When Everything Becomes a Bet
In 1774, Britain stopped people taking out insurance on the lives of strangers. Prediction markets are reopening the same question across elections, wars, weather and almost everything else.
Why Nothing Is Built to Last
Europe’s new right-to-repair rules promise to keep everyday products alive for longer. A century ago, the world’s largest light-bulb makers made longevity a controlled variable. The harder question is why disposability persists without a cartel.
On Friday, 31 July, a broken washing machine acquired something
A Bubble Can Be Right
AI could transform the economy and still destroy vast amounts of capital.
Britain’s Railway Mania shows how a sound technological forecast can become a poor investment, especially when no competitor can afford to stand still.
