Simon Ings

Believing in big data is equivalent to believing in the stars

Those who think numerical data will unlock the world’s secrets should remember that Babylonian astrologers have been that way before

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  • A Scheme of Heaven: Astrology and the Birth of Science

    Alexander Boxer

    Profile, pp. 299, £20

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Rod Liddle

I liked John Prescott enormously

There was a time we all looked forward to on the BBC Today programme, back in the early years of Tony Blair’s first term as Prime Minister. Late July, early August. Blair had scooted off to San Gimignano, Mandelson was probably on a yacht with an oligarch, even Campbell was away battling his weird inner demons somewhere.

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