Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

like a shadow or a friend

Posted on March 16, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

KINDNESS by Naomi Shihab Nye Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully … Continue reading →

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‘Don’t be a tourist – be an Explorist’

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The folks from Denmark’s tourism marketing group Visit Denmark have cleverly brought major artworks such as the Mona Lisa, Girl With the Pearl Earring, Van Gogh’s self-portrait, and the Statue of Liberty to life using AI to encourage travelers to … Continue reading →

Posted in Animation, apps, Art, Europe, Film, Museums, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Fat-Headed Censors

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

You would have to have been living under a basket to avoid the recent brouhaha over the re-editing of classic books by so-called sensitivity readers and editors. Here in the Colonies we’ve been through this with the books of Dr. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, Freedom of Speech, Libraries, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

The art of travel

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I recently discovered the marvelous travel poster art created by Polish artist Stefan Norblin (1892-1952). Trained as a painter, Norblin had a diverse career as a portrait painter, muralist, costume designer, illustrator, and interior decorator. When the Germans invaded in … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Europe, Public Transport, Tourism, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Still Life

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The mesmerizing video below was made with more than 1400 engravings from the 19th century, Still Life is a meditation on subject/object dualism. The film explores the idea that we live in a world of objects and a world of … Continue reading →

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Your Brain on Reading

Posted on March 11, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

How humans process and learn from written words. 1 Located in the parietal lobe, the angular gyrus facilitates communication between different parts of the brain, permitting humans to simultaneously recognize, understand, and remember words on a page. 2  The fusiform gyrus is important in … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The good news is that you are alive

Posted on March 10, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“The Good News” by Thich Nhat Hanh They don’t publish the good news. The good news is published by us. We have a special edition every moment, and we need you to read it. The good news is that you … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Hear the World

Posted on March 9, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

When I was 11 years old, I was given a hand-held Telefunken shortwave radio as a gift. I spent many days and nights searching the dial for music and news from around the world. While this clever little radio won’t … Continue reading →

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Does English Need New Punctuation

Posted on March 8, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find that written English communication lacks the exact punction marks to clearly express tone, meaning, or emotion. Well, I was glad to discover that the Progressive Punctuation movement is addressing the problem. According to … Continue reading →

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Centuries of Sound

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Centuries of Sound:  is a fascinating website and podcast project that creates audio mixes for every year since the development of sound recording. Beginning with 1860, a mix is posted each month until they reach the present day. The scope … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Music, Tech | Tagged | 2 Comments