Monthly Archives: July 2014

Art Appreciation 101

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

After listening to the world news I needed a good laugh. So many thanks to TBTP reader Vernon Coram for the link to Scorpion Dagger. James Kerr, the artist wiz kid behind the blog, reworks Renaissance paintings into hilarious, irreverent, … Continue reading →

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Is Everyone Writing A Novel ?

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

New York City-based artist, writer and composer Cory Arcangel started an innocuous Twitter feed called “Working On My Novel” two years ago. Using only retweets of the phrase, Arcangel has just published a book which pulls together a curated selection … Continue reading →

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Zippy Among the Sluggish (it’s all relative)

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

Between April 1 and June 15, 2014, the folks at wefi , a national network analytics firm, collected data from millions of public wifi hotspots around the U.S.. Based on 45 day average speeds, they’ve determined the fastest wifi in … Continue reading →

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Monday is majorly miscellaneous

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

French Lessons What comes Afterglobe ? Isn’t a great bookstore worth traveling for ? See if these inspire. Venice is a time machine. Do you know the French Raymond Chandler ? If you can’t reach me, I’ll be spending the … Continue reading →

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I Like Big Books

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

Founded in 1980, Pioneer Book store in Provo, Utah carries a wide selection of used, antiquarian, rare and out-of-print titles from the 17th through 21st centuries. Last week the popular bookshop unveiled its wonderful new façade featuring a huge bookshelf … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Bookstore Tourism, USA | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Altered Books

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

Minneapolis-based artist Joseph Decamillis resuscitates discarded old books by reworking the covers with inserted miniature oil paintings on copper and steel plates. Decamillis’ work transforms the volumes into sculptural pieces while adding a new narrative dimension with his postage stamp … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Libraries, USA | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Amsterdam Alternatives

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

This guest post is from Rotterdam resident and blogger Michael Afanasyev. You can follow Michael at his own blog Small European Country Amsterdam alternatives Every major tourist destination has the “big ones”, the things everybody wants to see – like … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Europe, History, Museums, Tourism, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

How To Beat Jet Lag

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

Over the years, I’ve tried just about every reasonable suggestion (plus some farfetched ideas) on how to beat jet lag with little success. Maybe the tips on this infographic from the British travel experts Thomas Cook could help?

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One City in Five Hours

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

I was looking for city maps for an upcoming Canada trip when I stumbled across a witty and entertaining series of hand-drawn maps with mini-guides. Each of the two dozen or so “One City, Five Hours” guides was illustrated by … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Canada, Europe, Maps, Tourism, Travel Writing, USA | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Chocolate Joy Generator

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Brian D. Butler

We’ve posted stories on pop-up vending machines that offered free coffee in airports, free beer, free sodas and even free chocolate. Now the Australian branch of the Cadbury candy company has rolled-out the “Joy Generator”, a vending installation that dispenses … Continue reading →

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