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In his latest look at technology, Steve Caplin marks 50 years of the microchip. Uber is about to reach its 1 billionth trip in the UK, while Tesla's app locked owners out of their cars. There's an LED-lit zebra crossing, Adele putting an end to album-shuffling on Spotify, which has added lyrics to its songs, 8 million of them. There's crowd-funding for a gizmo that cancels out spurious noise when you're working at home and the Japanese are using discarded adult nappies to heat public baths.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the UK box office, with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, directed by Jason Reitman, storming into the #1 slot with £4.3m. King Richard, with Will Smith in a possible Oscar-winning role, enters at #5 taking only £570,000. On Netflix, James much admires Tick, Tick… Boom! with Andrew Garfield another possible Oscar nominee. He also looks at sports drama Bruised, starring and directed by Halle Berry.

In the wake of a shambolic speech to the CBI, political commentator Mike Indian looks at the political future of Boris Johnson and asks if we are seeing the beginning of his end as PM. After the tragedy with a migrant boat in the English Channel, he suggests a possible solution. And he turns again to the Northern Ireland protocol and Article 16 and wonders whether, if there is a majority in favour in Northern Ireland, a United Ireland is a possible outcome.

Inflation hit its highest level in a decade this week off the back of soaring energy costs and petrol prices. Why is the cost of living on the rise, when will interest rates go up, and how will all this affect the pound in our pocket? This week, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Mike Sheen take a look at the 4.2 per cent CPI figure and how it is becoming harder to ‘inflation proof’ your finances. It looks like the state pension triple lock could be doomed – that 3.1 per cent rise pencilled in for next year doesn’t look generous considering the rise in the cost of living. There is a special delivery for Royal Mail shareholders while major banks are not only shuttering branches, but are increasingly telling customers to serve themselves. And finally, TSB is the latest bank to offer a prize draw, is it a good alternative to Premium Bonds or simply a gimmick.

Alison asks Bro 10 burning questions about inflation, including why it's so high, is it worse in the U.S., and what can be done about it — both nationally and in your portfolio. And Fool analyst Aaron Bush answers a listener question about choosing the new Bitcoin futures ETF over actual Bitcoin.

Target and Walmart report big earnings but shares slip on margin concerns. Sweetgreen surges 85% on the salad restaurant’s first day of trading. And Intuit, Nvidia, Home Depot, and Lowe’s all hit new highs. Motley Fool analysts Emily Flippen and Jason Moser discuss those stories and discuss the latest from Axon Enterprise and Bilibili. Plus, our analysts share two stocks on their radar: Farfetch and Peloton. And corporate governance expert and film critic Nell Minow talks ESG, executive compensation, and must-see movies with Academy Awards potential.

Adam Cox is joined by Christine Gouldthorp, Consumer Expert at PriceRunner, to discuss new research from PriceRunner which revealed major concerns over pricing during Black Friday in the lead up to Christmas. They look at how concerned Brits should be about so-called ‘fake deals’ online ahead of Black Friday and is HGV driver shortages will affect prices this year. Christine also gives advice on what to do to ensure shoppers don't get ripped off while doing their Christmas shopping.

Adam Cox is joined by Jo Bryant, British etiquette expert, to look at new research released by FREE NOW which reveals the top unexpected behaviours in taxis that impact a user's rating. They discuss how taxi users can ensure they are keeping in line with taxi etiquette and how to make the journey more enjoyable for both the driver and passenger.