I refer of course to the soaring wonder of the age known as the Eiffel Tower. Never in history has a structure been more technologically advanced, materially obsolescent, and gloriously pointless all at the same time.

Physics is really nothing more than a search for ultimate simplicity, but so far all we have is a kind of elegant messiness.

Yes, U.S. travelers dress better. The British are always so conspicuous in hot climates. They don't seem to wear shorts. American men seem to be comfortable wearing hot-weather clothing.

Most big companies don't like you very much, except hotels, airlines and Microsoft, which don't like you at all.

Christmas tree stands are the work of the devil and they want you dead.

Boston's freeway system is insane. It was clearly designed by a person who had spent his childhood crashing toy trains.

[The Royal Society] is quite simply the voice of science in Britain. It is intellectually rigorous, not afraid to be outspoken on controversial issues such as climate change, but it is not aggressively secular either, insisting on a single view of the world. In fact, there are plenty of eminent scientists - Robert Winston, for instance - who are also men of faith.