When James Dallas Egbert III was reported missing from his college dorm in 1979, one of America's most flamboyant private detectives was summoned to solve the case. "Dallas" faced the same problems as many teenagers, but P.I. William Dear stoked fears that he might have fallen under the evil spell of a mysterious and sinister game: Dungeons & Dragons...

Tim Harford returns with brand new episodes of Cautionary Tales on January 10th. In the meantime, Merry Christmas from the Cautionary Tales team!

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

When James Dallas Egbert III was reported missing from his college dorm in 1979, one of America's most flamboyant private detectives was summoned to solve the case. "Dallas" faced the same problems as many teenagers, but P.I. William Dear stoked fears that he might have fallen under the evil spell of a mysterious and sinister game: Dungeons &amp; Dragons...
Tim Harford returns with brand new episodes of Cautionary Tales on January&nbsp;10th. In the meantime, Merry Christmas from the Cautionary Tales team!
For a full list of sources, see the show notes at&nbsp;<a href="http://timharford.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://timharford.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1734126103280000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0xGp6rdYTHPMrJdxAjlqYn">timharford.com</a>.&nbsp;

Demonizing Dungeons & Dragons (Classic)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3a052bed-603c-4ae8-aca4-b245012e9417/transcript

Off the coast of an Italian island, an enormous cruise ship - seventeen floors high, three soccer pitches long - is tilting noticeably to one side. The local mayor is horrified: there are thousands of people on board the Costa Concordia, and it's only a matter of time before the ship capsizes altogether. How did a routine trip go so terribly wrong? And why is the captain nowhere to be found?

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

Off the coast of an Italian island, an enormous cruise ship - seventeen floors high, three soccer pitches long - is tilting noticeably to one side. The local mayor is horrified: there are thousands of people on board the Costa Concordia, and it's only a matter of time before the ship capsizes altogether. How did a routine trip go so terribly wrong? And why is the captain nowhere to be found?
For a full list of sources, see the show notes at <a href="http://timharford.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://timharford.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1733327842354000&amp;usg=AOvVaw34h_mPd7bFqKMsw-HWLV3k">timharford.com</a>.

Captain Coward and the Blame Game

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/88db369a-fe5b-4d7a-97f5-b23b0123af0e/transcript

It's the season of giving: colorful paper and shiny bows, sure, and charitable giving, too. In this special episode, Jacob Goldstein, the host of What's Your Problem, gets smart about donating. 

Did you know that spending money on others makes you happier than spending money on yourself? Or that altruistic nerds have discovered four of the most impactful charities in the world (per dollar spent)? Have you ever wondered how poker players think about giving?

Dr. Laurie Santos from The Happiness Lab, Elie Hassenfeld of GiveWell, and Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova from Risky Business talk about how to maximize your giving – and why you’ll be happy you did.

Link to donate: https://givingmultiplier.org/happinesslab

Listen to The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

Listen to Risky Business

It's the season of giving: colorful paper and shiny bows, sure, and charitable giving, too. In this special episode, Jacob Goldstein, the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-your-problem/id1602541473">What's Your Problem</a>, gets smart about donating. 
Did you know that spending money on others makes you happier than spending money on yourself? Or that altruistic nerds have discovered four of the most impactful charities in the world (per dollar spent)? Have you ever wondered how poker players think about giving?
Dr. Laurie Santos from The Happiness Lab, Elie Hassenfeld of GiveWell, and Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova from Risky Business talk about how to maximize your giving – and why you’ll be happy you did.
Link to donate: <a href="https://givingmultiplier.org/happinesslab">https://givingmultiplier.org/happinesslab</a> Listen to <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/id1474245040">The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos</a> Listen to <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/risky-business-with-nate-silver-and-maria-konnikova/id1743213122">Risky Business</a>

Get Happier, Help Others: Some Good Ideas About Giving

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e5e3d8c5-f966-471b-9f39-b23501579d2e/transcript

What really drove the 2008 financial crash? What’s a shadow bank? And what’s the connection between NIMBYs and BANANAs? Tim Harford and Jacob Goldstein answer more of your questions.

