What is the first news event you can recall?
On 8th August 1974, my father sat us kids in front of the television because something historic was happening: the resignation of Richard Nixon. I wonder if that sparked my lifelong interest in politics!
What is the biggest problem of all?
Given the currently unsolvable problem of death, the biggest problem that we can actually work on is building a rich and meaningful life. That’s going to be different for everyone, but that doesn’t mean anything goes. Thinking, so that we can make sensible choices that help us pursue a great life, is our biggest responsibility.
If you could spend a day in one city or place at one moment in history, what would that be?
Having recently listened to the fantastic The Rest is History podcast series on the subject, I might choose Paris on one of the many fateful days during the French Revolution. I fear, though, that this would not be a wise choice—as I might be one of those killed by the mobs!
What is your favourite quotation?
From Goodfellas: “Paulie may have moved slow, but it was only because Paulie didn’t have to move for anybody.” I’m fond of this one because my father-in-law, who just passed away this year, and I used to love quoting that movie to each other. And as he got older of course he got slower, so I would say it to him and we’d chuckle. Colin didn’t have to move for anybody! What a legend!
Which of your ancestors or relatives are you most proud of?
I won’t pick the relative from the mid-1800s about whom I know very little except for a cryptic remark in the margins of a family tree drawn up by my uncle: “Tom Wales (horse thief).” But a different uncle, Don Dudley, opened the first computer store in Huntsville, Alabama, where I grew up, and taught me the first few things I knew about programming. He had a big impact on my life.
What is the last piece of music, play, novel or film that brought you to tears?
I was really moved by parts of the Taylor Swift documentary Miss Americana. People around here were cautioning her not to say anything political at all, but she showed true grit—and did. Don’t mock me: I’m a Swiftie.
Your new book, The Seven Rules of Trust, comes, uncoincidentally, at a time when trust in numerous institutions has broken down. What, above all, has driven this?
I think it’s really hard to pick any one thing “above all”. But if I’m forced, I reflect on the decline of local journalism. This is part of people’s feeling of alienation from the news, which is now mostly about famous, faraway people, rather than being about things that they can see with their own eyes.
And what is the best way—the one supreme rule, as it were—for restoring that trust?
Well, the book is called The Seven Rules of Trust, and talks about things like having a good purpose, working with human nature, working for transparency. But we did sneak in an eighth “meta rule” at the end, which is that it’s not enough just to read the rules and nod and say “yes”—you actually have to do the things that need doing.
Is this a top-down story, about lawmakers and corporations, or can everyday people do things to build a more trusting, trustworthy society?
I think the only way to do anything that will last and be meaningful (like, I hope, Wikipedia is) is to build it bottom-up. No one is coming to save us: we have to start from where we are and do everything that we can to build a better world.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I once sang “Sweet Home Alabama” on a Bulgarian late-night television show.
What have you changed your mind about?
Elon Musk. I’ll leave the reader to guess what that means.
What do you most regret?
Other than the usual little things—in the holiday season, in the morning, I often regret that last glass of wine the night before—I don’t really regret anything. Even things that I did wrong or where I made a mistake, I know I was doing my best and I think that living in regret isn’t really conducive to building forward and making up for those past mistakes.
“The Seven Rules of Trust” (Bloomsbury) is now available in hardback (£22) and ebook (£15.40)
