Those of us who absolutely must have something to read at all times are always on the hunt for quick reads for short trips and long waits. This infographic, created by Ebook Friendly, suggests 24 choices for 1 hour reads. Some are familiar literary classics by iconic authors, but many are lesser known nshort novels, novellas and short stories.
With more than 1.2 million accommodation listings in more than 34,000 cities worldwide, and a $24 billion valuation, Airbnb may seem like any other corporate juggernaut crushing the competition and disregarding community needs. But the online rental service seems to have a heart.
Next week, Airbnb will be notifying more than 100,000 hosts in the U.S. about a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide free shelter in disaster areas. With the North American hurricane season in full swing, Airbnb hosts in the southern United States, especially on the Gulf Coast, will be asked to prepare to house both victims and rescue workers in the event of a major storm.
While I might quibble with the specific book choices, I love the concept of this infographic from Fly Abu Dhabi. I always try and find good reads on my travel destinations before a trip. Travel guidebooks are great for history and background, but fiction offers the cultural nuance.
New York City-based painter Andrea Bergart has been transforming s fleet of Brooklyn cement mixer trucks into rolling art works for the past three years. Inspired by everything from World War I naval camouflage patterns to African kente cloth, Bergart covers the rotating cylinders of the massive trucks with colorful moving public art installations. Visit her website to learn more about the project and to see a very cool video.
American journalist Charli James went behind the scenes with an extraordinary railway cleaning crew to document their amazing “7 Minute Miracle” refresh of the famed Shinkansen bullet train in Tokyo.
I paid my dues as a flea market bookseller, but the random gallimaufry of book shelves, boxes and tables of my book stall pales when I see the brilliance of Jeff Towns’ traveling “BookBus”. Officially called Dylan’s Mobile Bookstore, the bookmobile turns up at markets, festivals and cultural events throughout Wales and England. The name stems from Towns’ other role as the resident Dylan Thomas expert in the village of Newton, Wales, just southwest of Swansea on the Swansea Bay.
You can follow the Dylan Mobile on Facebook and learn more about the history of the project, which is rooted in Jeff Towns’ forty plus years as an antiquarian bookseller.
I first discovered the very cool retro look illustrations from Danish artist Mads Berg when I did a story on the Canary Island tourist bureau rebranding last year. After running across more examples of his Deco-inspired poster and ad art this week, I decided to take another look.
I wasn’t surprised that his contemporary take on classic travel posters and ads is in demand by clients as diverse as Orangina, Monocle magazine, LEGOLAND and Swiss tourism.
Clearly drawing on iconic travel art by the likes of Jean-Gabriel Domergue, George Ham and Roger Broders, Berg’s cleverly designed, often featureless figures, allow the viewer to focus on the message rather than design details.
Overheard at Small World Coffee in Princeton, New Jersey this week: “Enough already with the blogs and tweeting”. Yeah, maybe enough with the tweeting, but I say keep the blogs coming.
This week the New York Public Library opened its always popular summer outdoor reading room on the Fifth Avenue plaza near 40th street in the heart of Manhattan. “The outdoor Reading Room 2015: Read Everywhere!” is open daily 10AM to 7PM daily through July 17th.
The alfresco library annex offers author talks, book swaps, librarian recommended books, and space for readers to share their own book suggestions. Learn more right here.
With all of the time that travelers are forced to spend in airports these days, free and fast wifi has become even more important. The website Rotten WiFi has compiled crowd sourced speed test data on more than 130 airports in 53 countries worldwide to determine which airports have the fastest wifi.
The top ten list includes 3 Asian, 5 European, and surprisingly 2 U.S. airports.
