Salman Rushdie v Imran Khan: it’s war
The novelist and the politician have fallen out, and it looks far more serious than the typical celebrity spatCelebrity spats are often inflated, even invented, by their publicists in the hope of pushing "the brand". But every now and again a ding-dong...
The advert that can tell who you are
It's like something out of the sci-fi film Minority Report – London is to hoast an advertising hoarding that can 'read' passers-by and customise its content to suit themTechnologists call it the Star Trek effect: show an imaginary sci-fi gadget on sc...
Don’t ‘quote’ me on that
Suddenly, quotation marks are turning up in all the wrong places – but one blog is out to show misusers the error of their waysThe grammar police are not happy. The incorrect use of quotation marks has got them so riled they have inevitably taken to ...
Carleton Watkins and the photographs that saved Yosemite
Carleton Watkins's photographs influenced the decision to protect Yosemite in perpetuity. His champions equate him with Cézanne, but his environmental legacy is arguably even greaterDuring the summer of 1861, a 35-year-old photographer called Carleton...
Fly-by-night inventions
Concrete furniture and pigeon-guided missiles – why did these ideas fail to catch on?Albert Einstein was on the money about many things, but a tad optimistic when it came to pursuing madcap schemes: "If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is ...
Which book best inspires an understanding of the environment? | Leo Hickman
A carefully chosen book about the environment can make a large impression on an 18-year-oldMy niece is approaching her 18th birthday. She seems to be very interested and compassionate about wildlife, as are so many children/young adults of her age. I h...
Disappearing world: 100 places under threat from climate change
A new book highlights 100 areas of the planet that could vanish because of global warming – and encourages us to visit them before they do. Leo Hickman reviews the book – and is mesmerised by some of the placesHorace, the Roman poet, was probably n...
Disappearing world
A new book, 100 Places to Go Before They Disappear, highlights 100 areas of the planet that could vanish because of global warming – and encourages us to visit them before they doLeo Hickman
How Horrible Histories became a huge hit
The CBBC TV version of Horrible Histories has won yet another award. Now the kids' show, which has become cult daytime viewing, is moving to a primetime slotThe feedback from the BBC was unambiguous: "We really like it, but we feel the poo quotient nee...
The forest: from fairytales to horror films
The 'deep, dark wood' is both a magical realm and a place of dangerForests have the ability to stir a wide range of emotions in humans. And it has not gone unnoticed by story-tellers.From an early age, children are familiarised with the narrative devi...
Are ebooks greener than paper books? | Leo Hickman
Should we be chopping down trees to make books? Or would it be better for the environment if we all read books digitally on Kindles and Sony Readers?I've just bought a Kindle e-reader and, looking at all my shelves of books at home, am left wondering w...
