William Russell thought his dream of a hybrid boat-plane was finally taking off as he saw his Flarecraft rise above Long Island Sound one recent morning.

FORBES: A Wing and a Prayer

This is it, I thought, 200 mph--a dream I've had since I was a kid.

FORBES: One Lamborghini, One Man, 200 MPH

Among those who thought all this sounds like a Internet-broker's dream was Mark Duff, a former manager with Dow Jones.

ECONOMIST: Online trading in Asia

And while he's a level-headed man, Girardi likes to dream big from time to time so he thought of his perfect candidate, Ichiro.

WSJ: Those Wacky Yankee Lineups

Those who thought he could shuffle off his old skin when he realised his prime-ministerial dream, or at least that his psychological tics would not warp his tenure, seem to have been wrong.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot