Wherein I Eat My Words

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I recently posted a story about an amazing, futuristic-looking library that opened in Tianjin, China. In doing so, I also bemoaned the sorry state of library support in the United States and the lack of commitment to public libraries in general. Well, lo and behold, I just discovered that this past weekend Austin, Texas celebrated the grand opening of its exciting new central library.

The institution, which is twice the size of the previous flagship library in the Texas capital city, cost a whopping $125 million to build. Along with the usual facilities, it boasts quite a few special amenities, including an outdoor reading deck, a dedicated bicycle garage, a unique laptop loan vending machine, and a cafe. Check out the brief video tour to see how it’s done in the Lone Star State.

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Death Takes A Holiday

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Everyone needs a break from their job now and then, even the grim reaper. This darkly humorous Instagram campaign titled “The Swim Reaper” was created by the government of New Zealand to raise awareness about watersport and beach safety. You can follow along right here. 

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The Norway of the year

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Every year when November rolls around I am reminded of the quote above from the great American 19th century poet Emily Dickinson. I probably first read the line during high school when I was going through that adolescent poetry phase. What did she mean ? No one knows for certain. In fact, Dickinson never visited Norway. But still, what a marvelously melancholy mood it conveys.

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Did you remember to get your visa

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Some of us spend more time traveling through fictional lands than we may care to admit. What if those imaginary countries actually issued their own passports and travel documents? Well, thanks to NeoMam Studios and Budget Direct we can have a peek at some of those novel documents.

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Dance Macabre

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

 La portentosa vida de la muerte (The Prodigious Life of Death) by Joaquín Bolaños, is a late 18th century Mexican novel that stars Death as a female protagonist ( la muerte in Spanish is a feminine noun).  The story begins in the Garden of Eden, where Death is born as a result of Adam’s sin and Eve’s guilt. Isn’t baby Death cute in her little cradle?  

Over the course of the book, Death grows up, goes on adventures, gets married several times (and kills all her husbands, of course), and is finally herself conquered on the Judgment Day.  Although Bolaños, a Franciscan, recommended the book “a los hombres de buen gusto” (to men of good taste or education), most contemporary people found the book too irreverent, morbid, and just plain weird.  Despite its poor reception, historians now see it as an important example of eighteenth-century Mexican literature and culture.

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David S. Pumpkins was not involved

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Oh My Gourd is a timely and wonderful stop motion animation carved from pumpkins. The amusing video, which required hours of work carving dozens of gourds, was directed by Sean Ohlenkamp and Rob Popkin.

 

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Library of the Future

Posted on October 29, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

While libraries in the West struggle with budget cuts and closures, China is building institutions for the future. Looking like it’s straight out of Bladerunner 2049, the new Tianjin Binhai Library occupies five floors of a huge cultural center and is packed with 1.2 million books. Designed by the Dutch MVRDV group, the library is already a popular social gathering spot in the northern port city.

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and let me play among the stars

Posted on October 28, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

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Hackney not hackneyed

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I was happy to discover that London-based artist/illustrator/cartographer Jenni Sparks has released a new series of London culture maps. The highly detailed typographic illustrations are the result of a year’s research and work. Each piece incorporates Sparks’ impressions of the city’s history and changing cultural landscape. The best part is that we can purchase prints from the series, as well as earlier maps and illustrations at Sparks’ website.

 

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Just Denali

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

A big h/t to TBTP follower Daniel Wood for sending the link for the video below. As I have mentioned previously, I’m an evangelist for Alaska travel. If you’ve got the time ( and the cash), it’s more than worth the effort. Most folks visit Denali in central Alaska during the summer months, but as you will see from Oregon-based photographer Taylor Gray’s amazing video Denali 4K autumn is one of the best times to be there. Like Gray, I was lucky enough to spend a little time in and around Denali during September when the fall colors were breathtaking.

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