How China’s ‘Unicorns’ Shook a Bicycle Town
Unicorn startups at China’s scale can produce some alarming by products. This is an example from the transportation industry, where the town of Wangqingtuo has been left with sizeable bicycle cemeteries.
Hand dryers v paper towels: the surprisingly dirty fight for the right to dry your hands
The tale of the epochal, fierce business war between increasingly sophisticated hand dryers and paper towels for primacy in the public bathroom.
The Invention of the ‘Salvator Mundi’
As the author of this piece puts it – “What connects Leonardo da Vinci, a Russian oligarch, a Baton Rouge sheet metal man, a Saudi prince, several major museums, and a Swiss tycoon?’. The answer – Salvator Mundi.
Guantánamo’s Darkest Secret
A friendship between a guard and an inmate highlights some of the most pernicious aspects of the world’s most infamous detention facility. The piece is a fine example of in depth reporting.
How Notre Dame inspired Henri Matisse, who depicted the cathedral as a living memory
The Washington Post’s art critic examines two radically different depictions of Notre Dame painted by Henri Matisse over a decade apart.
‘It’s genuine, you know?’: why the online influencer industry is going ‘authentic’
Behind the scenes in the world of influencers, where “authenticity” is the new watchword.
The Quest for the Most Elusive Material in Physics
A look at the search to find “the most miraculous substances of modern physics”, that speaks to the nature of scientific research. The substance turns out to be “a material that, at near room temperature, could transport electricity without losing power.”
Inside Ivanka’s Dreamworld
A profile of Ivanka Trump examines the tightrope she must walk to manage her public image whilst working in her father’s administration.