Steve Mollman

Are you reading this on a handheld device? There’s a good chance you are. Now imagine how’d you look if that device suddenly disappeared. Lonely? Slightly crazy? Perhaps next to a person being ignored? As we are sucked in ever more by the screens we…

Monty Python star Michael Palin has been knighted—just not for the first time. Palin, who made the UK’s 2019 New Year Honours list announced Friday (Dec. 28), appeared in the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He plays the leader of the…

New rules designed to give more free time to South Koreans—who work some of the longest hours in the world—just kicked in. As of July 1, companies with more than 300 employees must adhere to a 52-hour workweek, down from 68 hours. While bosses will…

Marvel’s Black Panther is one of the most successful international movies of all time. Released earlier this year, it has surpassed $1.3 billion in worldwide box office—almost half of that from outside the US—and fans around the world are eager to…

Once upon a time, Saudi Arabia had commercial movie theaters. Hardline Islamic clerics shut them down in the 1970s while rolling out ultraconservative religious laws. This month, the cinema ban will come to an end after more than 35 years. US-based…

After comic actor Gene Wilder died on Aug. 28 from complications of Alzheimers disease, his millions of fans are reminiscing about his impressive career, which included roles in over 20 movies, among them The Producers and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate…

If you cherish the freedom of the open country road, Singapore is probably not for you. Apart from being tiny, the tightly controlled city-state has one of the most highly managed driving environments in the world. But if you’re in the business of…

At the Tony Awards tonight (June 12), an acceptance speech by Lin-Manuel Miranda might have stolen the show. The Broadway composer-playwright, having just won the award for best original score for the blockbuster musical Hamilton, moved many viewers…

SeaWorld San Diego seemed to be doing everything right in 2011, by the standards of the international theme park business. In an industry report for that year (pdf), it was one of two parks noted for being “outstanding performers.” The park was…

A legend of US advertising has passed away. Bill Backer died at the age of 89 at a hospital in Virginia last week. Backer worked for decades at McCann Erickson before co-founding what became Backer Spielvogel Bates, which grew into an industry titan,…

Indonesia has seen a flurry of censorship of late. The government—urged on by religious hardliners—forced the messaging app Line to remove LGBT-themed virtual stickers. On TV, a broadcaster blurred out parts of beauty pageant contestants—a thigh…

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Bali is a part of Indonesia. The “island of the gods” is mostly Hindu, unlike the rest of the predominantly Muslim nation, and has a distinctive culture, luring travelers who bring along French wine, global…

Losing a beloved family member is hard enough by itself. Uncertainties about the costs of the funeral and related services only make the situation more difficult. Now, Amazon Japan lists a company that offers budget-friendly monk delivery…

With its random beeps, whirs, and jingles, the soundscape of Tokyo has long fascinated foreigners. The city’s vast subway system is no exception. An iconic “departure melody,” however, will soon be replaced by pop songs at three busy stations. Last…

When the Chinese go on shopping trips overseas, they mean business. This hasn’t gone unnoticed in Japan, where the term bakugai refers an explosive shopping sprees carried out by Chinese tourists. The term was used so much in 2015 that it was…

In the new movie The Martian, Matt Damon plays an astronaut who is stranded on Mars and must use his science skills to survive. The film’s character has reminded more than one critic of MacGyver, the resourceful secret agent of the eponymous 1980s TV…

Yogi Berra, a baseball and New York Yankees great, died yesterday (Sept. 22). He was 90 years old. Berra was a player, manager, and cultural figure known for a goofy brand of wisdom that generated many odd (yet oddly memorable) quotes, such as “You…

In the Back to the Future film series that kicked off in 1985, a time-traveling DeLorean used garbage as fuel. That idea stuck with Michihiko Iwamoto, who saw the movie as a young man and now, at 51, is CEO of Jeplan, a Tokyo firm focused on…

Plenty of old buildings get torn down in Tokyo (and other cities) to make way for newer structures. Some are missed, others not at all. One iconic building slated for demolition in Tokyo will most certainly be mourned by longtime residents of and…

According to CarNewsChina, a Shanghai-based company called Youxia Motors recently showed off an electric vehicle that will be priced between 200,000-300,000 yuan ($32,200-48,300), factoring in a government subsidy of 9,000 yuan for green cars. Called…