Mind Your Metro Manners

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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The Japanese are generally considered to be among the most polite people, but even the world’s most courteous folk need friendly reminders to respect other travelers on public transportation.

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Each year Tokyo Metro, the group that runs the city’s subway network, issues a new series of colorful posters to urge riders to mind their manners. so watch where you’re rolling, please turn off that mobile phone and always turn down your music.

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Mi Casa Es Su Casa

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Behomm is the first home exchange website created specifically for the creative community. Developed by Barcelona-based artists Agust Juste and Eva Calduch, Behomm is an invitation only vacation home exchange for creative types.

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The site allows two parties to swap homes for up to a month for “free”, although Behomm does charge an annual membership fee for the introductions. A visit to the website shows home listings from around the globe, including some pretty awesome properties.

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So if you’re a creative professional (and the range is extensive), to join the Behomm community either visit the website and fill-out a registration form or have a current member invite you to join.

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Bye-Bye Banksy

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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The mysterious street artist Banksy has completed the final piece of his “Better Out Than In” NYC residency. His “inflatable throw-up on the Long Island Expressway” in the Borough of Queens is a simple set of balloons spelling out Banksy.

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The elusive prankster also released an “official Banksy New York residency souvenir T-shirt” on his website. Fans are encouraged to download the image and print their own shirts.

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Now that the hub-bub is over, what was your favorite piece (if you care)? I’m split between the rolling, animatronic, abattoir-bound animals and the wistful “banality of evil” Nazi portrait at the Housing Works Bookstore.

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Grimm City

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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The 200th anniversary of the first publication of the Brothers Grimm fairytales was marked with a wide variety of touristy events in Germany. But the most imaginative and innovative celebration was a collaboration by a group of designers and architects. The project, coordinated by FleaFolly Architects, resulted in the creation of a model Grimm City complete with factories, theaters, churches and more. The elaborate model can currently be seen at London’s Design Museum, but hopefully it will travel to a grim city near you very soon.

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Algorithms Are So 1984

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

I’m loving the new blog called Go Book Yourself. The collaborative effort from Anna James, Daniel Dalton and Rob Goodswen describes itself as “book recommendations by humans, because algorithms are so 1984.” The website offers thoughtful book selections that are intuitive and sometimes unexpected. If you’re searching for a good read, it’s well worth a spin.

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Halloween II

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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All houses wherein men have lived and died Are haunted houses. Through the open doors The harmless phantoms on their errands glide, With feet that make no sound upon the floors.

We meet them at the door-way, on the stair, Along the passages they come and go, Impalpable impressions on the air, A sense of something moving to and fro.

There are more guests at table than the hosts Invited; the illuminated hall Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts, As silent as the pictures on the wall.

The stranger at my fireside cannot see The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear; He but perceives what is; while unto me All that has been is visible and clear. […]

So from the world of spirits there descends A bridge of light, connecting it with this, O’er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends, Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss.

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 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Happy Halloween

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

Happy Halloween : via the ever witty webcomic The Gentleman’s Armchair.

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Every Which Way

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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During the past few months, I’ve taken more than a dozen city-specific transportation apps for a spin in half a dozen major metropolitan areas. Invariably I’ve been disappointed by flashy apps that failed to deliver. Sometimes the interface was just plain confusing. In other cases the information was not current or even totally inaccurate.

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So, I was pleasantly surprised when I tried out the new Citymapper app for New York City this week. The app, created by the same team that produced the popular London Citymapper, is comprehensive, easy to use and spot-on accurate. The app integrates real-time data across all of NYC’s various transport options, including bus, subway, bike and pedestrian. It provides timely alerts on transit disruptions. It even provides the user with estimates of calories burned for each travel choice.

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The success of Citymapper stems not from arcane algorithms but from brilliant unification of data from the MTA, Google Maps, Apple Maps, OpenStreetMaps and Forecast.io. The integrated real-time data results in a treasure of transportation information at your fingertips instantaneously. And best of all, it’s free.

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Train Trivia

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

I’m a huge supporter of public transit systems, and when I travel I always try and make the most of public transport options. But wherever I go the locals seem to have nothing but complaints about their own underground train systems. So, this fact-filled comparison infographic from the clever boots at Time Out New York is a refreshing bit of braggadocio. Although, truth be told, I’ve been riding the NYC subways all of my life and I’m not convinced it stacks up so well.

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Free Haruki Murakami

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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In a dramatic reversal of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis , Haruki Murakami has turned the fabulous tale on its head with his new short story titled “Samsa in Love”. You can read it for free over at the New Yorker. And, if  the author of Kafka on the Shore has you yearning to reread the Kafka masterpiece, you can get a free e-book version right here.

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