About WiredSimple
Why this site exists, who writes it, and what 'complex, made simple' actually means in practice.
The problem we're solving
Most explanations of how things work fail in one of two directions. They're either so simplified that they're wrong — the "electricity is like water in a pipe" school, which leaves you unable to answer the next question — or they're written for people who already understand the subject.
WiredSimple aims at the gap between those. Every article is written for a reader who is intelligent, curious, and has no background in the subject. We explain how things work — so you never have to nod and pretend again.
What makes an article here different
Every explainer is built around a single system, and every one answers the same four questions before it does anything else:
- Inputs — what goes into the system.
- Outputs — what comes out the other side.
- Components — the parts that do the actual work.
- Failure modes — how it breaks, which is usually the fastest way to understand how it works.
That's the system card at the top of every article. It's there so you can get the shape of the thing in fifteen seconds, then read the full explanation if you want the detail. We think failure modes are the most under-used teaching tool in explanatory writing: you understand a mortgage properly the moment you understand negative equity.
Who writes it
WiredSimple is a small independent publication. Articles are published under the WiredSimple Editorial byline, researched against primary sources — standards documents, regulator guidance, manufacturer specifications and peer-reviewed literature — rather than against other explainer articles.
Our full process, including how we handle corrections and where we draw the line on advice, is set out in the editorial policy.
What we don't do
- We don't give personalised advice. Our money articles explain how credit scoring, mortgages and pensions work. They are not financial advice, and our science and health articles are not medical advice.
- We don't run trackers. No analytics cookies, no advertising pixels, no third-party scripts. See the privacy policy.
- We don't publish to a quota. An article ships when it's right, not when it's due.
Get in touch
Spotted an error, or want an explainer on something? The contact page has the details. Corrections are taken seriously and logged on the article.