Flights between these two countries are at an all time high
A momentous week
Hi there,
It’s been a momentous week - the latest episode of Work Drinks dropped in which I talked to none other than Ollie Leston.
It’s rare these days to see real characters in elite sport. To really stand a chance of competing in your discipline of choice, it has to have been your sole focus since about the age of three. There’s no time for high jinx or having any other sort of life. Talking to Ollie about his grandfather Les Leston was a reminder of how this hasn’t always been the case.
Les was born in 1920 and prior to his racing career as an F1 driver in the 50s slipped in a successful career as a jazz musician, a radio broadcaster and a bit of sticking it to the Luftwaffe as an upper-gunner in a Lancaster for good measure. He was by all accounts, a man about town.
Ollie is on a mission to restore Les Leston Products, his grandfather’s aftermarket car parts business, to its former glory, starting with the iconic wood-rimmed steering wheel. You can listen to us discussing this and the fascinating world of classic car racing here.
Oh and there was an election or something.
Ready steady go,
Hugo
Chief Inquisitor
The Business of Stuff
The Stuff
Japan has won it’s war against floppy disks 💾 - the country’s digital minister, who has a step up on the cybersecurity minister that claimed to have never used a computer, pledged to get them out of government two years ago. As of June 28th they are no longer used in government. He hasn’t quite managed to oust fax machines yet however.
Taylor Swift and Beyonce have made cowboy-couture a thing 🤠 - Pete Tooley, owner of Cowboy Boot Store (really does what it says on the tin there) in Sheffield has seen a steadily growing stream of people coming to pair some boots with the country-influenced music they listen to.
Fox are going to launch a free streaming service in the UK 📺 - the service is called Tubi which will be supported by ads and have more than 20,000 films and programmes. Some analysts are sceptical about how well it will do in the UK market as we’ve already got loads of content available to us via public broadcasters.
Flights between the UK and US are at an all time high 🛫 - there was something a bit ironic about the general election being on Independence Day but it seems the two countries remain close as one flight goes to the US every 9.5 minutes. I haven’t been to the States since I went on the school chamber choir tour to New York in Year 7. Seems I need to take on board the advice of the Pet Shop Boys and go west.
Bird Flu is impacting Maccies brekkie in Australia 🥚 - the breakfast window has been shortened by 90 minutes thanks to a shortage of eggs. Only 10% of hens in Australia have been affected and they’re just having to go a bit earlier to get their breakfast or go somewhere else.
New book reveals what’s its like to do PR for baddies 🥶 - if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like being the person who attempts to manage the image of people like Colonel Gadaffi then All the Worst Humans by Phil Elwood might the read for you. A career highlight was nuking the US bid to host the World Cup on behalf of the Qataris which ultimately led to them winning the bid for 2022.
Diageo is benefiting from the rise of Guinnfluencers (FT) 🍺 - consumption of delicious creamy pints is up 24% amongst women and there is a lot of growth amongst younger drinkers. Guinness has a certain viral status, thanks in part to the aesthetic delight of well poured pint. Diageo has seen spirit sales slump with its growth now driven by beer.
Shein and Temu are driving a rise in air freight prices 📦 - so much stuff is being flown out of China that rates are 40% higher than they were a year ago. There are concerns that this is going to lead to a squeeze in supply later in the year as we get into the busiest season of the year. Usually air freight is used for perishables and small high-value items but an increasing volume of household items are being transported.
The post-pandemic luxury goods boom appears to be over ⌚ - there was a wave of spending on expensive stuff as everyone charged out of lockdown. This drove up the prices of everything from watches to whiskies but the power balance is shifting back to consumers as they ask themselves questions like “Do I need the Don Julio tequila?” and “Do you think I’ve bought enough handbags this year?”.
The American military has been learning from Silicon Valley🪖 - due to its massive bureaucratic nature it’s struggled to innovate in the same iterative manner that technology companies do. In 2016 the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx), a venture fund but with an appropriately silly militaristic name, was set up by the Pentagon. Unit X tells the story of the struggle to fight the bureaucratic antibodies in order to innovate effectively.
Quote of the week
“I’m a professional cynic but my heart’s not in it” - Blur