Cognitive bias occurs when we make subjective assumptions about people or situations based on our own perception of reality. This can lead to irrational decisions and judgement calls that affect those around us. They can alter the way you see everything without you even realising it.

Identifying the problem is the first step towards rational thinking. Here are 24 distinct biases that you need to be aware of - from "declinism" (believing the past was better than the present) to "fundamental attribution error" (judging others on their character but yourself on the situation).

I just migrated my photos off of Flickr. Yes, it's 2017, and I was still using Flickr. Why? Because I'd been using it since 2005, it's free, and the mobile app is… fine. But now that it seems like Flickr is joining the likes of AOL and Earthlink in the internet graveyard, it's clearly time to leave. Why did it take this long for me to leave to begin with?

Magic tricks, or illusions, make us go, "ooh," "ahhh," and, "how the flippin' crap did they do that?!" They're part sleight of hand, part planning, and a lot of brain confusion. Your brain is a liar.

Over the last couple of days, we've seen an interesting game played out at Google. An unnamed employee has said, in a 10-page memo that was widely circulated at the company, that the reason women are under-represented in IT is because they are psychologically different to men and, therefore, aren't as well suited to the jobs in the tech sector as men.

Now, that man has been fired according to reports today. I want to discuss a few things before coming back to the specific situation at Google.

According to a 2013 Yale study, when facts seem to contradict your political opinions, your brain will work so hard to protect your beliefs that you'll do worse at maths. And surprisingly, the effect is stronger on people who are usually good at maths.

Like most people, I like to daydream about a stage later in my life where all of my financial worries are taken care of and I can pretty much do anything I want with my time. I spend my days going on hiking trails, doing some volunteer work, writing a novel, doing a little bit of travel with my wife, visiting my children in college or in their adult lives, organising community events, playing lots of board games with friends, reading... things I'd love to be doing with my time in retirement. It's a very joyful picture for me, but there's one big problem with it. That daydream completely glosses over what I had to do to get there. It overlooks the many, many years of work and savings that it would take to achieve that goal. Without a ton of hard work, that wonderful vision is not a realistic outcome. It's magical thinking.