In most instances, humans (and purple ghosts) use our power over technology for the betterment of our species. But sometimes, in spite of our talent for innovation, the very things that make us human get in the way of our progress.

A great example of this is what happened to the Seán O'Casey Bridge in Dublin, Ireland. Built in 2005 as part of a large-scale urban renewal scheme under the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, the pedestrian swing bridge spans approximately 100 metres and has two balanced cantilever arms that swing open to permit boats to pass upriver.

Which is great - except that it couldn’t be operated at all between 2010 and 2014. Why? Because the remote that controls the bridge was lost during an office move in 2010, and it took 4 years to get someone out to reprogram a new one. We have many questions about this story - like why this big, important bridge was being controlled by a handheld remote, why there was only one, and why it took so long to reprogram a replacement - but out of empathy for the Irish (not least of all based on their Rugby World Cup track record), we won’t ask them. We’ve lost keys before too, and we know it’s just a huge hassle all around.

Humans tend to do these silly things, but at least we make the internet a lot more interesting. There's a believable theory out there that the internet is dying a not-so-gentle death, overrun by bots and fake accounts all over the place. In her weekly column, Dominique Olivier writes in loving memory of the internet.

Read on for a tale of North Korea stealing cars from Volvo (yup, really) and Fast Facts themed around things to ask your therapist.

Have a lovely day and enjoy what we've brought you!

The Finance Ghost (follow on X) | Dominique Olivier (connect on LinkedIn)

TL;DR: In the mid-1970s, car manufacturer Volvo was the victim of the biggest car theft in history. 1000 vehicles were stolen - and you won’t believe by who.

The reclusive nation of North Korea holds the dubious honour of committing the biggest car theft in history. Back in the 1970s, the hermit kingdom placed an order for 1,000 Volvo 144s from Sweden. These were iconic vehicles at the time, praised for their safety and durability, earning them the nickname "tanks." Sweden, keen to get a taste of an emerging market, shipped the cars as agreed - but when the time came to settle the bill, North Korea simply ghosted them. No payment, no apology, not even a “sorry, wrong number” reply to Sweden’s increasingly desperate invoices.

Fast forward to today, and that unpaid tab has grown to a jaw-dropping $322 million. Ever the polite creditor, Sweden continues to send twice-yearly reminders to Pyongyang, clinging to hope like a struggling ex. North Korea, on the other hand, hasn’t so much as glanced at the bill. This saga earned the label “the largest car theft in human history” from none other than Soviet diplomats. When the Soviets call you out for shady behaviour, you know you've outdone yourself.

Those same stolen Volvos - sleek, boxy time capsules of 1970s automotive glory - are still rolling around Pyongyang today. With a population of over 25 million people, North Korea has a meagre 30,000 vehicles on its roads, most of which are military trucks or hilariously bad knockoffs of Western designs. Yet somehow, these Swedish “tanks” remain among the most reliable rides in the capital, holding their own like dignified grandfathers at a family reunion.

How on earth does North Korea keep these vintage motors running? Theories abound. Some suggest the original deal included a mountain of spare parts (a gift Sweden surely regrets). Others think North Korea’s copycat industry reverse-engineered them, while some point to an extensive smuggling network for hard-to-find components. Whatever the truth, it’s clear that these Volvos are built to last - though whether that’s a testament to Swedish engineering or North Korea’s ingenuity is anyone’s guess.

Perhaps North Korea was simply disappointed that they were not, in fact, tanks?
 

An assortment of facts that will take you only a minute to read.

• The liking gap is the disparity between how much you believe another person likes you and that other person's actual opinion. Studies have found that most people underestimate how much other people like them and enjoy their company.

• The more people that are present at the site of an accident or disaster, the less likely it is that someone will step forward to help. This is known as the bystander effect.

• Actor-observer bias describes our tendency to attribute outside forces to our own failures but blame others for their own misfortunes.

• The misuse of forensic psychology can plant false memories that make you believe you committed a crime you didn't commit. It's called the false memory phenomenon.

• The foot-in-the-door phenomenon is a psychological persuasion tactic that involves asking someone to complete a small task before asking them to complete a larger task. The technique is based on the idea that people are more likely to agree to a larger request if they have already agreed to a smaller one.