Family doctor Harold Shipman got away with murdering his patients for decades. He was one of the most prolific serial killers in history - but his hundreds of crimes largely went unnoticed despite a vast paper trail of death certificates he himself had signed.

Why do we sometimes fail to see awful things happening right under our noses? And how can the systems that maintain quality control in cookie factories be employed to prevent another doctor like Shipman killing with impunity?

Read more about Tim's work at http://timharford.com/

 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Family doctor Harold Shipman got away with murdering his patients for decades. He was one of the most prolific serial killers in history - but his hundreds of crimes largely went unnoticed despite a vast paper trail of death certificates he himself had signed.Why do we sometimes fail to see awful things happening right under our noses? And how can the systems that maintain quality control in cookie factories be employed to prevent another doctor like Shipman killing with impunity?Read more about Tim's work at <a href="http://timharford.com/">http://timharford.com/</a> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a>

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups &ndash; and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of &ldquo;The Data Detective&rdquo;) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective” and “The Undercover Economist”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups &ndash; and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of &ldquo;The Data Detective&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Undercover Economist&rdquo;) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

Catching a KiIler Doctor

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/dd531558-fa15-451c-a6f7-ae39003c6f75/transcript

If you tuned in to late-night WOR radio in 1950s New York, you'd enter the secret world of Jean Shepherd. Shepherd's nonconformist style, off-beat humor and love of pranks gathered a small but loyal following. These "Night People" loved being in on the joke, while the oblivious "Day People" were often the butt of it. Shepherd's show is long gone, but his spirit lives on in corners of the internet. Today, though, Night People go by a different name.

For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.

If you tuned in to late-night WOR radio in 1950s New York, you'd enter the secret world of Jean Shepherd. Shepherd's nonconformist style, off-beat humor and love of pranks gathered a small but loyal following. These "Night People" loved being in on the joke, while the oblivious "Day People" were often the butt of it. Shepherd's show is long gone, but his spirit lives on in corners of the internet. Today, though, Night People go by a different name.
For a list of sources, see the show notes at <a href="https://timharford.com/">timharford.com</a>.

Attack of the Night People 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/905efddf-dc6f-4707-b911-b48201109d87/transcript

When the Luddites smashed factory frames in a bid to defend their craft and livelihoods, the machines came out on top. Today, AI and automation threaten to wipe out skilled jobs and flood us with inferior products at a fraction of the price: is history going to repeat itself? FT journalist and author of We Are Not Machines Sarah O'Connor joins Tim to discuss her findings from the front lines about the future of work. Which professions are most at risk, and is there anything workers can do about it?  

See the show notes at TimHarford.com

Sarah's book, "We Are Not Machines: The Fight for the Future of Work", is available here (UK) and for pre-order here (US). 

When the Luddites smashed factory frames in a bid to defend their craft and livelihoods, the machines came out on top. Today, AI and automation threaten to wipe out skilled jobs and flood us with inferior products at a fraction of the price: is history going to repeat itself? FT journalist and author of We Are Not Machines Sarah O'Connor joins Tim to discuss her findings from the front lines about the future of work. Which professions are most at risk, and is there anything workers can do about it?&nbsp;&nbsp;
See the show notes at <a href="https://timharford.com/">TimHarford.com</a>
Sarah's book, "We Are Not Machines: The Fight for the Future of Work", is available <a href="https://guardianbookshop.com/we-are-not-machines-9780241704226/">here</a> (UK) and for pre-order <a href="https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Not-Machines-Future/dp/1567928366/ref=sr_1_1?crid=H86QNNDYO6AE&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.otHLew_otxwdiH8xyyvEwHyOlK6BiNfARXkSOYMEC4xcsi-LlCjp3O__eHz80TSXSwRNb_NTIUpLwnDT79g2X_DZ6fJIwsu4XLQg3kmU35PRSmD82Ka3v9R3H5_6FjA5V5sQcsQf-Fb2PwyyNUWHEsz74wb4C4qQpdwrtICFNWFf8fUqjljfwY88-8vrDpa9QPVI9dqmtY7KqkGIBZvMHwGvfollJloZ4R1Zzi0oY1g.muNnnZb0EZo5xBXuw25WEGhwM2woRKCBU70RC3KTd0I&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=we+are+not+machines&amp;qid=1782997834&amp;sprefix=we+are+not+machin%2Caps%2C183&amp;sr=8-1">here</a> (US).&nbsp;

LIVE: We Are Not Machines - with Sarah O'Connor 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6a67f2bc-896a-4cee-8f76-b47b0149395e/transcript

The children of North End, Boston, play in the shadow of an enormous steel tank of molasses. The thick, sticky sugar syrup is being used to make munitions for the First World War. When a worker notices dark molasses seeping from the tank he warns the company that there could be a leak. But the man in charge, Arthur Jell, has more important things to worry about: schedules to meet and profits to make. Besides, it's only sugar. How dangerous could it be?

For the sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.

The children of North End, Boston, play in the shadow of an enormous steel tank of molasses. The thick, sticky sugar syrup is being used to make munitions for the First World War. When a worker notices dark molasses seeping from the tank he warns the company that there could be a leak. But the man in charge, Arthur Jell, has more important things to worry about: schedules to meet and profits to make. Besides, it's only sugar. How dangerous could it be?
For the sources, see the show notes at <a href="https://timharford.com/">timharford.com</a>.

Treacle Tears: The Boston Molasses Disaster

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/8a15e32b-7a40-4745-bf81-b4740142ca4a/transcript

Catching a KiIler Doctor

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