From LiveScience, a look at the top 10 weird ways we deal with the dead. An interview with Mark DeMoss, author of The Little Red Book of Wisdom. A review of House Lust: America's Obsession With Our Homes by Daniel McGinn. A review of The Scent of Desire: Discovery Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell by Rachel Herz (and more and an interview). The new book The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell's Secret claims to have definitive evidence of a long-suspected technological crime — that Alexander Graham Bell stole ideas for the telephone from a rival, Elisha Gray. Former presidents and prime ministers are anxious to find ways of continuing their work. Our tendency to persecute others is as alive today as in medieval times. A generation can always be described as "rising" but may it be described as having "fallen"? A review of Bright Young People: The rise and fall of a generation, 1918–1940 by DJ Taylor. Worth a thousand words: A good graphic can tell a story, bring a lump to the throat, even change policies, and here are three of history's best. Census sensitivity: Numbers mean power, which is why counting people is so controversial. The ugly are one of the few groups against whom it is still legal to discriminate — unfortunately for them, there are good reasons why beauty and success go hand in hand. Tony Blair seems happy to believe in all manner of things without reason or evidence. 10 great snake-oil gadgets: Some gadgets change the world, others don't. Deny all you want, they'll still believe: Why public denials may only fuel conspiracy theories. Extreme souvenir: How Sacha Pfeiffer handed money to Maoist insurgents, and lived to worry about it.
