The True Way Is Along A Rope

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Brian D. Butler
Austrian writer Franz Kafka

Austrian writer Franz Kafka (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Are you a Kafka fan? Do you love animation like a kid craves Saturday morning cartoons? If you do, set aside twenty minutes to absorb this fantastic Japanese animated film version of Franz Kafka‘s cryptic story A Country Doctor directed by Koji Yamamura. I promise that you won’t be disappointed. (but no refunds on your twenty minutes)

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I’ll Drink To That

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

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When the private company that provided night bus service in Ghent, Belgium stopped the operation, the municpal government found an innovative solution with an unlikely partner. In the new collaboration, the Antwerp-based brewery De Koninck agrred to cover the cost of the night bus system in Ghent in exchange for sole ad rights on the buses. An added benefit is the brewery’s buy-in to a municipal drunk driving reduction campaign.

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Fables for Living

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

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Readers with a proclivity for short-form fiction will relish Electric Literature. This uber-cool multimedia literary magazine can be read on mobile devices, e-readers or even in traditional, old-fashioned paper format. Publishing for three years, Electric Literature commissions work from contemporary literary stars, including Rick Moody, Nathan Englander, Aimee Bender and Kevin Brockmeier. The tech-forward zine also commissions some fantastic short videos and animations that riff on their story selections.

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Underground Books

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

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By now most bibliophiles have participated in, or at least heard about, bookswapping programs. The latest book give-away scheme is London’s Books on the Underground. All that’s necessary to be a participant is to visit the project website, request some stickers and start sharing. So, if you’re going to be in London, plan ahead and get youself some stickers. (h/t to Evan Smythe)

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Meaning Minus Truth

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

I’m a fool for book-based art installations, as you may have already surmised. So here’s new one called “Meaning Minus Truth Condition” by Vienna-based artist Thomas Ehgartner. Built with 8,000 recycled books, the installation in the Kunstacademie Wien also includes two computers which voice random Wikipedia entries and snippets of text from the Guttenberg Online Archive.

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Frequent Fliers

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

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Sparked by Korean photographer Ho-Yeol Ryu’s now iconic composite photograph (above) of planes at the Hannover, Germany airport, documentary filmmaker and photographer Cy Kuckenbacker created this phenomenal time-lapse video (below). While much of America was out worshiping at the altar of mamman on November 23rd, Kuckenbaker captured every landing at San Diego International Airport between 10:30am and 3pm.

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Amsterdam Goes Green(er)

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

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This October, Reuben Beugel’s new company Hopper launched an innovative, eco-friendly taxi service in Amsterdam using chauffer-driven electric scooters. Charging a flat-rate fee of just € 2.50 regardless of the distance traveled Hopper’s service is quicker than traditional taxis, as it can bypass traffic jams and take advantage of Amsterdam’s tiny streets and alleys closed to larger vehicles.

The Hopper scooters can be booked on the website, by phone, with a smart phone app or be flagged down on the street. The service is currently running in the city centre, the Pijp and Zuidas, but there are plans for expansion this year to Utrecht, Rotterdam and the Hague.

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What’s On Your List ?

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

If you follow this blog, I think that it’s safe to assume that books are high on your holiday gift-giving (and getting) lists. So, I thought that it would be appropriate to share some links to end of the year “best of ” lists. You may find some great titles that you’ve missed, I know I did, on the New York Times Notable Books of 2012, NPR Best Books of 2012 Complete List , or the many Guardian lists.

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What’s on your best of list this year? I’ve been an evangelist for HHhH by Laurent Binet, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker, The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, and The Last Policeman by Ben Winters.

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How Many Have You Read ?

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

I never finished Infinite Jest, nor have I read any of David Foster Wallace’s other overvalued twaddle, but I found Goodread’s infographic a hipster lit flowchart quite entertaining. The inclusion of Open City and Leaving the Atocha Station, two other abundantly praised, but considerably disappointing novels elicited more chuckles. On a positive note, Embassytown and Zone One are terrific novels that both transcend genre characterization. I’m safely senescent enough to ever be marked a hipster, but see how you stand on this flowchart.

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Empire State of Mind

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

This week, New Yorkers were treated to a brand new LED lightshow on the fabled Empire State Building. The remarkable show, synched to music from Alicia Keys and Jay-Z, was made possible by Philips Color Kinetics. The company replaced an aging system of hundreds of flood lights with an amazing array of 1200 cutting-edge LED fixtures that can project millions of color and light combinations.

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