Category Archives: apps

Boating on the Thames

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

The next time that I’m in London I look forward to using the recently launched Uber boat service. Thanks to a partnership with Thames Clippers the ride-hailing service will be operating a fleet of 20 boats making stops at 23 … Continue reading →

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

How You Can Help From Anywhere

Posted on June 9, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

If you would like to help the Black Lives Matter movement but don’t know how, or are not able to contribute financially, a group of thoughtful YouTubers have created monetized videos that directly support affiliated organizations — all you need … Continue reading →

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Meditate on This

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

My saving grace during this pandemic has been my long time meditation practice. Along with my personal practice, I have been able to engage in daily online group meditation with like minded folks around the world. Don’t worry, I’m not … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Books, ebooks, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Street Smart

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Andrei Kashcha’s City Roads tool will draw you a map of just the roads in any city around the world. Beware map geeks: Down the rabbit hole.  

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

Your 2019 Leaf Peeping Guide

Posted on September 21, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Each year at this time, Smokeymountains.com posts a wonderful Fall foliage prediction map. This handy tool allows leaf peepers to plan their Autumn travels based on prime leaf colors. The site also offers some helpful information on the science of … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Don’t Get Lost

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

  Google Maps: Live View If you still managed to get lost despite using Google Maps, augmented reality directions are here. On August 8th, Google launched a beta version of its Live View mode in Google Maps, which uses your … Continue reading →

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Poetry Generator

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, Google launched its AI poem generator, PoemPortraits.  How  does it work? It’s really quite simple. The generator asks you to input, or “donate,” a word to be produced into an algorithmic couplet, as lifted from millions of words … Continue reading →

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Does anybody really know what time it is

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Artist, writer, and data scientist Ross Goodwin created this brilliant website that tells the current time in your own time zone using passages from public domain digital books available at Project Guttenberg. When you visit Text Clock, you will find paragraphs with … Continue reading →

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Follow The North Star

Posted on November 10, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, civil rights activist and progressive journalist Shaun King announced that he will be resurrecting the North Star, the abolitionist newspaper started by Frederick Douglass and Martin Delany 171 years ago, after receiving legal permission and a blessing from Douglass’ family. King … Continue reading →

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Are You Ready For Insta Novels

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Yesterday the New York Public Library launched a brilliant new way to enjoy classic literature. Insta Novels brings short stories, novellas, and even novels to readers in a new digital format. All readers need to do is follow @nypl on Instagram to … Continue reading →

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