Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

In 1980s Southern England, intricate crop circles are appearing overnight, and people are desperate for an explanation. Could humans really create something so complex without anyone spotting them? The truth is out there! Actually, the truth is right here. The problem is getting people to believe it.
For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com
Cautionary Tales is celebrating Halloween with a full month of paranormal themed episodes! If you have a spooky story or a skeptical question, get in touch at tales@pushkin.fm. If you want access to an extra Halloween episode - about the strange world of radio telepathy - alongside plenty of other benefits, check out the Cautionary Club on Patreon.
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This October, Cautionary Tales is going all out for Halloween. We've got four brand new spooky episodes coming your way throughout the month, plus a fifth over on the Cautionary Club on Patreon.
If you have your own Halloween-themed Cautionary Tale or have any questions about belief and the paranormal we'd love to hear from you - contact tales@pushkin.fm
To begin the month, we're revisiting one of our favourite episodes, about the grizzly fates of the archaeologists who disturbed the resting place of Tutankhamun.
For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com
To join the Cautionary Club head to Patreon.com/cautionaryclub
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Before he became Muhammad Ali, Cassius Clay was known as the "Louisville Loud-mouth", as famous for his sharp taunts and poetic put-downs as he was for his skills in the ring. In 1963, Clay arrived in England to take down beloved British Heavyweight, Henry Cooper. Clay is the clear favourite, but the showdown will be remembered as one of boxing history's most shocking battles, changing both men forever and showing what it really means to win.
For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com
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Last week, Cautionary Tales described the rise and fall of General Magic, the startup with too much money and too few constraints. Was General Magic really doomed from the start, and what does its fate tell us about AI, drug discovery and our love lives? David Epstein, author of Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better, joins Tim to make the case for loving limitations.
For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com
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It's 1990. A new company called General Magic is going to build its vision of the future: the smart phone. They have talent, almost unlimited cash, and a 15 year head start on the iPhone. What could go wrong?
This episode was based, with permission, on David Epstein's book Inside the Box: How Constraints Make us Better. For a list of sources, see the show notes.
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