Ainslie, while singing an extremely demanding role, was forced to preen and prance while wearing a variety of garish outfits that included fishnet stockings and a glittering codpiece draped in fringe.

WSJ: Baroque opera in burlesque house

Jim Rohwer, a former Hong Kong correspondent for The Economist who now works for Fortune, can preen himself too.

ECONOMIST: How do books about the future stand up to the test of time?