Blogger here. No, I couldn’t resist adapting that later DFW-ism, and no, I haven’t changed my mind about the Infinite Boston series’ end. The purpose of this addendum is to acknowledge some of the folks who helped The Infinite Atlas Project become a reality. For this and more, a sincere thanks is owed to:
- Olly Ruff, for many, many hours of research assistance and conceptual development from almost the very beginning, including numerous phone conversations to debate the probability of certain locations, the priority of inclusions, and other critical decisions. Without his support, it’s very likely this project would never have happened at all.
- Leslie Bradshaw and the team at JESS3 for visual design, including the Infinite Map, plus Ian Spencer and the team at RedEdge for programming, including the Infinite Atlas. I am extraordinarily fortunate to have friends, running their own creative firms, who saw merit in my vision. Thanks to their respective business partners, Jesse Thomas and Bret Jacobson, as well. And a special shout-out to Lydia Wallbaum at JESS3, who fielded my many (many, many) change requests.
- Pete Hunt, my lead copy-editor through Infinite Boston’s run. Early in the series I tried to have new posts ready a few days or a week at a time, but for most of its run I was writing rough drafts the evening before publication, then Pete would read and offer suggestions overnight, and I would finalize in the morning. His input made this series considerably better.
- The folks behind the maps: Derek Watkins, a supremely talented cartographer who made the Infinite Map look as awesome as it does. Also Lyzi Diamond, who did the early GIS work, and plotted my locations to maps for the first time last summer. And my old friend Dave Crouse, who offered advice from early on. Fun fact: coincidentally, all of the above are fellow Ducks.
- Additional support: Rhiannon Ruff, for keeping other projects running smoothly so I could take the time to focus on this; my sister Morgan Wehling, for logistical support on multiple fronts, particularly with web platforms and merchandise; Cory Falk for doing what he could with my decidedly amateur photography.
- Special notice to Matt Bucher and Ben O’Connell, two friends with shared literary interests, who made small contributions with big results. Matt was the first to point out that Granada House happened to be this building visible on Google Maps, which was the beginning of the Atlas concept. Ben was the first to suggest I call the whole thing “Infinite Atlas” when the guy who owns InfiniteMap.com was unwilling to deal. Sorry, guy—that was your chance!
- Thanks are due as well to the many readers of Infinite Boston and Infinite Atlas, who have offered corrections, clarifications and other feedback in the comments here. This goes double for Allston-Brighton’s Lauren Leja, who became my key correspondent in Boston and, in effect, quality control specialist. Many thanks as well to those uploading photos to Infinite Atlas, now and in the future. It’s these contributions which made this a truly collaborative project.
- I suppose I would be remiss if I did not thank the family of David Foster Wallace, his literary executor Bonnie Nadell, and the good folks at Little, Brown and Company. To be truthful, I have had no interaction with any of them at any point in this project, but none have sent any cease-and-desist letters, and for that I am truly grateful.
Thank you all. Although the main series is complete, I do have a few follow-up posts in mind—plus I am sure more will come to me—so make sure to keep an eye on this space in the weeks ahead.