Star Maker (1937) is a sci-fi novel written by British writer Olaf Stapledon. It describes the rich tapestry of cosmic evolution, surpassing in scale his previous novel First and Last Men (1930), which details the history of humanity from the present day back to two million years ago. Star Maker tells the story of a…
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When most people think of entrepreneurs or freelancers who have taken their careers into their own hands and have broken free from the conventional structures of the working world, so to speak, the first thoughts that come to mind are things like “cunning”, “hard-working”, “strategic”, and “pragmatic”. And, of course, to make it on your…
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Asylum designs in the 19th century were believed by medical practitioners, psychiatrists, and asylum architects to ameliorate, if not cure, madness. (In this essay, I will use the term ‘madness’ instead of mental illness because as sociologist Andrew Scull highlights, “for much of history, “mad” or some cognate of it really was the word that…
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This article was originally published on Blue Labyrinths. Author: Matt Bluemink. French comic book artist and illustrator Jean Giraud (1938-2012), aka Moebius, has had, perhaps, a more profound influence on the contemporary imagination than any other artist working in his field in the 20th century, yet many people will have never even heard his name.…
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Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer is incredibly well researched, features a balanced and mixed source of opinions and expertise, and covers the entire spectrum of moral issues raised by animal agriculture. Safran Foer writes in an accessible and relatable way about the uncomfortable horrors of meat production, using touches of humour and urgency when appropriate…
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