I woke this morning and thought to myself: I wonder if it will ever snow again in Johannesburg, South Africa? Because, if you didn't know, the last time it did was way back in 1981, which, for our younger readers, was a few years before the launch of MTV "“ if you can imagine a world without MTV, then sure, why not one without snow. [ed note: correction, the same year as the launch of MTV!] (There's a joke in there about the good old days when TV stations signed off and the screen went... READ ON

There are a series of fascinating articles in this month's issue of dwell magazine about sustainable homes (Green Goes Mainstream). I'm not sure if it's because my wife is an architect, or because I'm so dedicated to the green movement, but the idea of sustainable living, especially "green building," has long captivated my interest. From building with sustainable materials such as cork (like the arm of a starfish, the bark grows back!), to installing solar... READ ON

CNN has an interesting piece today on how we might be able to recycle all those piles of junkyard tires: by turning them into sidewalks! While rubber squares are three times more expensive than concrete, according to the article they won't crack from tree roots or weather,  fewer people will trip on uneven edges, and the bouncier substances will result in softer falls when kids and the elderly do take a spill. They also last a heck of a lot longer than concrete. Even more amazingly, the shock... READ ON

Were I a shepherd tending to my flock 4000 years ago, this is the kind of natural phenomenon that would have turned me into a scribe or an oracle, verily I say unto thee. According to The Daily Mail, a clash of rainbow and lightning "was seen above the affluent city of Fort Smith, in the Southern state Arkansas" yesterday"¦ "as two of nature's most spectacular phenomena created an unusual alliance." Check out the awe-inspiring photos... READ ON