Lucy Letby and the problem with statistics
First Fred West, now Lucy Letby. At this rate, it won’t be long before Herefordshire has produced more serial killers…
The myth about electric car owners
Every time I write about electric cars, there is an explosion of hostile comments online in which readers angrily denounce…
Dispelling the myths about electric vehicles
Every time I write about electric cars, there is an explosion of hostile comments online in which readers angrily denounce…
Nothing beats a 1980s brick phone
In the late 1980s, a story entered advertising folklore. A group from an ad agency had boarded an evening train…
The myth of collective wisdom
After 250 years of American independence, a nation home to many of the smartest and most talented people in the…
How Elon Musk could solve the housing crisis
People sometimes ask me why I don’t go into politics. Why on earth would I do that? No, if you…
How to hack your summer holiday
Since it’s June, here is your cut-out-and-keep guide to hacking your summer holiday. One possibility. Don’t bother. Unless you have…
Why being anti-car is a luxury belief
It happened six years ago on a flight back from the United States. ‘Sir, I’m pleased to say you’ve been…
Harris Tweed, the miracle fabric
To understand the development of technology, you may be better off studying evolutionary biology rather than, say, computer science. A…
How to solve ‘range anxiety’
In ‘The Adventure of Silver Blaze’, Sherlock Holmes mentions ‘the curious incident of the dog in the night-time’. ‘But the…
Louis XIV would envy your life
Some things in life acquire an outsize popularity which defies all common sense. The outlandish appeal of such things cannot…
There are three sides to every story
The psychologist Daniel Kahneman, who died last month aged 90, was perhaps most famous for his dictum that: ‘Nothing in…
The beauty of mid-range products
Once or twice, when on a crowded overnight flight, I have taken a sneaky stroll through the different cabins for…
Are we asking the wrong questions about HS2?
I am not sure there was much else Rishi could have done to salvage HS2. But I come bearing good…
Is there such a thing as too much empathy?
Back in the 1970s, a less politically correct age, there was a standby formula for television advertising known as 2Cs…
