Welcome to the automated warehouse of the future
A look at the Ocado warehouse in Andover, UK, where automation has been implemented sufficiently effectively to allow the company to sell their solution to other organisations.
Can Jim Mattis Hold the Line in Trump’s “War Cabinet”?
A profile of James Mattis, the US Defence Secretary, and the last remaining core member of the so-called “Committee to save America”, after the recent dismissals of H.R McMaster and Rex Tillerson.
A Kingdom from Dust
A profile of the biggest farmers in the US “a married couple working in partnership” and the story of their extraordinary rise via floor cleaning, security, plastic figurines, advertising, and philanthropy. Their story is also now the story of water in California as the yields from their crops continue to increase just as the water supply has declined through nearly a half-decade of drought.
Flat Earthers and the Psychology Behind Conspiracy Theories
The piece asks why conspiracy theories gain so much traction, and finds that good stories, and the clarity they offer, are at least part of the answer. The author asserts that conspiracy theories share the same attraction to us as science fiction narratives that find “pattern and meaning in this senseless racket of life”.
The angry sea will kill us all
A piece looking at the destruction wrought by climate change on the Pacific Islands of Kiribati (on average 2-3 metres above sea level), already vulnerable due to unscrupulous phosphate mining stretching back a century. http://bit.ly/stuff-sea
Is Amazon getting too big?
A searching piece about Amazon and monopoly, published in a newspaper owned by Amazon’s CEO. If you have the time, it’s also worth dipping into the elegantly wrought 28,000 word ‘note’ in The Yale Law Journal that inspired the piece.
This Was The Election Where The Newspapers Lost Their Monopoly On The Political News Agenda
A piece examining the significant impact of new, highly partisan independent publications on the UK election and the failure of the right-wing press to destroy Jeremy Corbyn.
Where Slang Comes From
An absorbing data visualisation and analysis of how popular slang words of the last few years spark into life, come into fashion, and fade away.
Cloak and Dagger
The story of Gertrude Sanford, a socialite who fought against Germany in the Second World War and was taken prisoner in enemy territory.