Claire Ashford
Staff Writer
Claire Ashford is a science and economics journalist who specialises in finding the mathematical patterns hiding inside culture, sport, and commerce.
Articles by Claire Ashford
Mind
How Casinos Engineer Time
The absence of clocks is just the beginning. Every element of a casino floor is a calculated intervention against your sense of how long you have been there.
Claire Ashford · May 28, 2026
Money
The Anchoring Effect and Price Tags
The first number you see rewires every subsequent judgement about value. Retailers have known this for decades. Here is the precise formula they use.
Claire Ashford · May 10, 2026
The Formula Brief
Weekly dispatch from Simon Whistler — the hidden systems, patterns, and mechanisms behind how everything actually works. Precise. No filler.
One formula per week. Zero fluff.