Do you have a question for Tim? Please send it in to tales@pushkin.fm.

What really drove the 2008 financial crash? What’s a shadow bank? And what’s the connection between NIMBYs and BANANAs? Tim Harford and Jacob Goldstein answer more of your questions.
Do you have a question for Tim? Please send it in to <a href="mailto:tales@pushkin.fm">tales@pushkin.fm</a>.

RoboPod and the Perpetual Money Machine - Cautionary Questions 2

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d9f87644-44d5-42bc-be5f-b22e014bfd36/transcript

Charles Darwin was stumped by peacocks. According to his theory of evolution, some creatures were better equipped to survive in their particular environment than others. It explained a lot - but it didn't explain the peacock's brightly coloured tail feathers, which were extravagant and cumbersome. Surely such plumage made it harder for peacocks to survive?

It so happens that the life of Darwin's own grandfather offered clues to the puzzle of the peacock's tail - if only he'd known to look there...

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

Charles Darwin was stumped by peacocks. According to his theory of evolution, some creatures were better equipped to survive in their particular environment than others. It explained a lot - but it didn't explain the peacock's brightly coloured tail feathers, which were extravagant and cumbersome. Surely such plumage made it harder for peacocks to survive?
It so happens that the life of Darwin's own grandfather offered clues to the puzzle of the peacock's tail - if only he'd known to look there...
For a full list of sources, see the show notes at <a href="http://timharford.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://timharford.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1731001488462000&amp;usg=AOvVaw182hvri6RSP21OX-dN1nYc">timharford.com</a>.

Darwin's Grandpa and the Art of Sex Appeal

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c4e920e6-cc40-4acb-9fbb-b22001527b47/transcript

In 1827, Edinburgh, Scotland was a world centre for anatomical study, but there was a shortage of cadavers for medical students to dissect. Two men, William Burke and William Hare, spotted a grim business opportunity. They began sourcing bodies - by any means possible...

In this episode of Cautionary Tales - recorded live at the Podcast Show in London - true crime meets economics. Tim Harford's hair-raising story explores a question: what makes some markets acceptable, and others repugnant?

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

In 1827, Edinburgh, Scotland was a world centre for anatomical study, but there was a shortage of cadavers for medical students to dissect. Two men, William Burke and William Hare, spotted a grim business opportunity. They began sourcing bodies - by any means possible...
In this episode of Cautionary Tales - recorded live at the Podcast Show in London - true crime meets economics. Tim Harford's hair-raising story explores a question: what makes some markets acceptable, and others repugnant?
For a full list of sources, see the show notes at <a href="http://timharford.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://timharford.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729771054859000&amp;usg=AOvVaw066CGLyo0FDxOzacgfoQTz">timharford.com</a>

The Edinburgh Body Snatchers: Murder at Halloween

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/2b3e4ec4-96d8-4d65-82da-b21200fdf887/transcript

Tim Harford joined Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova on their podcast Risky Business to discuss two of history’s most compelling swindlers: Sam Israel III and John Law.

We hope you enjoy this episode of Risky Business. It's available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Tim Harford joined Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova on their podcast Risky Business to discuss two of history’s most compelling swindlers: Sam Israel III and John Law.
We hope you enjoy this episode of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/risky-business-with-nate-silver-and-maria-konnikova/id1743213122">Risky Business</a>. It's available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Cautionary Tales Presents: Death Fraud and Other Risky Business

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/20b93c2b-d367-4783-84c5-b202010d8805/transcript

India, 1930. Sarojini Naidu is marching towards a British-controlled saltwork; behind her is a long column of protestors all dressed in white. The great campaigner for India's Independence, Gandhi, is now in jail. In his place, he's chosen Naidu to lead this movement against the hard and fearsome British Empire.

Naidu and her marchers want change, and they want to achieve it peacefully. India's fate, they believe, depends on a non-violent path to resistance.

Today, there will be violence. But it won't come from them.

This is the final episode in a four-part series about how to succeed without being a jerk. This episode is based on David Bodanis' forthcoming book How To Change The World, which is scheduled to be published in late 2025.

