Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

words at play

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

MIT Press Bookstore bookseller Barry Duncan stumbled onto the book “An Almanac of Words at Play” four decades ago and it changed his life. Duncan discovered that words could go backwards. The realization set him on a course he would … Continue reading →

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All night I dreamt of bonfires

Posted on April 23, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Sharks in the Rivers Ada Limón We’ll say unbelievable things to each other in the early morning— our blue coming up from our roots, our water rising in our extraordinary limbs. All night I dreamt of bonfires and burn piles … Continue reading →

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Random Airports

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Random Airports: I was recently reminiscing with two of my closest cousins about trips to the airport when we were children. Back in the olden days it was actually possible to enjoy a visit to an airport to pick-up or … Continue reading →

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Epic Iceland

Posted on April 21, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

One of my longest running travel obsessions has been the extraordinary island nation of Iceland. I’ve been lucky enough to have been visiting there for more than 40 years. In some ways Iceland has experienced amazing changes during the last … Continue reading →

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Hidden history of the world

Posted on April 20, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, I ran across three different references to an eye-opening documentary titled A History of the World According to Getty Images. This impressive video created by British filmmaker Richard Misek  explores the way that historic films are hidden from public … Continue reading →

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Good Books

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Good books are friendly things to own. If you are busy they will wait. They will not call you on the phone Or wake you if the hour is late. They stand together row by row, Upon the low shelf … Continue reading →

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Otherwise it looks pretty good

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

If you read yesterday’s post on a list of the 50 best sci-fi books, you may have noted that it included The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I have been a life-long fan of Adams’ brilliant books and have … Continue reading →

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Are these the 50 best scifi books of all time ?

Posted on April 17, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I read quite a lot of science fiction. My reading habits were informed early in childhood by my love of writers such as Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov. These days I find myself leaning towards post-apocalyptic sci-fi and space operas. … Continue reading →

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Spinoza’s Airtight Case

Posted on April 16, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Permanent Link to this Comic: https://existentialcomics.com/comic/488 Support the comic on Patreon!  

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Saturday Sundries

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I won’t be spending my summer this year riding the rails in Europe, but I can still torture myself by reading articles about luxury trains and gourmet food. You can too, if you check out this excellent piece from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Travel, apps, Europe, History, Maps, Museums, Public Transport, Restaurants, Tourism, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments