In one very special way, it beats even the iPhone. — The end of an era Apple has announced that its iconic iPod devices are being retired. Introduced in 2001, the original iPod was a design classic, with its large capacity hard drive, long-lasting battery and delightful scroll-wheel-based interface. Its more compact siblings, the iPod mini and iPod nano, followed. And they too were hugely popular.

Far too many feminists are purposely blind to their own prejudices — Some prejudices are applauded Some forms of sexism or gender prejudice are socially unacceptable. If a male or man comments online that all females or all women are useless drivers, he is likely to be quickly berated for his sexism and stupidity. Some types of sexist or gender-prejudiced comments, however, often go unchallenged. Some…

And how Basic Income solves it. — Like many people in many countries, I get a personal tax allowance. This is the amount of money I can earn each year, before I have to pay any income tax. But tax allowances are rife with discrimination. The problem Let’s consider an imaginary country where the personal tax allowance is $10,000…

Forget smartphones. The age of the superphone is upon us. — I’m incredibly fortunate. I’ve got my hands on the smartphone of the future. It has features so advanced, so superior to today’s best-selling smartphones, that it’s barely believable that it actually exists. You might think today’s premium smartphones, with foldable screen technology, are impressive. But this amazing prototype has an…

But we can choose its price — When I was young, my best friend — some years older than me — was killed whilst competing in a motorsport event. To me, he was a hero — not because of how he died, but because of how he lived. Decent. Thoughtful. Principled. Eloquent. Inspirational. Generous. Kind. He was…

On this day, we celebrate our freedom. — Today, we live in a prosperous, thriving economy. Employers pay well and treat their workers with respect. Workers take pride in their work. Job satisfaction is at record levels. Productivity is at record levels. Living standards are higher than ever before. The days when people were forced to work for…

Don’t be down, Mrs Brown. You’ve fallen for a logical fallacy. — “Space is big,” Douglas Adams once wrote, quoting his fictional reference work, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But it can be extremely unsettling — even dangerous — to appreciate just how big it is. To illustrate this point, Adams invented the idea of the Total Perspective Vortex. This is…

A short time ago, in a memorabilia store far, far away, a provocative sign led to a fascinating confrontation. — I recently read a news article about a woman (she self-identified as a ‘trans woman’) who entered a Star Wars memorabilia store in Washington State, USA, to complain to the owner about a sign in his store. …