The Wiki Man
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…
Why driving above the speed limit is a mug’s game
Imagine you are choosing between two proposed road-improvement plans, but have the budget for only one. Both of the roads…
What a full English breakfast can tell us about the state of the NHS
Among devotees of the full English breakfast, few things polarise more than the inclusion of baked beans. Some people are…
What I learned from being debanked
My own debanking story concerns a card rather than a bank account. Not the same degree of inconvenience as Nigel…
Just stop HS2!
I have two suggestions for HS2. Either stop it or make it stop. The spiralling cost and delays are reason enough…
How to increase your home’s value – with a sandwich
It is a tenet of neo-liberal economics that there is no such thing as a free lunch. This is obvious…
