Technology allows ebooks to turn a new page

MAINZ, Germany: As the last millennium came to a close, many experts were beside themselves with predictions of the golden future that lay ahead for ebooks. Yet most publishing houses were ultimately unable to bring themselves to sell the rights for electronic books, particularly for their best sellers and fine literature.

A hamster, a mouse, and a vacuum cleaner in every port

HAMBURG: A laptop, a mouse and a printer: that's the complete list of standard equipment for many workstations. There has however been a certain trend of late to add more color to the picture: cup warmers, small "swan neck" fans and even mesmerizing lava lamps have begun to make inroads into the uniformly gray PC desk landscape.

Life Travel

In search of a scholar's spirit

Viewing flowers from horseback zouma kanhua is what the Chinese call superficial tourism. Many of us would prefer to stay awhile and try to absorb the culture of an unfamiliar place. But in a country as vast and variegated as China, you'll miss a lot if you avoid brief trips entirely. You'll learn at least a little on a short visit, and if the place is alluring, you can start to imagine making a longer one someday.

Vibrant maple leaves ride on the crest of a cultural wave

TORONTO: Bruce Bell points to the meat counter. "That's where the Steamboat Hotel used to be, the place where the founding fathers of this city liked to drink each other under the table." The boozy behavior may have taken place back in the 1830s, but sales staff at the Front Street Dominion Grocery prick up their ears nonetheless.

Life Art

Not everybody's cup of tea

The sensual pottery making scene featuring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in the blockbuster movie Ghost put a sexy spin on this ancient art. Now there is a new spin on clay modeling and its attracting major attention.

The fine art of tea

Teapot making flourished in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when people changed their manner of tea drinking using teapots, instead of individual cups.

Yang wows New York with master class in glass art

SHANGHAI: The renowned actress-turned-glasswork-artist Loretta Yang Hui-shan is telling her tale of two cities via her latest glass works.

Life Art

Soaring to the summit

LIVERPOOL: An exhibition of contemporary Chinese art at the prestigious Tate gallery in Britain has drawn wildly enthusiastic reviews. Right from its glittering opening on March 29, art critics and the public have lavished it with praise, although some consider it a little too surreal. It is being hailed as the most comprehensive and adventurous if at the same time controversial collection of Chinese modern art ever put on display in the UK, or even Europe.

French tycoon wins battle for modern art gem

VENICE: It is a battle of superlatives. A battle of art and politics, pitting one of Europe's richest families against one of America's wealthiest dynasties. A battle for the chance to use the world's most famous architects to turn the most prestigious site in the most beautiful city of Europe into one of the continent's most high-profile museums of contemporary art.