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Has the UK’s productivity puzzle been solved?

Sep 23, 2026 · 29m

Summary

The episode debunks the UK "productivity puzzle" after ONS revisions revealed previous underestimates of hours worked, and corrects a viral claim that one in ten Irish children became religious, which actually applied only to a small subset of students. It also investigates the UK data center queue, noting that while 73GW of demand is pending, many projects may not materialize, and challenges comparisons of their carbon footprint to ExxonMobil. Finally, data analysis confirms that album closing tracks remain significantly quieter and sadder than the rest, a trend that has persisted and even…

Topics discussed

Introduction and episode overview UK productivity puzzle and ONS data revisions Fact-checking the claim about Irish children becoming nuns Data center carbon emissions vs ExxonMobil and grid queue Why albums end with quieter, sadder songs Outro, credits, and subscription request WhatsApp Docs anniversary and upcoming topics
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