logo
episode-header-image
May 2021
33m 49s

Wrong Tools Cost Lives

Pushkin Industries
About this episode

The British Government promised to create a "world-beating" system to track deadly Covid 19 infections - but it included an outdated version of the off-the-shelf spreadsheet software Microsoft Excel. The result was disastrous.

When under pressure or lacking in expertise we can all be tempted to use a tool unsuitable for the job in hand. But whether fitting shelves or trying to halt a pandemic, we need to accept that cutting corners comes at a cost.

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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Oct 30
Why Miners See Ghosts | Halloween Season
In the late 1970s, Yorkshire miner Chris Campbell sees something that terrifies him. The spirit of a miner who died in a collapse is calling to him. Is the ghostly figure a waking dream, a trick of the light, or something we should take altogether more seriously? For a full list ... Show More
37m 58s
Oct 27
Introducing... Unexplained: Lying in Wait
This episode comes to you from Unexplained, the podcast that explores mysterious and haunting true stories. In 2009, during the war in Afghanistan, eight marines are tasked with occupying an isolated outpost known as The Rock. For those marines, the war is going to become strange ... Show More
35m 28s
Oct 23
The Pedlar and the Witch | Halloween Season
In 1612, a young woman encounters a pedlar in the British countryside. A seemingly trivial quarrel spirals into chaos when the pedlar is struck down by an unknown force, leading to one of Britain's most notorious witch trials. Justice for Witches Campaign: https://charlottemeredi ... Show More
39m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
CrowdStruck
On Friday July 19, millions of Windows PCs entered a doom-loop that rendered them non-functional thanks to an update sent by a little-known company called CrowdStrike - and in this emergency Better Offline dispatch, Ed Zitron walks you through exactly what happened, why it's so b ... Show More
30m 11s
Nov 2018
S1 – 6: Consequences
Until now, the daily flood of examinations had been a temporary fix while everyone waited for the new government to set up an official trial. For many, that trial would represent hope and conclusion. For some, however, it would extract a heavy, deadly price. Learn more about your ... Show More
38m 10s
Nov 2019
Ep. 04: The Price of Data
When done poorly, data imports can eat into your budget and set the project back weeks or months. Thinking critically about data from the beginning of a project is vital to the success of a project. 
6m 35s
Jun 2023
Sony BMG's Rootkit Fiasco
"We made a mistake and Sony paid a terrible price.” A terrible price indeed: an arrogant and ill-advised decision to include a rootkit in its music CDs cost Sony BMG a lot of money - and painted it as a self-centered, self-serving company that cares more about its bottom line tha ... Show More
41m 25s
Jun 2021
Third time’s the harm: Africa’s crippling covid-19 wave
<p>Hopes that the continent had escaped the worst of the pandemic have proved too hasty; our correspondent describes a slow-rolling tragedy with little hope of respite. Reading scores in America are shockingly low; many blame how the skill is taught. We examine one state’s <a hre ... Show More
20m 35s
Jul 2024
The Great British Post Office Scandal | 115
In the late 90s, the UK Post Office rolls out a new computer accounting system they know is full of glitches. Then, it spends two decades covering up its mistake. When small, mom-and-pop shop owners report errors, the Post Office blames them and forces them to cover any losses… o ... Show More
42m 47s
Sep 2023
Trying Too Hard
<p>A truth that applies to almost every field is that it’s possible to try too hard, and when doing so you can get worse results than those who knew less, cared less, and put in less effort than you did.<br/><br/>There are mistakes that only an expert can make. Errors – often cat ... Show More
13m 41s
May 2020
Season 1, Ep 1 - Creative Destruction
COVID-19 exposed the flaws in our society and the human species. Do we leave old ways behind and build our defenses for the pandemics to come and what will our economic fortunes look like? Does human behaviour really change in the long run? Hear from Dr Mei Ling Doery, Global Aff ... Show More
33m 21s