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When football fans hear the word “messy”, their minds might leap to the elegance and effortless brilliance of Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi dancing through defences. In most other contexts, though, the connotations aren’t usually positive. A cluttered desk, an untidy house or a chaotic schedule can feel like personal failings we need to fix. We’re conditioned to see tidiness as a virtue and order as the foundation of success. But if you’re feeling bad that your desk look

Does “more” always equal “better”? When it comes to things we enjoy – holidays, money, gadgets, convenience – it seems obvious that the answer must be a resounding “yes.” We equate “more” with progress. Businesses promise more products for their customers and more returns for their shareholders. Charities aim to provide more support to greater numbers of people. Content creators hope for more readers, views and subscribers. Politicians continually promise more economic growt

Did you know ice cream causes drowning? Well, not really – but if you trust statistics blindly then it might appear that way. On hot days, ice cream sales soar, and so do swimming-related accidents. It’s the kind of statistical mischief Darrell Huff warned about more than half a century ago in his best-selling classic How to Lie with Statistics. First published in 1954, Huff’s guide teaches us how to spot some of the numerical nonsense that still fills headlines, social media

What’s the formula for success? Hard work? Talent? Grit? That’s what we’re often told. But what if there’s another important ingredient that we rarely acknowledge? The truth is that luck plays a much greater role in success than we like to admit. Whether we’re talking pop megastars, entrepreneurs or world leaders, random chance can be the difference that helps some people make it to the top. So why do we overlook the role of luck? And, if we’re all at the mercy of random chan

In January 2020, Detroit Police pulled up outside the home of Robert Julian-Borchak Williams and arrested him in front of his wife and two daughters. His crime? Stealing five watches from a shop that he’d never even visited.  Despite protesting his innocence, Robert spent nearly 30 hours behind bars before being released on bail. Eventually, the truth emerged  – an AI-powered facial recognition system had mistaken him for another Black man.  This was the first documented case

Deciding what to eat has never been more complicated – with endless diet plans, conflicting advice and science that seems to change every week.  Why has it been so difficult for nutritionists to agree on what makes for a healthy diet? And could advances in wearable technology and personalised testing finally offer a definitive answer?  Tuck into my short explainer video to find out more: Is this healthy? Imagine you’ve just woken up to breakfast – a bowl of muesli, eggs on to

Innovation can be a high-stakes tightrope walk. Successful companies must continually refine and enhance their existing products to stay ahead – this is called sustaining innovation . But sometimes, a new and unexpected disruptive innovation will   sneak in and rewrite the rules entirely. When this happens, even industry leaders can fall down.  It’s a pattern we see play out time and again. Kodak, once the world’s leading photography company, failed to keep pace with the adve

NASA’s Artemis program is about to send humans back to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years.  Or is it? Artemis was set to make history by landing the first woman and first person of colour on the lunar surface. It aimed to lay the groundwork for a permanent Moon base, which some see as key to eventually reaching Mars. But amid political upheaval in the US, the future of Artemis now looks precarious. Might NASA be about to take a giant detour and head straight for the

What do Bill Gates, The Beatles and Canadian ice hockey stars have in common? Clue: the answer isn’t just that they are phenomenally successful… We’re often told that success comes down to talent and effort – the most able and hardest working are the ones who achieve wealth, fame and power. But what if there’s another secret ingredient that we’re missing? In the latest   iluli video , we explored the critical role of luck in helping those who rise to the top. It’s a theme run

Since Alexander Fleming stumbled upon penicillin nearly a century ago, antibiotics have saved hundreds of millions of lives. They’re so widely used that it’s easy to forget that they’re among the most revolutionary medical breakthroughs in history. But we now face a grave problem: they’re becoming less effective and may soon stop working altogether. This is because bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant. Does this rise of “superbugs” threaten to return us to an era of u

With February fast approaching, how’s that “New Year, New You” transformation shaping up? Every January, the multi-billion-pound diet and fitness industries cash in on our annual resolutions to get healthier. We dive into fad diets and sign up for gym memberships that are billed monthly whether we show up or not. The result? A cycle of optimism, guilt, and auto-renewals. But perhaps the age of best intentions being matched by vague solutions is coming to an end. Enter the sci

“There’s more space in your life than you think!” Next year, NASA will send humans back to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. And there’s good reason to believe that this new era of space exploration might benefit us in more ways than we realise. In a recent   video  we looked at NASA’s Artemis program. Should we be excited? Well, if you are someone who gets slightly giddy at the prospect of lunar colonies and humans making it to Mars – absolutely! But you don

From space travel to smartphones, many of today’s groundbreaking inventions first appeared in fiction.  But beyond predicting new technologies, science fiction can tell us something much more important. It invites us to imagine not just what’s possible, but the kind of future we want to create.  Here’s my short explainer on the subject: Predicting the future I’m going to take an educated guess that your introduction to many of today’s technological marvels came from the film

What does 2025 have in store for us gadget fanatics? A special blend of nostalgia and innovation, it would seem… This year, innovation is shaping up to be less about flashy breakthroughs and more about revisiting and refining what we already know – sometimes with a surprising twist. From breathing new life into old gadgets with AI enhancements to embracing the minimalist charm of less-is-more tech, 2025 promises a captivating blend of the familiar and the futuristic. Think ge

So the moment has finally arrived for AI to receive the Apple treatment. Marketed as “ AI for the rest of us ” and “personal intelligence right where you need it,” Apple Intelligence will roll out in the UK as part of updates for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac starting in December 2024. By partnering with ChatGPT – one of the most recognised AI interfaces – Apple will combine established expertise and computational power with its own innovative AI features. With AI proving transfo

In a logical world, longer life expectancy would be a reason to celebrate. Yet, the ageing population – marked by more retirees and proportionally fewer workers – has led to a crisis in adult social care systems worldwide. In countries like Japan, Italy, and South Korea, life expectancy now stretches into the mid-80s. But when the care system we’ll rely on in our twilight years is buckling under the strain, it’s hardly a surprise that we’re not all partying like it’s 2099. W

Messi or Ronaldo? Coke or Pepsi? Republican or Democrat? Whether it’s politics, fan allegiances or opinions on Marmite, we love to frame our choices as black and white. This “binary bias” can be a useful way to simplify complex decisions and spur us into action. But it can also harm our decision-making more than we realise and lead to unhelpful divides. Here’s my quick explainer on the subject: The appeal of binary From Shakespeare and The Beatles , to JFK and The Clash , w

As a kid, if I ever pulled a funny face, I’d get the classic warning: “If the wind changes, you’ll stay like that!" Decades later, that line is still crystal-clear in my memory. While an economic statistic I heard on BBC radio this morning? Already forgotten. Somehow, those early warnings left a mark, cutting deeper than logic or rationality ever could. Now imagine you work in marketing and you really want your message to stick. Would you go for the dry radio stat, or lean in

I’ve read countless books on leadership and management. Many are packed with valuable insights, but few prepare you for those brutally tough times. Sure, models and targets help, but a polished strategy document isn’t going to waltz into HR and handle a hard conversation for you. “I know you’re worried about paying rent, Geoff, but have you seen my elegant SMART targets?” This is why I was excited to find a book that dives into the real tough truths of leadership – even if r

Ever feel like your to-do list has taken on a life of its own – a well-intentioned effort at organisation that ends up adding more stress than relief? You’re not alone. Whether you’re running a business, leading a team, or simply trying to manage the family calendar, staying on track can feel like walking a tightrope while juggling eels. Slippery little suckers!   Now imagine writing that to-do list for a company as big as Google... As Philip Aldrick shared in The Times : The