Mapping Charles Dickens

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

If you follow this blog you are well aware of the varied events, exhibitions and publications celebrating what would have been Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday. You can discover many of the happenings surrounding the Bicentenary by visiting the Museum of London (or the website) and the Charles Dickens Museum on Doughty Street London, where Dickens lived and wrote for two years in his twenties.

But if you are a true cartophile, as well as a Dickens fan, you should check-out this amazing Google map that picks out every location mentioned in Dickens’ novels.

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Red Aurora (the other one)

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

We’ve been treated to so many fantastic videos of the Aurora Borealis this season, but not much on the fabulous Aurora Australis. So here’s a gorgeous short film from cinematographer Alex Cherney that was taken not far from Melbourne Australia at the Mornmington Peninsula. The stunning video was filmed on January 16th and 22nd.

You can discover more about the crazy way charged particles from the Sun excite oxygen atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere to create these wild red skies at the terrastro blog.

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London Eye …redux

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

I was intrigued when I heard that the London Eye had undergone a renovation and relaunch. I imagined all kinds of spectacular technological upgrades to the giant Thames-side ferris wheel. but I was let down when I discovered that all EDF Energy (the sponsor) did was to add a few interactive Samsung Galaxy tablets (not even iPads) to the rotating pod capsules. The tablets simply offer info on 55 famous landmarks and “360º inside looks” at the sights. The first upgrade in 11 years, and all the punters get is second-rate tablets, big whoop.

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On Eurobus

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Eurobus is a compilation of digital photographs shot by artist/photographer Taylor Holland while traveling around Paris by bicycle. The book, published by Matmos Press of Montreal, is dedicated to the anonymous artists who design the over-the-top graphics that cover all of those enormous European tour buses. You know, those garish behemoths that crowd the streets of every European city, town and village.

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Monday Miscellany

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

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Paris vs. New York

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Last year we pointed you to the delightful and entertaining blog Paris versus New York which was created by artist/graphic designer Vahram Muratyan. Now the whimsical chronicle of the idiosyncratic styles of the two great cities has become a lighthearted new book (actually two books). Paris versus New York: A Tally of Two Cities colorfully illustrates both the dissimilarities and parallels of the two cultural capitals exploring everything from iconic architectural symbols to male facial hair styles and from food passions to reading habits

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Where Dickens Lived

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Next week marks the official Charles Dickens Bicentennial, but commemorations have been taking place around the world for months. Now a new book by Cambridge University Professor Ruth Richardson has uncovered the real-life people who inspired Dickens’ iconic characters.

Dickens and the Workhouse: Oliver Twist and the London Poor (Oxford University Press) explores the London neighborhood where Dickens lived as a child. It began when Richardson discovered a four-story workhouse from the 1770s in Cleveland Street, London, which was likely the inspiration for the notorious workhouse in Oliver Twist. Richardson then uncovered a surprising fact previously missed by Dickens scholars: Cleveland Street was formerly known as Norfolk Street. Researchers had long known that Dickens lived in an apartment above a corner shop at 10 Norfolk Street, but they assumed the building had disappeared ages ago. Richardson re-discovered the building, now at the address 22 Cleveland Street. Dickens actually lived a just nine doors away from the infamous workhouse. Richardson then delved deeper into the life and times of the Cleveland Street neighborhood in Dickens’ day, revealing several more surprises:

  •         A “William Sykes” sold tallow and wax at 11 Cleveland Street. (Possible inspiration for Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist)
  •        A “Mr. Sowerby” owned a nearby pub. (Possible inspiration for the undertaker Sowerberry in Oliver Twist)
  •         A “Dan Weller” cobbled shoes across the street from Dickens’ flat. (Possible inspiration for Sam Weller in the Pickwick Papers)
  •         A “Mrs. Corney” sold and repaired gloves nearby and a “Mrs. Malie,” the wife of a local doctor, also lived on the same street. (Possible inspiration for Mrs Corney and Mrs. Maylie respectively in Oliver Twist).
  •         A dancing master was a fellow lodger in Dickens’ building. (Possible inspiration for the dancing master in Sketches by Boz).
  •        A pawnbroker shop was located just up the street. (The plot of Oliver Twist hinges upon a locket pawned from Oliver’s dead mother).
  •        Two tradesmen operated a nearby shop under the name of their partnership, “Goodge and Marney.” (Possible inspiration for “Scrooge and Marley” in the Christmas Carol).

In this Youtube video Richardson visits the London setting that inspired Dickens: 

 

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I Am Packed

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Well, actually I am not packed, not yet at least. But the trés clever website I Am Packed is a chronicle  about the real start of all adventures—the packing. The user created blog is a simple catalog via uploaded photos of travelers stuff, along with their packing lists, names, ages, occupations, locations and destinations. It’s oddly entertaining. Take a peek.

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Switzerland For Free

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

How would you like to spend a relaxing week in the Swiss Alps, while avoiding the stress and tedium of international travel—and all for free ? Do you want to escape to a pristine mountain hideaway for five days in a cozy, lakefront room ?

For the last decade, Vue des Alpes has been offering the opportunity for a free five day stay at an idyllic alpine hotel. All you need is a reservation and a little imagination.

Artists Monica Studer and Christopher van den Berg who are based in Basel, Switzerland created the Vue des Alpes project in 2001. Their graphical online holiday offering is a tongue-in-cheek cyber escape that completely eliminates jet-lag.

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Watermelon Sugar

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Monday would have been iconic 60s writer Richard Brautigan‘s 77th birthday. No one seems to be reading Brautigan these days. What a pity; his work has so much to offer. This Youtube video of his daughter Ianthe reading from Brautigan’s story, “One Afternoon in 1939”, is a gem from his collection Revenge of the Lawn. In 2001, she published the bittersweet You Can’t Catch Death:A Daughter’s Memoir about her life with her father during the 60s. Richard Brautigan committed suicide in 1984.

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