Category Archives: apps

Literacy for Life

Posted on April 14, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The Literacy Pen by The World Literacy Foundation and the Dutch firm Media.Monks is an amazing educational device designed to enable illiterate individuals to start writing and learning to read, instantly. Open source and compatible with all standard pens on … Continue reading →

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

Cultural Connections

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I hesitate to promote apps because so many turn out to be disappointing. However, I really like the Bloomberg Connects app which offers access to exhibitions, collections and renowned artists at over 350 museums and other cultural organizations. Bloomberg Philanthropies … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Architecture, Art, Asia, Canada, Europe, Libraries, Museums, South America, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Ghostwriter

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Designer Arvind Sanjeev has designed Ghostwriter , a smartly named answer machine that uses Open AI’s ChatGPT language model to answer queries manually entered by users, based on a modified old Brother typewriter. Tradition meets modernity. The Ghostwriter is a poetic intervention that allows us … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Art, Tech, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Sort of Untranslateable

Posted on February 4, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I recently fell down the rabbit hole of Untranslateable: “Untranslatable is an indie project that delves into the hidden aspects of languages by explaining words, idioms, and expressions contributed by native speakers. It goes beyond traditional translation, offering insights into … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Writing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

From-To

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The new website From-To promises to ‘make new places familiar’. It does this by comparing districts in the city you wish to travel to with a city you know well. For example if you are traveling to New York from … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Europe, Maps, Public Transport, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The future of the book

Posted on January 7, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

 

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

Free Ebooks with a difference

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Like everything else the cost of ebooks has continued to rise. So, it’s a relief to find a website that offers new digital editions of public domain and out of print books for free. The volunteers at Standard Ebooks  reproduce well-formatted … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Books, Tech, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Information Is Beautiful

Posted on November 26, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I am a sucker for infographics. Show me a cleverly designed graphic on any subject whatsoever and I’m in. So of course the Information is beautiful awards 2023 website sent me down an deep, deep rabbit hole. The Information Is Beautiful Awards … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Art, Maps, Museums, Public Transport, Tech | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Everybody Has A Podcast

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Maps.fm is a clever project that lets you use a world map to select podcast episodes that are about or related to a specific location on the map. Want to instantly be able to access every single podcast ever recorded … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Maps, Tech | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Another Option For Booklovers

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

A few months back, I signed up for a trial membership to the online “co-op bookstore” Tertulia and then promptly forgot about it when its emails went straight to my junk mailbox. However, this week I saw two references to the … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Books, USA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment