Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

The camp is close.

A baby, a kitchen table, and software.

On Sunday 27 May 1838, Kent waits.

A flight path begins with a waypoint.

["Pushkin opens with a suicide warning and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US, then frames anxiety as both a rational response and a medical condition.", "The episode is part of the new podcast Drug Story, which examines common conditions, the drugs used to treat them, and the side effects that follow.", "The introduction asks what happens when treatments work \u201ca little bit too well,\u201d setting up the focus on Xanax and anxiety without giving away the story.", "The transcript also includes an unrelated iHeart promo for Bridge of Lies with Juju Chang, about a 19-year-old woman whose car is found abandoned on a New Jersey bridge."]

A bedridden patient in a hospital unnerves staff by obsessively observing and documenting their activities in a notebook, which he later reveals is a time and motion study.

Alexei notices the white Lada first.

Tim Harford traces Donald Crowhurst’s attempt to win the Sunday Times Golden Globe race, a solo 1968 round-the-world contest with a £5,000 prize, by sailing a trimaran that was still unfinished at launch.

A sailor investigates a mysterious leak in his yacht near the Cape Verde Islands, discovering a gap between wooden planks.

This episode tells the true crime story of how the McDonald's Monopoly game was rigged, as featured on the podcast American Criminal.

This episode tells the story of Chris McKinley, a data scientist using OkCupid to find love, illustrating themes of human error and data-driven decision-making.

The episode recounts the chaotic 1968 Christmas party where the Beatles hosted Hells Angels, leading to a loss of control.

This episode introduces the podcast's theme of true cautionary tales about human error and includes sponsor messages.

Tim Harford tells true stories of awful human error and tragic catastrophes to teach valuable lessons.

The episode recounts the story of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh's ambitious but troubled behavior during the early COVID-19 pandemic, leading to his friends' intervention.

Richard Garfield has a complaint.

This special Giving Tuesday episode of The Happiness Lab podcast explores how charitable giving boosts personal happiness and announces a collaborative fundraising effort with other podcasts to support GiveDirectly in fighting poverty.

This episode explores the intense 1997 Kyoto climate conference where 158 nations negotiated the world's first legally binding climate agreement amid exhaustion, hospitalizations, and diplomatic tensions.

Tim Harford tells true stories of awful human error and tragic catastrophes to teach valuable lessons.

Malcolm Gladwell uses a 1988 murder case in Alabama to explore the history and controversies of the death penalty in the United States.

The episode recounts the story of Derek Bentley, a borderline feeble-minded 19-year-old awaiting execution for a warehouse burglary where a policeman was shot.

Tim Harford introduces a special episode where Pushkin hosts discuss mistakes and regrets, then begins a classic cautionary tale from 1978.

Paul Murphy tapes a tiny microphone to his shoulder in a work lavatory in 2018.

A narrative history episode recounting the tragic story of François Vattel and the disastrous party for King Louis XIV.

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford opens this Douglas Adams episode by quoting Adams, the creator of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the line about a puddle in a sunny glen on a distant planet.

Tim Harford introduces a cautionary tale about the 1913 Epsom Derby, warning listeners about suicide content before telling the story of jockey Herbert Jones.

Tim Harford introduces a story about a phone call alerting a museum curator that several artworks in their collection are forgeries.

Dr.

This episode recounts the story of Captain Donald Hunter and a 1923 U.S.

The episode tells the true story of a doctor and his wife who left Germany to live self-sufficiently on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean in 1932.

A dramatic retelling of the night of the Tay Bridge disaster, focusing on the signalmen and the approaching train.

This episode explores the failed experiment of a playful, deskless office at Chiat Day advertising agency in the 1990s.

Tim Harford revisits a pandemic-era episode about the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire and discusses lessons learned.

This episode explores a cautionary tale about altruism, focusing on a billionaire seeking wisdom from a moral philosopher in the Bahamas.