On the observation deck was a tarp-covered signal light, which Burke, an ex-Navy lieutenant, likes to flash at passing ships.

NEWYORKER: Bones of Contention

With delicate observation and quietly intense pathos, Dreyer captures the actors in a dappled light and a depth of shadow that seem to illuminate his characters from within.

NEWYORKER: The Parson's Widow

Another example of his unorthodox thinking is his observation that painting the roofs of buildings around the world white and using light-coloured road surfaces rather than blacktop would reflect a lot of sunlight back into space possibly enough to have an effect on global warming as big as taking every car in the world off the road for a decade.

ECONOMIST: Face value