Author and futurist Arthur C Clarke is credited with predicting the emergence of a number of technologies, including a tablet-like device called a "Newspad", which could serve the latest news stories from electronic versions of newspapers. So far more has been said about comparing the Newspad to PDAs or Tablet PCs, but the Newpad also worked in a very similar way to ... Read full entry

Where angels no longer fear to tread European scientists are in the process of spending €2m to understand religion, or rather the reasons people believe in God, or other Deities. Religion cries out for a biological explanation. It is a ubiquitous phenomenon - arguably one of the species markers of Homo sapiens - but a puzzling one. It has none of the obvious benefits of that other marker of humanity, language. ... Read full entry

Arthur C. Clarke's odyssey comes to an end Science fiction author and visionary Arthur C. Clarke has died, aged 90, in Sri Lanka. 2001: A Space Odyssey, both the book and movie, which he co-wrote with Stanley Kubrick, are among my favourite stories and movies. Update: link posted at Coudal Partners to a page with excerpts from Arthur C Clarke's (I can never simply refer to him as ... Read full entry