Nic Gibson

“The convenience of the high trees” Convenience is a hot topic in China. There is much talk of the convenience of life here, all of us app-tapping our way to easy food, shopping and travel. Convenience had a super-boost with the...

Perceptions: cultural, historical, and biological. Our perceptions colour our experiences, influence our judgments and shape our interactions with other people. An oft-quoted anecdote runs that in 1972, Chinese premier Zhou Enlai was asked about the impact of the French Revolution....

A good explanation is an art form, if a slightly mysterious one. We can all recognize a great explanation, yet picking apart the intricacies of how it is done remains elusive.  I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but...

“… the bright sun was extinguish’d, and the stars did wander darkling in the eternal space” So begins “Darkness” by Lord Byron, a Romantic era poem that takes a lyric wandering through an end-of-days scenario where all light and colour...

I like to start these articles with a consideration of the topic.  “Noise” seems to carry some hefty negative connotations.  We think of blaring sirens, random shouting, unexpected bangs that grind the patience or jolt the nerves.  “Noise” implies...

Ah, numbers and superstitions. An area we are familiar with, although you might not think about it on any sort of analytical level. With the slightest spotlight, it doesn’t make much sense; why do many Western cultures consider 13 unlucky...

Poetry gets a bad rap. No, not poetry is bad rap. Let me explain what I mean.  Poetry is older than the novel, can be shorter than a song, and asks only to be read to be experienced. Other forms...

Unwritten rules seem natural and unquestionable. Commit a rule to writing or speak it out loud, however, and it can be probed at with logic, illuminated through debate, or, as parents and teachers will often be all too aware,...