Tom Standage is deputy editor of The Economist and editor of its future-gazing annual, The World Ahead. He is also responsible for the newspaper’s digital strategy and the development of new digital products. He is the author of seven history books, including “Writing on the Wall” (2013), “The Victorian Internet” (1998), and “A History of the World in 6 Glasses” (2005). He studied engineering and computing at Oxford University and has written for other publications including the New York Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, and Wired.