How Does Yours Rank

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

World-Passports

The Passport Index is an interactive website that collects, displays and ranks passports from countries around the world. Passports can be explored by country name, cover color, world map, and by “Passport Power Rank”. Guess who is number 1?

us-passport

 

Posted in Air Travel, Tourism, USA | Tagged | 1 Comment

Call Allen Ginsberg

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

allenginsberg

I nearly forgot to mention that this is National Poetry Month. To celebrate San Francisco’s literary heritage and to commemorate the Beat Poets, a clever cabal of contemporary hipsters developed the “Call Allen Ginsberg” project. They installed street art pieces around the city featuring a silhouette of the iconic poet and a phone number. If you call the number—and you can call from anywhere in the world—you will hear poems read by local poets. So, give Allen a call at 415-763-6968.

Posted in Art, Books, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Sonnet 27

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

512px-Title_page_William_Shakespeares_First_Folio_1623

Two years ago, the New York Shakespeare Exchange launched an ambitious, crowdfunded project to create 154 short films based on Shakespeare Sonnets. The Sonnet Project, which features 154 different actors filmed in 154 different New York City locations, aims to bring Shakespeare to people who may not connect with his work.

Sonnet 27, the 100th episode in the project, premiered this week, starring Emmy-winning actress Carrie Preston. You can find all 100 sonnet films at The Sonnet Project.

Posted in Film, Theater, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Hey Taxi

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

Whether you call them cabs, taxis, jitneys, jeepneys, or hacks, when you need to get somewhere fast they’re worth the price. This infographic from The Taxi Centre compares rides around the world.

a1aa

 

 

 

Posted in Europe, Public Transport, South America, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

London G. O. T.

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

It seems that most people that I know are counting down the hours until the new season of Game of Thrones begins tonight. Although those of us who were early readers of the Ur text are already grumbling about the rumored changes to the story line. But we can all have a laugh at the Londonist’s take on what GOT would like be if set in London.

westeroshampstead

youknownothing

joffrey

lannistercard-634x500

Kingscrosslanding

Posted in Books, Europe, Maps, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Why Not Brooklyn

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

home-slider-slide-1

When I first heard that there was a store in New York City devoted to the humble pencil, I assumed that it was in Brooklyn—the home of all things artisanal. But surprisingly CW Pencil is located on Forsyth Street in the Lower East Side. Launched about four months ago, the shop has more than just pencils—that’d be silly—there are erasers, sharpeners and notebooks too.

CDGrafik_large

Pencil entrepreneur Caroline Weaver explains the shop this way:

“My love for pencils stems from many things. I was definitely influenced by my mother’s obsession with nice pencils but mostly I just grew to appreciate them on my own. In school it’s cool to use a mechanical pencil, but most of them are cheap, the lead breaks and they’re generally just truly awful. I made it a point to always have an arsenal of freshly sharpened pencils with me from a young age and grew to appreciate the feeling of writing with something so tactile. The smell of the wood, and the sensation of sharpening—nothing beats it, really.”

PalominoIndividualPencil

05_RainbowPencil_insitu_LR

Posted in Tourism, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Just Plane Revolting

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

airline-passengers

What type of airplane passenger are you? I’d like to think that I’m considerate and patient, but that’s becoming more and more difficult with the crowded conditions and appalling behavior of other travelers. A recently released study commissioned by the European Union Aviation Advisory Board suggests that there are nineteen categories of airline passengers. You can see the detailed list at this website, but here’s a synopsis:

  • The Aisle Clogger . Can’t seem to stow their baggage and are constantly popping up to remove another essential item from the overhead.
  • The Armrest Hog. What’s so hard about sharing?
  • The Children. Screaming stinky infants, seat kicking toddlers, and wandering feral kids.
  • The Complainer . Let me count the whines.
  • The Couples . Not just the gropers.
  • The Disease Sharer. At least sneeze into your sleeve.
  • The Drinker. Aren’t there enough opportunities to get drunk after the flight?
  • The Easy-Going Passenger . Just me and you.
  • The Ill-Mannered. Too many to name.
  • The Luggage Hog. The carry-on rules don’t apply to him; he’s special.
  • The Odor Offender. “The Stinker” and not just the feet.
  • The Oversized Passenger. Seats are getting smaller and tighter, while the average flyer is ballooning.
  • The Personal Space Invader. The lounger, the spreader and the armrest hog.
  • The Recliner. At least warn me before slamming the seat back.
  • The Self-Important Passenger. Always flies Business Class, except on your flight.
  • The Sleeper. Hogs all the space and then snores the entire flight.
  • The Talker. “The Babbler”, the “lonely heart”, and the idiot who won’t just let you read.
  • The Techies. Does the “gadget guy” really need a laptop, iPad and iPhone on the plane?
  • The Toilet  . We all gotta go sometime, but don’t you just hate the “toilet line crasher”?

o-ANNOYING-PLANE-PASSENGERS-570

opera-airplane-flashmob

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

NYC Subway

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

subway

Posted in Animation, Art, Public Transport, USA | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Life’s a bench

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

Life-of-a-Bench-Gabor-Erdely-7

Life of a Bench is an intriguing photo essay created by the very talented Hungarian freelance photographer Gabor Erdélyi. Shot over the course of an entire year, the 100 plus images simply document life happening on and around a public bench in Barcelona’s seaside neighborhood of Barceloneta in the Ciutat Vella district.

Life-of-a-Bench-Gabor-Erdely-2

Life-of-a-Bench-Gabor-Erdely-3

Life-of-a-Bench-Gabor-Erdely-4

Life-of-a-Bench-Gabor-Erdely-18

Life-of-a-Bench-Gabor-Erdely-8

Life-of-a-Bench-Gabor-Erdely-1

Life-of-a-Bench-Gabor-Erdely-16

Life-of-a-Bench-Gabor-Erdely-5

Life-of-a-Bench-Gabor-Erdely-12

all photos © Gabor Erdelyi

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

Whale Watching

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

abf494d9fd8f68dfb6587cf3c9bf7432

It’s impossible to resist the infectious joy of Nevercrew’s whale wall art. The Swiss duo—Pablo Togni and Christian Rebecchi—have been creating art together since 1996. During the past year, they’ve traveled to Hamburg, Dublin, Cairo, Belgrade, Berlin and Winterthur spreading the fun.

7c480f081cf14d90d253a51bfa1d9965

2dfef5a292ebf9cd0ea51ffcdc684069

Posted in Art, Europe, Middle East | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment