South Africa's longest-running soap opera is to air for the last time on Tuesday, March 2nd. What, if anything, has the show done for the country? And is this really the end?

ABC News is the last of the traditional big-three US news networks to implement cutbacks. On Tuesday last week, the Disney-owned organisation announced plans to retrench a quarter of its 1400-member staff. It can't be good for journalism, but the upside is that the days of the Ron Burgundy-like anchorman may finally be over.

“After playing Chopin, I feel as if I had been weeping over sins that I had never committed, and mourning over tragedies that were not my own,”  Oscar Wilde.

It was a truck that Arnie took out of the Iraqi war zone and deposited on America's streets around the time of Terminator 2. "I'll be back," you hear the Hummer say? Fat chance.

Imagine this: You have only one parking space, an unlimited budget and the need to purchase a car. Immediately. If that sounds simple enough, then consider the following criteria. Your vehicle should reflect your current, elevated station in life, but it can’t be too flashy, in case someone demands a lifestyle audit. (Are you listening, Julius?)

A collection of files made available to the British National Archives on Wednesday, courtesy of the Ministry of Defence, contains thousands of reports of UFO sightings between 1994 and 2000. For British media, it’s Christmas all over again.

On 18 February 1930, 23-year-old junior researcher at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, Clyde Tombaugh, discovered Pluto. Hailed as Planet X that humanity was for some reason desperate to find, it was the stuff of dreams and pure romance. Today it drifts forgotten and unexceptional. How things change.

Walter Isaacson, the man who has been chosen to write the authorised biography of Steve Jobs, has a life-story that reads like a romance novel. Can we expect the ‘Book of Jobs’ to read like a romance too?

Stevie Smith’s famous poem about the man thrashing about in the sea could easily apply to the island nation of Kiribati. Ten years ago it was the first country to celebrate the new millennium; now it looks like being the first casualty of rising sea levels.

Can you believe it's only five years old? In half a decade YouTube has changed the nature of online infrastructure, nearly caused a catastrophic policy change in the USA and given Google near-total dominance over an entire category of advertising. Now for its next trick: forcing standards-based video streaming on reluctant parties – like Microsoft.

Anthony Fabian’s portrayal of the life of Sandra Laing is not an easy movie to watch. But for that reason, it’s essential – a tale that cuts to the very heart of what it means to be South African.

The co-founder and erstwhile front-man of Genesis was always destined to be way more than a pop icon. On his sixtieth birthday, we look back on the full and extraordinary life of a performer, innovator and humanitarian.

After three wind delays on Wednesday, Nasa gave the go-ahead for the Atlas-V rocket to blast off from Cape Canaveral on Thursday evening SA time. This awesome piece of equipment will open the secrets of our own star like never before.

According to America’s paper of record, which likes to make pronouncements about new Ages in human history – and sometimes even pronounces right – the electric car is finally a viable reality. Why have they said this now? Because they’ve test-driven SA-born Elon Musk’s new Tesla.

The Saints won the Superbowl. And if you don't understand why that is important – financially and psychologically – you really need this quick education on the sport, the game, and the all-important advertising.

Here at The Daily Maverick we have spotted a new political campaign trend. Create truly awful, enhanced reality ads to ensure your candidate is remembered – even if for the wrong reasons.

Some say he’s the messiah who saved motoring journalism from a painful, boring death. Some say he is the Devil’s spawn and should be sent back to Hell, immediately if possible. All we know is his name is Jeremy Clarkson.

What’s the answer? We don’t quite know, and neither do Die Antwoord, South Africa’s new global music phenomenon, but we do know the question – why’s everyone loving our creative artists right now?

While millions of desperate Haitians cling to life and Nigeria is breaking out in inter-religious rioting, many Americans are hypnotised by a titanic struggle over who will be on the NBC TV airwaves “right after your local news”. That should clarify what is really important on this planet.

Sixty years ago today, George Orwell, author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, died of tuberculosis. Seeing he bequeathed his surname as an adjective to the English language, it’s probably worthwhile considering his life and legacy.

In the annals of men who came second, Buzz Aldrin is arguably the most famous of them all. On his 80th birthday we look back on his life, and consider why idiotic talk-show hosts clamor to interview him.

Had Elvis Presley lived, today would have been his 75th birthday. Of course, there are still those who say he didn’t die, but they’re now getting really old, if not dying themselves. Question is: can Elvis appeal to the next generation?

The game between whalers and anti-whalers turned dangerous on Wednesday when at least one activist was injured and an entire $2 million, Batman-styled ship banged up. Now it’s just a matter of time until one side or the other goes too far, and triggers real public outrage.

Where The Wild Things Are, a bold and visually rich film about the dark emotions of children, recently opened at top spot at the US box office. It couldn’t have happened without co-screenwriter Dave Eggers, one of the most talented and prolific young authors in America.

Young is the one that plunges in the future and never looks back

When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object

-- Milan Kundera

From the outset: No. Plain and simple. Controlled fusion is still way beyond our reach. But that doesn’t mean we’re not moving, ever so slowly, towards the ultimate prize of clean, cheap and inexhaustible energy.

Due to the graphic nature of Cindy Gallop’s talk at TED 2009, the cleverest people on earth decided they couldn’t upload said video to the main archives – and opted instead for a blog. Here at The Daily Maverick we’re not as smart but we’re slightly less prudish, so we embedded the original video (after some helpful context which you should really read first).

Henry Molaison (aka HM), the man who could not remember, died at the age of 82 exactly a year ago. But this kind, generous and soft-spoken man is still providing extraordinary service to humanity.

There have been some embarrassing casualties in the wake of last week’s Tiger Woods affair, and not just concerning the man himself. How must Barack Obama feel?