Books

Hold on to your brain. Accelerando may cause cognitive overload. Trying to “understand” Charles Stross’s latest novel starts with something called the Singularity. The Singularity is a point in the future where technological progress and societal change produce such superhuman intelligence that those who precede the event are unable to …

Want to know when The Age of Enlightenment ended and what is responsible? Francis Wheen thinks he has it pinpointed in How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World. According to Wheen, 1979 “marks the moment when the world was jolted by a violent reaction to the complacency of the existing order.” This …

Visitors to London often ask: "Where's the centre?" They're surprised to find locals responding: "Umm, which centre do you mean?

It’s almost impossible to walk into a bookstore or look at a bestseller list these days without seeing some new “miracle cure” health book. Conquering Diabetes by Dr. Ann Peters isn’t in that category. Rather than promise miracle solutions, it offers a practical, patient-oriented approach toward dealing with diabetes. There’s …

Words usually have something to hide—you have to shake them until the top pops off and some revelation tumbles out..."

It seems the catalogue of books about the Beatles is limitless. Written as an “insider” view, Magical Mystery Tours is a gossipy and intimate entry in that catalogue. Tony Bramwell grew up with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon in Liverpool. Bramwell was around as the three began playing …

I've never been a great believer in the "blood is thicker than water" theory ...

“Politics don’t belong in sports” is an oft-heard mantra. The fact is, the two are such a large part of American society they cannot help but be intertwined. Look at the focus on Pat Tillman when he left the NFL to join the Army and when he was killed in …

I can pretty well guarantee you'll find some new view of one of your favourite puzzles.

On a casual stroll through a bookstore my eye caught Robert’s Rules of Writing. Because of it’s play on Robert’s Rules of Order. I took the book from the shelf and flipped it over, mostly interested to see what angle this author took on the over-published topic of how to …