My book for younger readers (to be honest, most adults also seem to prefer it) is The Truth Detective. Everything you need to think more clearly about statistics with the aid of everyone from Darth Vader to a pooping cow... Anyway: for a limited time only it's 99p on...
Marginalia
If it doesn’t fit anywhere else, it’s here.
Foolproof by Sander van der Linden
Rukmani and her family were driving to a temple in Tamil Nadu, India, in May 2018, when they stopped to ask for directions from an elderly local lady. It seemed a safe enough thing to do. The family hadn’t realised that almost every local with access to WhatsApp had...
Talks about the Truth Detective
I'm giving some talks about my imminent book, The Truth Detective. Come along! Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford - 2pm on 1st April at the Oxford Literary Festival Oxford Maths Festival - 3pm on 14th May. Hay Festival - 26th May, 1pm. The Royal Institution - 23 September,...
We are taking your questions for Cautionary Tales
I’m taking your questions! Do you have any queries about one of the stories we’ve covered? Are you curious about how we make the show? Or is there anything else you think I might be able to help with? I want to hear from you, so send any questions you might have -...
Signed copies of The Truth Detective
I've finally received a finished copy of my first children's book, The Truth Detective - and thanks to Ollie Mann's fabulous illustrations it's a thing of beauty - aimed at children aged 9-13, it's fun, it's feisty, and it contains statistical heroes and villains from...
Three thoughts from a Mastodon newbie
I'm not the only one to have hopped from Twitter over to Mastodon in the past few days, I know. But perhaps these three thoughts will be useful to others. First: it's not that hard! Come on in, the water's lovely! I've seen quite a lot of scary-seeming stuff about the...
I’m now on Mastodon
For those switching over to Mastodon - or experimenting with doing so - I'm at @TimHarford@econtwitter.net. Feel free to give me a friendly wave and a follow! I'm not sure how much I'll be active there, to be honest. Let's see. As always the best way to keep up with...
Authenticity, by Alice Sherwood
I loved this book. Fast, funny start, and absolutely fizzing with interesting ideas from art, science, history, commerce, fashion and beyond. Sherwood tells a great story, but one of the things that delighted me was the sheer range of stories that I'd not encountered...
My favourite nerd podcasts
Of course there is 99 Percent Invisible, home of @RomanMars and the beautiful nerds. And @HelenZaltzman 's The Allusionist. And @NoSuchThing As A Fish. But you knew about those three, right? I wanted to recommend a few less well-known podcasts (no shade intended -...