India, 1930. Sarojini Naidu is marching towards a British-controlled saltwork; behind her is a long column of protestors all dressed in white. The great campaigner for India's Independence, Gandhi, is now in jail. In his place, he's chosen Naidu to lead this movement against the hard and fearsome British Empire.
Naidu and her marchers want change, and they want to achieve it peacefully. India's fate, they believe, depends on a non-violent path to resistance.
Today, there will be violence. But it won't come from them.
This is the final episode in a four-part series about how to succeed without being a jerk. This episode is based on David Bodanis' forthcoming book How To Change The World, which is scheduled to be published in late 2025.

The Poet Who Toppled The British Empire

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/af8508dd-1f76-4970-a7ff-b204012f0cc6/transcript

Early morning, April 1789. Captain Bligh is abruptly dragged from his cabin. Wrists bound, bayonet pressed to his chest, he and a few loyal sailors are forced into a tiny launch and set adrift on the vast Pacific Ocean. This far from land, no-one is likely to survive for long.

History remembers Captain Bligh as a cruel, petty tyrant. The reality is more complicated. Bligh championed rational thought and showed his men great kindness on that famous voyage on the Bounty - yet it ended in mutiny. So what went wrong? 

This is the third episode in a four-part series about fairness. It's based on David Bodanis' excellent book The Art of Fairness: The Power of Decency In A World Turned Mean.

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

Early morning, April 1789. Captain Bligh is abruptly dragged from his cabin. Wrists bound, bayonet pressed to his chest, he and a few loyal sailors are forced into a tiny launch and set adrift on the vast Pacific Ocean. This far from land, no-one is likely to survive for long.
History remembers Captain Bligh as a cruel, petty tyrant. The reality is more complicated. Bligh championed rational thought and showed his men great kindness on that famous voyage on the Bounty - yet it ended in mutiny. So what went wrong? 
This is the third episode in a four-part series about fairness. It's based on David Bodanis' excellent book The Art of Fairness: The Power of Decency In A World Turned Mean.
For a full list of sources, see the show notes at <a href="http://timharford.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://timharford.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1727361917635000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0EELteBl_WFBq8-nl1MGLN">timharford.com</a>.

Reason, Wrath and Rebellion on the High Seas

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/968759a6-fe5a-410f-944e-b1f60106b8a3/transcript

Paul Starrett has just won a major building contract. If everything goes according to plan, this will be the tallest building in the world. But will everything go according to plan?

This prestigious new project will have Starrett's biggest workforce yet. Everyone will need to pull together, but labour relations in the United States have been rough. There have been tens of thousands of strikes in recent years, many ending in shootings and arbitrary mass arrests.

Something else is bothering Starrett too: enormous steel-framed buildings normally take three or four years to complete. The deadline on this one? Just thirteen months.

This is the second episode in a four-part series about how to succeed without being a jerk. It's based on David Bodanis' excellent book The Art of Fairness: The Power of Decency in a World Turned Mean.

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

Paul Starrett has just won a major building contract. If everything goes according to plan, this will be the tallest building in the world. But will everything go according to plan?
This prestigious new project will have Starrett's biggest workforce yet. Everyone will need to pull together, but labour relations in the United States have been rough. There have been tens of thousands of strikes in recent years, many ending in shootings and arbitrary mass arrests.
Something else is bothering Starrett too: enormous steel-framed buildings normally take three or four years to complete. The deadline on this one? Just thirteen months.
This is the second episode in a four-part series about how to succeed without being a jerk. It's based on David Bodanis' excellent book The Art of Fairness: The Power of Decency in a World Turned Mean.
For a full list of sources, see the show notes at <a href="http://timharford.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://timharford.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726166613668000&amp;usg=AOvVaw26-lwj6PBL9sIPf3VStP3k">timharford.com</a>.

Steel and Kindness: Clash of the Skyscrapers

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/48acedef-3a4e-4ea6-b854-b1e80140fbcd/transcript

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 other 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 – 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 other 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.

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.

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

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