Monthly Archives: May 2015

traveling book

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

Last month, the Associazione Italiana Edtitori (the Italian Publishing Association) launched a national campaign to promote reading—and book buying. They recruited thousands of social media savvy ambassadors to post messages encouraging young people to read. The group also commissioned a  … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, movies, Travel Writing, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

floating, not sinking

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

Airbnb continues to come up with clever, eye-catching gimmicks to grab our attention. They’ve put pop-up rentals on ski jumps and on moving cable cars, now the world-dominating rental juggernaut has floated a 70-ton house—complete with garden, grass and trees— up … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Europe, Hotels, Tourism | Tagged , | 2 Comments

In transit

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

You don’t need to be a complete public transit or map fan to geek out on the new TRAVIC website created by students at the University of Freiburg in Germany—but it helps. TRAVIC, which is short for Transit Visualization Client, … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps, Public Transport, Tech, Tourism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Why We Talk This Way

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

I tried to explain the evolution of human languages to our third grader the other day and did a poor job of it. Hopefully, this wonderful infographic created by Swedish writer and comic artist Minna Sundberg will do the trick.

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Shaking Up Antiquarian Books

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

You don’t need to be an antiquarian book geek like me to enjoy the wonderful collection of literary gifs at De Motu Librorum.

Posted in Animation, Art, Books, Tech, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Viewed Through The Monocle

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

If you’re a fan of Monocle magazine and media, then the newly launched Monocle Travel Guide Series is for you. Published by Berlin-based Gestalen, the slim travel guides will be priced at $15 retail. As you might expect, the full … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, Europe, Museums, Public Transport, Restaurants, Tourism, Travel Writing, USA | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s International Dylan Day

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

No, not Bob; it’s Dylan Thomas Day. Literature Wales has inaugurated the first annual International Dylan Day to honor Wales’ favorite son Dylan Thomas. May 14th was chosen to commemorate the premiere of Thomas’ play “Under the Milk Wood”. Celebrations … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Theater, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Save the Bees

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

London-based artists Louis Masai and Jim Vision are raising awareness about the decline in wild bee populations and the looming related environmental crisis for agriculture by creating arresting street art around the UK capital. They’ve also enlisted stakeholders whose livelihoods … Continue reading →

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Rijksmuseum Inspires Us

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

Each year Amsterdam’s amazing Rijksmuseum invites everyone to “Make your own Masterpiece” using the institution’s Rijksstudio interactive website. With more than 200,000 images, the site offers the opportunity to download and use the artwork for creative projects. This year’s award, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Europe, Museums, Tech | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Hollywood vs Cannes

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

The other day we had “New York City vs San Francisco”, today it’s the “Academy Awards vs Cannes Film Festival”.

Posted in Europe, Film, movies, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment