Alec Hogg: Moneyball heads for English Premier League

Only once did I get close enough in person to see the whites of Bill Gates' eyes. It was at a carefully staged event in Davos some years ago where a few media people were invited to a midnight "fireside chat" (yes, 12am). Fears that my invitation had been sent by mistake were confirmed on arrival as my name wasn't on the official list. But a kind gatekeeper let me in anyway to witness an eloquent Gates in his prime. That's all unravelling fast as Bill's divorce from Melinda becomes turns increasingly ugly. Super-nerd, it appears, also possesses a super-libido. First it was disclosures of an apparent relationship with sex fiend Jeffrey Epstein. Now we hear Gates resigned from the Microsoft and Berkshire directorate because of an undisclosed extramarital affair. Which goes to show – truth always emerges, no matter how powerful those who attempt to hide it. This morning's exclusive from the Wall Street Journal is republished below.

• On a happier note, another famous American, baseball's Billy Beane, has been quietly applying his mathematical theories to English Football – with great success. This week tiny Barnsley FC will compete in the Championship playoffs for a place in the English Premier League. Beane, whose algorythms transformed baseball's Oakland As, has together with a group of countrymen used data science catapult the 134 year old Cinderella club to within two games of the sporting world's richest league. Click here to read this inspirational story in today's WSJ.
• I received an email from Discovery CEO Adrian Gore this morning, one of millions sent to members of South Africa's largest medical aid fund. Well written, it is an excellent summary of where we are and what is going to happen next. Worth sharing. So I have. Click here to read it.
• Another instructive piece from our partners at the WSJ this morning covers how massive innovation in power storage is transforming the energy equation. In typical Moore's Law fashion, batteries (above) are becoming cheaper and more efficient – helping to turn renewable energy into the obvious economic alternative. Read the story by clicking here. Along a similar line, investigative journalists at amaBhungane have produced the most comprehensive report yet on SA's Powerships debacle – read it here.

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