Military infographic fascination

Paul Ford describes his fascination with military infographics. Here’s what he has to say about the graphic above:

Take some time with that graphic. After a while you realize that this image could be used anywhere in any paper or presentation and make perfect sense. This is a graphic that defines a way of describing anything that has ever existed and everything that has ever happened, in any situation. The United States Military is operating at a conceptual level beyond every other school of thought except perhaps academic philosophy, because it has a much larger budget.

Never mind the aesthetics and readability. It’s the content and the scale at which these graphics are presented that make them fascinating. Okay, and maybe the aesthetics and readability lend to the entertainment value, too.