SOME things never change. We have.

The world of newspapers has been transformed in the last two decades. Back in those far-off days, when Tony Blair was a shiny new PM and you could buy a pint of beer for under £2, the printed page was king and news was what papers were mostly about.

Now, we break news all day long on heraldscotland.com and most people who come to the paper are looking for a little bit beyond the he said/she said panto that passes for political discourse online.

So that's why we've got a treat for you over the next seven days. Think of it as a late Christmas present.

Joining the likes of Alison Rowat, Neil Mackay, Iain Macwhirter and Tom Gordon, who bring you expert analysis and commentary each day, we have some truly international names.

Thanks to a partnership with the New York Times, we have a series of special features, including pieces with the world-famous linguist and social critic Noam Chomsky and Isabel Allende, one of the world’s best-known writers and a fierce defender of the rights of women and girls.

The series starts with a look at 21 things that happened for the first time in 2021, from automated killer drones and digital artwork worth millions to the recognition of the fifth ocean and the first 3-D-printed school.

All the pieces will go live on Monday. We'll look at the events which will shake, or gently rattle, the world in 2022 from the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and Abba avatars to asteroid hunting and the World Cup in Qatar.

We have an interview with Isabel Allende, one of the world’s best-known writers. At 79, she says she still has no intention of slowing down. “Little by little, women are chipping away the patriarchy”.

Nasa engineer Christina Díaz Hernández shares her fascinating take on on heritage, humanity’s challenges and the mission to Mars.

Journalist David Diop examines the devastating fate awaiting migrants fleeing across the Mediterranean. He says: “For billions of disadvantaged people, life is a waking nightmare. To be able to eat, drink, bathe and clothe themselves is a daily battle.”

And musician Billy Bragg joins other professionals from various walks of life to answer the question: Has the pandemic changed the world of work forever?

We look at how mask wearing during the pandemic has cast modest Muslim style in a new light.

And we have an interview with Noam Chomsky. From anarchy and automation to climate crisis and nuclear warfare, Chomsky, 92, the world-famous linguist and social critic, offers his fascinating philosophical insights into how to build a better world.

This partnership, sponsored by Rathbone Investment Management, is the latest example of how The Herald strives to do things differently online and in the paper to give our readers the best possible service. It follows our recent series in conjunction with the investigative website The Ferret on How Green is Scotland?

We hope you enjoy it.