Five Great Reads: the ‘good guy’ behind Wikipedia, the lost art of flirting, and a war photographer’s greatest shots

Dear readers, doesn’t it feel good to be at the tail-end of a week in which perhaps the dumbest #auspol talking point of all time delivered this gift from the headline gods. The stories outside the news cycle have been just as memorable. Read on. 1. Surviving an oil rig disaster When the Piper Alpha oil rig exploded and collapsed in 1988, 167 of the 228 men on board (plus two rescue crew) were killed. Joe Meanen had been enjoying some downtime in the cinema when the first explosion erupted, partially collapsing its roof. He followed his safety training, but as the explosions continued it became clear he would have to improvise to survive. So he threw a lifejacket into the North Sea and took a leap of faith. How long does it take to plunge 53 metres? The time between burning wreckage and freezing sea, Meanan recalls, was about six seconds that seemed to last for ever. How long will it take to read: Four minutes. 2. From a smile returned to an inside joke co-created As more and more users log off dating apps, singles are seeking novel ways to meet. But making a connection in real life means levelling up one’s game. The good news, experienced flirts and experts agree, is that the lost art of flirting can be relearned. Step one: Dr Elizabeth Laugeson, a clinical psychologist, has a simple rule for pre-approach eye contact: hold it for a beat, look away, then look back – don’t stare or body scan. How long will it take to read: Four minutes. 3. Is Jimmy Wales the last decent tech baron? There are tech billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk … and then there’s Jimmy Wales, the Wikipedia founder who decided to make his encyclopedia for the people a non-profit venture. With his utopian online destination under threat from artificial intelligence and Musk, who uses his X platform to deliver such stinging barbs as “Wokipedia”, Wales discusses the creation and survival of his almost 25-year-old venture – and how Musk is much nicer to him in private than he is in public. *** “I can’t speculate about what goes on in Elon Musk’s head. I have no idea – I’m as at a loss as anybody.” – Jimmy Wales How long will it take to read: Nine minutes. Further reading: Could the internet go offline? Inside the fragile system holding the modern world together. 4. The stories behind a war photographer’s greatest shots Over his seven-decade career covering wars, famines and disasters, the photographer Don McCullin has been captured, and escaped snipers, mortar fire and more. How does it feel to be a survivor? “Uncomfortable,” he says, as he reflects on pain, pride, regret – and 19 of his greatest pictures. The Cyprus civil war: McCullin took the above shot beside a cinema on his first day on assignment in Limassol in 1964. “It looks like a Hollywood still,” McCullin says. “The man is far too well dressed.” How long will it take to read: Eight minutes. 5. ‘The Rushmore story is hard to tell’ In 2004 Gerard Baker became the first Native American superintendent at Mount Rushmore, a lightning rod of political and historical interpretation then as it is now. During his tenure at the US national memorial, he reintroduced Indigenous history – including the slaughter and displacement of tribes before the four presidents’ heads were carved into the granite. “Most people want to come to a national park and leave with that warm, fuzzy feeling with an ice-cream cone,” says Barker, who retired in 2010. “If you do [Rushmore] the right way people are going to be leaving pissed.” From little things big things come: In 2005 Baker set up a singular tipi to the left of the sculpture. A few days later her went to adjust the tipi when he noticed a small crowd form around him. He gave an impromptu interpretive talk about Native history and culture. Two decades on that singular tipi has grown into a heritage village representing three Native American peoples. How long will it take to read: Four minutes. Sign up If you would like to receive these Five Great Reads to your email inbox every weekend, sign up here. And check out out the full list of our local and international newsletters.