What is it about? According to its authors: “Mathematics scares and depresses most of us, but politicians, journalists and everyone in power use numbers all the time to bamboozle us. It is liberating to understand when numbers are telling the truth or being used to lie.” According to Steven Poole at the Guardian: “This very elegant book… […]
A Simple Mistake That Has Probably Made You Poorer
The case for austerity The inaugural meeting of the American Economic Association was held on the 4th January 2010. Two giants in the world of economics; Professor Carmen Reinhart and former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, Ken Rogoff were present. They presented their research paper, “Growth in a Time of Debt”. The headline […]
The Two Reasons why Your M.I. is Always Wrong
My 4-year-old daughter is learning to count. She is obsessed by it. She counts everything: 1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. Everywhere we go. Most of all though she counts steps. Particularly in castles and cathedrals (which is fun) and car parks (which when you are laden with bags full of shopping… that you just […]
That’s Not my Name
My name is James Lawther. I have been called James by my mother from the day I was born. The name on my birth certificate is Kenneth James Lawther. This makes me a bit odd, I use my middle name as my first name (so to speak). Most databases are structured: First Name Middle Initial […]