There is now a doctrine of what I call “solar triumphalism”: the price of panels has been falling exponentially, the technology makes good practical sense, and only a few further nudges are needed for solar to become a major energy source. Unfortunately, this view seems to be wrong. Solar energy could be a boon to mankind and the environment, but ...

Santa Claus has left us long time back with a sleigh load of sweaters, toys and electronics — some of which we didn’t ask for, don’t want or can’t use. And so now, as legions of people say “no thanks” to some of the gifts they unwrapped on Christmas morning, about $90 billion of those holiday goodies are going back ...

Yang Yang, a 22-year-old Chinese corn farmer, spends two to three hours per day streaming video of life in his cliffside village to smartphones across China. He spends lots of time clinging to a cliffside ladder, one hand on his selfie stick, while he banters with fans about village life. It’s hardly riveting television, but in China it has an ...