To Catch a Counterfeiter
A representative from Pinkerton, a long-established American detective agency, takes the author on a tour of one of China’s counterfeiting hotspots.
My déja vu is so extreme I can’t tell what’s real any more
The author’s brain tumour has left him experiencing acute and persistent déja vu – here he his uses his personal experience to explore both the phenomenon and memory more broadly.
Eat, pray, live: the Lagos megachurches building their very own cities
They started as accommodation to support huge events, but have expanded to become highly desirable living quarters for the Lagos faithful.
Style Is an Algorithm
A piece examining the somewhat terrifying possibility of entirely algorithmically driven cultural tastes, from fashion to art, music, food, home decor and more. It asks what our response is to the central promise of recommendation algorithms “If you like this, you will get more of it, forever” and the new value exchanges that are their outcome.
Not the end of The World: the return of DubaiÕs ultimate folly
Dubai’s iconic / infamous reclaimed offshore property development went bust during the financial crisis and was left empty for years (apart from a solitary beach club in Lebanon). A few developers stayed the course and are now imagining ever more ambitious architectural smorgasbords to entice the global elite.
Double Cross – The Ukrainian Hacker Who Became The FBI’s Best Weapon – And Worst Nightmare
A blackhat hacker operated on both sides of the fence, working with both the FBI and the criminals they were trying to stop.
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 Gambler Who Cracked the Horse-Racing Code
A gambler made a fortune betting on the trickiest of markets – horses. This piece tells the story of how he made close to a billion dollars betting on Hong Kong races.
This Town Has Been Labour Since 1919. It’s About To Switch To The Tories
The writer goes to the traditional Labour stronghold of Newcastle-under-Lyme that polling suggests is now leaning towards the Conservative Party and speaks to constituents to find out why.
Breakfast In The Ruins
Destruction and regeneration at the ancient archaeological site of Palmyra over the last four thousand years of its history, from well before the Emperor Hadrian, to the present day barbarity of the Islamic State.