The Wiki Man

Shopping and viewing

29 January 2015 3:00 pm

Some time in the 1960s, a group of people in an advertising agency (among them Llewelyn Thomas, son of Dylan)…

The joys and sorrows of two-way ratings systems

17 January 2015 9:00 am

‘J’ai failli attendre’ — ‘I almost had to wait’ — allegedly said by Louis XIV when his carriage drew up just a…

Reputations at stake

15 January 2015 3:00 pm

‘J’ai failli attendre’ — ‘I almost had to wait’ — allegedly said by Louis XIV when his carriage drew up just a…

Let’s appoint a Ministry of Scandalous Ideas

3 January 2015 9:00 am

My children have a phrase called ‘fomo’ — which stands for ‘fear of missing out’. It is a constant, mildly…

What Miliband needs is a grilled tomato

1 January 2015 3:00 pm

My children have a phrase called ‘fomo’ — which stands for ‘fear of missing out’. It is a constant, mildly…

How to pick the perfect present

13 December 2014 9:00 am

I had always attributed it to bad luck in the genetic lottery. I am three-eighths Welsh and a quarter Scottish,…

Cashmere socks and the secret of happiness

11 December 2014 3:00 pm

I had always attributed it to bad luck in the genetic lottery. I am three-eighths Welsh and a quarter Scottish,…

Have the people who design trains and airports noticed that laptops exist?

6 December 2014 9:00 am

It’s taken years to work this out, but there is a subtle art to designing an airport lounge. 1) Install…

Have airport designers noticed that laptops exist?

4 December 2014 2:30 pm

It’s taken years to work this out, but there is a subtle art to designing an airport lounge. 1) Install…

Why does Amazon think my friend is a kidnapper?

22 November 2014 9:00 am

About four years ago, an irate father in Minneapolis walked into his local Target shop with a complaint. He wanted…

The dark secrets that your clicks reveal

20 November 2014 3:00 pm

About four years ago, an irate father in Minneapolis walked into his local Target shop with a complaint. He wanted…

S&M&B&Q: Why aren’t there sex-and-shopping novels for men?

8 November 2014 9:00 am

I never got beyond page 20 in Fifty Shades of Grey. No one got shot in the first chapter, and…

S&M and B&Q

6 November 2014 3:00 pm

I never got beyond page 20 in Fifty Shades of Grey. No one got shot in the first chapter, and…

The best navigation idea I’ve seen since the Tube map

25 October 2014 9:00 am

I stopped using London buses when some coward put doors on them. Twenty years ago, you could board any bus…

Putting words on the map

23 October 2014 2:00 pm

I stopped using London buses when some coward put doors on them. Twenty years ago, you could board any bus…

Why everywhere should be more like Essex

11 October 2014 9:00 am

Apart from the Wye Valley, where I grew up, there are only two places in Britain I’d consider living: Kent…

Everywhere should be more like Essex

9 October 2014 2:00 pm

Apart from the Wye Valley, where I grew up, there are only two places in Britain I’d consider living: Kent…

Red or white… or nothing

Was the phrasing of the Scottish referendum question designed to create division?

27 September 2014 8:00 am

It is a trick which often works on children. Do not tell them to eat vegetables; instead ask whether they…

Red or white… or nothing

The psychology of either/or

25 September 2014 1:00 pm

It is a trick which often works on children. Do not tell them to eat vegetables; instead ask whether they…

Why is nationalism OK when prefixed by the word ‘Scottish’ but not ‘British?’

13 September 2014 9:00 am

My second favourite religious joke is an old Jewish joke (which I read in the Harvard Review, so I assume…

The pound sterling doesn’t buy happiness

11 September 2014 1:00 pm

My second favourite religious joke is an old Jewish joke (which I read in the Harvard Review, so I assume…

Why don’t more non-smokers try e-cigarettes?

30 August 2014 9:00 am

I was waiting on an office forecourt recently puffing on an e-cigarette when a security guard came out. ‘You can’t…

The kick of the habit

28 August 2014 1:00 pm

I was waiting on an office forecourt recently puffing on an e-cigarette when a security guard came out. ‘You can’t…

How oneupmanship wrecks things for everyone

16 August 2014 9:00 am

‘There’s a little bit of a fascist in all of us. For some, the tragedy of human want may provoke…

How oneupmanship ruins things for everyone

14 August 2014 1:00 pm

‘There’s a little bit of a fascist in all of us. For some, the tragedy of human want may provoke…