Category Archives: Europe

Amsterdam: Tag you’re it

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I recently received an email from KLM about their new “KLM Care Tag” project. The video below explains how it works, but it’s basically a cleverly designed location-aware luggage tag that provides voiced tips for tourists in Amsterdam. The speaker-equipped … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Travel, Europe, Museums, Public Transport, Tech, Tourism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Sharing is caring

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

When I was scrambling to learn a little Russian last year prior to a trip, I naively thought that shared letters between the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets would somehow make the task a little easier. Of course that proved to … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Tourism, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Cover Art

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Two years ago I shared a story about German designer Henning M. Lederer’s clever animated book covers. Now he’s back with another set of intriguing 20th century abstract cover design animations.

Posted in Animation, Art, Books, Europe, Film, Tech | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bookstore Tourism : Paris

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

When I’m in Paris, I sometimes find myself paralyzed by the bookstore choices. On my last visit, I counted twelve bookshops on a ten minute bus ride. And while I usually spend a day or two just browsing the fantastic … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Europe, Tourism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mother Tongues

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

The National Geographic’s senior graphics editor Alberto Lucas López created this wonderful pie chart to illustrate the proportional representation of the world’s twenty three most spoken languages. López based the graphic on native speakers, with each language marked by black … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, Maps, Middle East, South America, USA | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

It was a dark and stormy night

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Each year, the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest receives hundreds of entrants all competing to craft the worst opening sentence for an imaginary novel. The annual event celebrates English author and politician Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who once penned the infamous line “It was … Continue reading →

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

No Pulp Fictions

Posted on August 6, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

TBTP followers already know that I’m a sucker for art installations that incorporate books. So, an artwork that includes rescued discarded books from the last century is right up my alley. Enclosed Content Chatting Away in the Colour Invisibility by Amsterdam-based … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, Museums, USA | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Listen to the dark voices

Posted on August 4, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Karel Capek  

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

Helicopter Camping

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

We’ve seen lots of airplanes that have been converted into hotel accommodations, but this is the first helicopter to make the transition. The folks at Helicopter Glamping in Stirling, Scotland purchased a decommissioned Sea King search and rescue chopper from … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Hotels, Tourism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Madrid Labyrinth

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Spanish street art collective Luzinterruptus has been shining a spotlight on the wastefulness of tourists and locals in Madrid with another powerful environmental art installation. The Laberinto de Residuos Plasticos was created from water bottles discarded in and around the capital city’s historic Plaza Mayor during … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Europe, Tourism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment