? [gif]](http://ffualo.com/rthumb/QtR1Vl4.gif){kind=link}
By Matt in the Hat 15 February, 2011 - 16:18
Happy to hear about New Earth, however you will have to move again and hold a Thundercats themed housewarming for Third Earth.
By Ruth 15 February, 2011 - 16:33
I guess we can do that… is it alright if we live in our lovely new house for a bit before we move on just so that you can achieve a contrived theme party?
:)
By Scatman Dan 15 February, 2011 - 16:42
Hate to be the one to break this to you, but we’re still following Battlestar Galactica canon with New Earth. If anything, we should re-watch the final two episodes of Season 4 of BSG…
By Scatman Dan 15 February, 2011 - 16:47
Ah: whoops. Just actually READ your comment, Matt, and it makes sense now. Ahem.
But if you’ll pay attention to the pilot, the Thundercats’ Third Earth was so-called because it was the third planet from it’s star, implying that it’s either a distant past or a far future time of OUR Earth.
By Ruth 15 February, 2011 - 17:07
Anyone would think you didn’t want to see all your friends dressed as furries…
By Matt in the Hat 15 February, 2011 - 17:31
So if we take Aber as the star (which everyone should) then this would be the third place from it. You could also hold 3rd Rock From The Sun marathons.
By Scatman Dan 15 February, 2011 - 17:40
Well… Aber IS represented by a star in the Flag Of Earth.
But that would still imply that we’d lived on Mercury and Venus prior. And I don’t think that this place could be described as being like Mercury. For a start, Mercury’s warm.
Still: we’ll see…
By Ruth 15 February, 2011 - 16:34
My geographic centre is Manchester, by either method. A place where I’ve never lived.
I ought to spend a year living in Canada or Australia or somewhere, just so I can have a cooler centre. Who’s with me?
By JTA 15 February, 2011 - 19:47
I’m not. I don’t want my entirely reasonable Geographic Church Stretton Centre getting all smudged up by the antipodes…
By Katie 18 February, 2011 - 19:01
When I added in the month I lived in the US, I ended up in the sea just off the coast of Northern Ireland. Definitely cooler, though not in perhaps the way you have in mind…
PS, I think Manchester is awesome, but then I’m possibly biased…
By Heather 16 February, 2011 - 17:19
My midpoint is nowhere near anywhere I’ve lived (it’s just outside Evesham), but it is within walking distance of a place called Charlton… :-S
By Katie 18 February, 2011 - 19:00
I don’t know how many Charlton’s there are, but that’s where I live!
By Crusty 16 February, 2011 - 20:20
My midpoint is Corsenside, Northumberland…. where-ever that is. Sounds nice – I’ll have to visit.
By Sarah 17 February, 2011 - 20:25
My midpoint is near Stourbridge in Birmingham, thats a bit creepy. If I weight it by time spent living in each place, I end up in Tamworth, pretty little place at least.
By Katie 18 February, 2011 - 00:53
Mine dumps me right on top of one of Derby University’s campuses D:
By Scatman Dan 18 February, 2011 - 07:35
Is that with or without a weighting?
By Katie 18 February, 2011 - 18:58
Without!
With weighting, I end up in a lovely little village called Hartington, just off the road between my mum’s house and Derby…
By Claire Q 18 February, 2011 - 11:23
I’ve only lived in 2 places: Terrington St Clement (Norfolk) and Aberystwyth (Wales). My ratio is 2:1 (18 years vs 9 years) so my weighted midpoint is Leicester… If it gets to Birmingham I’ll have been in Aber as long as I was at home for, and it will definitely be time to leave!
By Sarah 19 February, 2011 - 11:00
Nothing wrong with Leicester, nice and central ;)
By colin 19 February, 2011 - 17:52
I’m quite tickled by this little toy, though I get put either in the North sea midway between England and Denmark or in the Baltic between Sweden and Poland depending on with weighting or without. Pesk army brat upbringing, Brunei really throws the centre out!
By Electric Quaker II » Blog Archive » Counting for Something 14 March, 2011 - 00:06
[...] so, I have increased gratitude for the forthcoming size of New Earth, which gives us three floors to spread ourselves over, and thus greatly increases the chances that [...]