PJ O’Rourke at his home in Sharon, New Hampshire, in 2009. Photograph: David Howells/Corbis/Getty ImagesPJ O’Rourke at his home in Sharon, New Hampshire, in 2009. Photograph: David Howells/Corbis/Getty ImagesMediaObituaryPJ O’Rourke obituaryConservative American humorist, political satirist and writer who took aim at his own generation – the baby boomersThe American humorist PJ O’Rourke, who has died aged 74 of lung cancer, was a writer of sharp wit that ranged from dry to lusciously over the top, but was always leavened by a measure of self deprecation that stopped it from being cruel or harsh. Read More...
SPECULATIVE SCIENCEWhat temperature does a vacuum have? Torkel, Sydney, Australia
What temperature does a question have? The question is a category error but it does raise an interesting point about heat transference. Heat is transferred by three means: conduction, convection and radiation. A coal fire convects most of its heat up the chimney (I think this may be an example of an 80/20 split), radiates almost all the rest into the room and if you put a poker into it, it will conduct heat into it. Read More...
GardensDepend on flowers to brighten up your plot and add a little magic to savouries, salads, puddings and cocktailsI ate a lot of flowers last year. Not terribly filling, I'll admit, but they proved to be the most magical of ingredients, turning a green salad into a flowery mead and a scoop of ice-cream into a fairy castle. They earned their keep pre‑harvest, too: they looked so at home on the allotment, nestling brightly and dependably among the veg, and providing something to lift the heart even when skies were grey and produce was lacking. Read More...
