The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts This week’s question: Is ‘ripen at home’ fruit the supermarkets’ idea of a joke? I’ve been struggling to get my head around the …

Regulator acts on leasing of ‘global title’ numbers after industry efforts to tackle problem were ineffective The UK communications regulator Ofcom is banning mobile operators from leasing numbers that can be used by criminals to intercept and divert calls and messages, including security codes sent by banks to customers …

Gathering data used to be a fringe pursuit of Silicon Valley nerds. Now we’re all at it, recording everything from menstrual cycles and mobility to toothbrushing and time spent in daylight. Is this just narcissism redesigned for the big tech age? I first heard about my friend Adam …