Like millions of other workers during this pandemic, many of Apple’s staff have been working from home. But now Tim Cook has sent Apple employees an e-mail demanding they return to the office, for at least three days a week, by early September. Some may be allowed to work remotely for up to two days a week, but only with the express permission of their managers.

This is a deeply disappointing development.

I was hoping the pandemic would change attitudes towards remote working.

Before the pandemic, many millions of office workers left their houses each day and crowded onto trains…

There’s been a lot of talk recently about breaking up Big Tech. This talk is usually inspired by accusations that Big Tech companies have been indulging in anti-competitive practices and that they’ve failed to protect people’s data and privacy.

But whilst such accusations may be perfectly reasonable and do highlight genuine problems with these companies, they don’t clearly identify the most fundamental problems at the very heart of their being — the malintent or callousness that underpins their very existence.

Big Tech is guilty of so much more than just stifling competition.

Sure, along with thousands of other businesses, some…

Transgender rights and gender confusions

You may have read a news story about the Wi Spa protests in California. A customer was said to be livid about a trans woman being allowed in a women-only steam room. A video of her complaining to staff was shared online.

She is reported to have said,

So, it’s OK for a man to go into the women’s section, show his penis around the other women, young little girls, underage, in your spa? Wi Spa condones that, is that what you’re saying?

Subsequently, there was a protest in support of this customer’s views. …

I’m only counting reads by paying subscribers. But one of my stories is indeed making me $8 per read. And that $8 per read is not a freak one-off figure. It’s an average over a week, for a story that received nearly a thousand views. In fact, the average was nearly $9 per read. On the worst day, it still made over $6 per read. And on the best day, it made just shy of $20 per read.

Don’t despair.

I’ve seen a number of comments lately by downhearted writers, bemoaning the fact they make only a few cents, or a fraction…

Basic Income was a widespread topic of discussion before the Covid-19 pandemic began. This crisis, however, may encourage people to look more favourably on the idea. There are a number of possible reasons for this.

We’re all vulnerable. The pandemic proves it.

Before the pandemic, some people with seemingly secure jobs or successful businesses were extremely disparaging towards people who received welfare payments. They had a severe ‘them and us’ attitude. They saw themselves as ‘hard-working taxpayers’ and resented having to pay for government ‘handouts’ to people they casually dismissed as ‘scroungers and layabouts.’

During the pandemic, however, many of those same people had to rely on…

Take a look at Microsoft’s share price history. You’ll see something remarkable. Having been broadly flat since 2000, the share price has been skyrocketing since early 2014.

Minimalism isn’t just about having less stuff, but having less stuff is usually a big part of it. And I can totally see how having less stuff can be great for adults. But what about children?

If you go out shopping with small children, you soon appreciate what enormous joy it brings if you buy them a little present. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive. Our most frequent buy was a pocket-sized toy car. Eventually, our collection of small cars filled two sizeable boxes. But buying them made each shopping trip an exciting adventure.

There are occasional stories in the news about people who have seemingly been caught pretending to be disabled, or exaggerating their disabilities, for financial gain.

Sometimes they’re claiming disability welfare payments. Sometimes they’re making a compensation claim — perhaps against an employer. Sometimes they’re seeking an insurance payout — perhaps following a car accident.

They may claim difficulty in walking. They may say they experience great pain. They may say they have to use a stick or even a wheelchair. They may say their general mobility and their employment prospects have been substantially and adversely affected by this disability.

But…