18 Sep 2013:
In a party as small as the Liberal Democrats, the same people tend to crop up again and again at conference. But can that possibly explain why the business secretary appears to be following our writer around?
Tim Dowling: If you don't mind trolls and the absence of profit, go for the blue bird. Or if you prefer an organisation that makes a profit but has very unhappy staff, put your money where the Queen's head is
The music we grow up with shapes our tastes in later life, according to a study by Cornell University. We asked Guardian writers to tell us about the songs that take them back to their childhood homes
Is Tim Dowling married to the right woman? A new book suggests that we unconsciously select the perfect partner by sniffing out their 'compatibility genes'. He talks to the author about MHC genetics and alleles – then nervously asks his wife to take a DNA test
'The house rings with a strangely tuned silence, a phenomenon I have not experienced in 18 years. I cannot remember the last time I walked into a room and didn't find a child lying on a sofa like a seal'
'While half of my band is content to remain at the hotel and argue about sheets, I lead a determined party into the night, past a series of empty lots and building sites'