Update: February 3, 2010

Off the Cuff
The Willy Wonka effect
I know that most "live" television shows with audiences are not really live, but are taped as if they are, including stopping during commercial breaks. And so I've often wondered what everyone does during those few minutes.

Off the Cuff
Too much of a good thing
Remember the movie Run Lola Run? Its premise fascinates me: how your life can change drastically with the most minor events-a second's hesitation here, a missed turn there.

Off the Cuff
The pursuit of happiness
They say the reason time flies as you age is that each year becomes a smaller percentage of your life. I remember those 10 per cent days well...

Off the Cuff
The song remains different
Whenever I'm asked "desert island" questions about books and movies, my brain freezes. But with music, my answer is clear: I'd take all the Beatles albums.

Off the Cuff
When deafness is a crime
Given that we are social creatures, and that even our physical health depends on positive interaction with our own species, it's astonishing how many of us are terrible listeners.

Off the Cuff
The small viral victories
The air in Arizona was dry, and the Grand Canyon train full of screaming little germ bombs, so it wasn't surprising that my visiting mother-in-law picked up what turned out to be the household's epic cold of 2009.

Minkey Business
The Minkey Chief, writing under the dubious alias Gautam Raja, will contribute regularly to the back-of-book column in Time Out Bengaluru. 'Minkey Business' began with an article about setting up a fine-dining restaurant in Bangalore.