Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

How Far Can You Go

I’ve run across quite a few stories about this very neat website over the past week or so and thought that TBTP followers would be interested. How Far Can You Go By Train in 5h? is an interactive map which … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Maps, Public Transport | Tagged | 1 Comment

Towards Balance

I continue to be amazed by the spectactular land art created by the French mural artist known as Saype. He recently unveiled unveiled a new artwork in the Swiss Alps, near Villars-sur-Ollon, called “’Vers l’équilibre” (Towards balance) which depicts a … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Death and Mayhem in National Parks

Over recent months, it seems that there has been a story about tourists in Yellowstone National Park being gored by bison, mauled by bears, bitten by wolves, or scalded by steaming pools every week. In most cases the deaths and … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps, Tourism, Uncategorized, USA | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How many more times will you watch the full moon rise?

Death is always on the way, but the fact that you don’t know when it will arrive seems to take away from the finiteness of life. It’s that terrible precision that we hate so much. But because we don’t know, … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Books, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

I am not a Luddite, but…

This week I ran across a press release for a new web-based “publishing” company that is now selling a form of ebooks as NFTs. After reading the press release (see below) and checking out the website my initial reaction to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, ebooks, Tech | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Marginal Medieval Memes

Even if you don’t geek out over illuminated manuscripts as much as I do, there’s a good chance that you will be entertained by the short video below. It’s likely that you’ve seen images from medieval manuscripts depicting both real … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, History, Libraries | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Smaller than a breadbox, bigger than a TV remote

Smaller than a breadbox, bigger than a TV remote, the average book fits into the human hand with a seductive nestling, a kiss of texture, whether of cover cloth, glazed jacket, or flexible paperback. – John Updike Today is international Paperback Book … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Poets : the Videogame

 

Posted in Animation, Art, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Summer Reading List You Can Trust

President Barack Obama has released his annual summer reading list. On Facebook, he wrote, “I’ve read his summer reading list. “I’ve read a couple of great books this year and wanted to share some of my favorites so far. What have … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

You’re Not Alone

When I saw this street art mural I was reminded of a comforting quote from the great writer Kurt Vonnegut: Nothing I can say can have any effect, except to say to somebody else, “You’re not alone.” That’s as far … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment