Toaster-like contraption brings scents to gaming

That decades-long quest for olfactory accompaniment to your favourite game or video might finally be over.

Under the stars with Sting

Almost 12,000 people enjoyed a magical moment under the stars at a winery just outside of Perth on Saturday night as Sting, performing with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, kicked off his Australian Symphonicity tour.

Beauty and the beastly

‘HOW beastly the bourgeois is,” wrote famous miner’s son D. H. Lawrence in a particularly waspish poem sometime in the 1920s. “Especially the male of the species. Presentable, eminently presentable . . . Doesn’t he look the fresh clean Englishman, outside?” Inside, however, Lawrence believes his well-turned English gent is as dry and airy as a mushroom. “Let him come home to a bit of moral difficulty,” he warns. “Let life face him with a new demand on his understanding and then watch him go soggy, like a wet meringue.”

Garden variety cool

The hit television series Mad Men and 1970s boho looks are influencing new-season trends, so it’s not surprising floral dresses are more popular than they have been in a long, long time.

Ever-expanding waistlines mean obese dominate

THERE is nothing more certain than death and taxes, but now most Australians can add one more thing to that list: an ever-expanding waistline.

No country for young men – A profile of perplexed youths fighting for homes

Every generation believes it faces greater challenges than those of its parents. In a way, they are right – the young generation confronts a relatively different environment and has to contend with problems their parents or grandparents never faced.

Sullen soul of New York – Lawrence Block talks hardboiled mystery

Last week, 73-year-old novelist Lawrence Block visited Beijing to share his ideas about writing with Chinese readers. Named a grand master by the Mystery Writers of America, Block is a successful crime novelist, both critically and commercially, with more than 50 books to his credit.

Inner voice – Two young photographers picture life unseen

The inner ear includes two important organs: one that helps the body balance and the other an organic microphone. These functions inspired the work of two young photographers now on exhibit at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA).

US embassy to open first consumer safety office in Beijing

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is setting up its first overseas office in China in an effort to improve its coordination with the Chinese government and manufacturers to help reduce the recall of substandard products.

Finnish academy launches Millennium Technology Prize

Technology Academy Finland is now requesting nominees from around the world for the 2012 Millennium Technology Prize, the Finnish embassy in Beijing announced Monday.