Category Archives: South America

Waterman Butterfly, Hobo-Dyer, or Goode Homolosine

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I nearly did a Master’s degree in Geography, but the constant battles over map projections put me off. This clever video by Randall Munroe helps to explain some of the most popular options. You don’t have to be a map … Continue reading →

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Lord of Books

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

José Alberto Gutiérrez is a former trash collector from Bogotá, Colombia, who  spent over 20 years collecting books discarded by residents during his night shifts. Gutiérrez together with his family created a home library called ‘La Fuerza de las Palabras’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Libraries, South America | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

we owe literature almost everything we are

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

“You said that we owe literature almost everything we are and what we have been. If books disappear, history will disappear, and human beings will also disappear. I am sure you are right. Books are not only the arbitrary sum … Continue reading →

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Age is just a state of mind (or not)

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Inspired by his own series of giant paste-up portraits, the French street artist known as  JR started a scheme back in 2011 encouraging people around the world to participate in his Inside Out project by doing their own pastings. They … Continue reading →

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Walk This Way

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Most of us have not had the option to travel during the past year, so we have to make do with any virtual alternative that comes along. Until it’s safe again, you can almost satisfy those travel urges with City … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, Film, Middle East, South America, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Year of the Mask

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

“Beyond Noh” by Patrick Smith is a mesmerizing trip through thousands of mask from around the world, including the now ubiquitous Covid-19 protective devices.  The vivid images span dozens of cultures and time periods and shift from one to the next … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Animation, Art, Asia, Europe, Film, Museums, South America | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Guess Where

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

City Guesser is a geography based browser game that strives to provide an exceptional travel and guessing experience by allowing participants to guess where in the world they are from short video clips. I spent way to much time at … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Europe, Maps, Middle East, South America, Tech, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Pandemic Art

Posted on January 6, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The New York City-based Brazilian-born Japanese artist Oscar Oiwa found himself in similar circumstances as many folks when the pandemic began last year. His projects and travels were all postponed, and he found himself locked down in his NYC apartment. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, South America, USA | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

2020 Reading Habits

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic forced most of the world to spend more time at home and provided many with unexpected time for leisure activities. Some folks decided to learn a new language, others took up new hobbies, but booklovers discovered … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Books, ebooks, Europe, South America, USA, Writing | 1 Comment

be an ingenuous reader

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

“I must be a very ingenuous reader, because I’ve never thought that novelists mean to say more than what they say. When Franz Kafka says that Gregory Samsa woke up one morning transformed into a gigantic insect, it doesn’t strike … Continue reading →

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