US as food series: http://www.shorthandedstudio.com/
Population density: http://awesome.good.is/transparency/usersubmissions/neighborhoods/keaney/tran...
NYTimes interactive of job losses by demographic breakdown: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/06/business/economy/unemployment-l...
Baseball graphics (whole compendium of maps and graphics): http://www.flipflopflyin.com/flipflopflyball/
Wiki leaks: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/wikileaks-cable-analysis/...
For when you have hours and hours to kill, craft one for DC (map cuts for NYC): http://www.dudecraft.com/2009/10/paper-cuts-kmo-studio-takes-x-acto-to.html
Map with color issues (map of plugs used worldwide): http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/10/map.jpg
Another map with color issues: http://web.sa.mapquest.com/krispykreme/?tempset=search
National Geographic's 50 Years of Space Exploration: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamcrowe/4002050596/sizes/o/
Please don't do something like this: http://failblog.org/2009/08/12/geography-fail-2/
Life as a Cartographer: http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/getting-job/i-want-your-...
New Cartographic Design Firm: http://www.axismaps.com/typographic.php
not a map, but great graphic design (Cheatsheet): http://www.topatoco.com/graphics/qw-cheatsheet-print-zoom.jpg
Non-traditional maps: http://www.florianpucher.com/landcarpet.html
http://blackeiffel.blogspot.com/2009/11/globe-of-laundry.html
And true Geo-geekery: This is not an animation, but you might find it interesting and/or amusing (as amusing as Geographers tend to get). Another random link: an amusing graphic take on Google Maps: Abstract City