Netflix has branched out from content
Plus some stuff about windows, large spheres and super yachts.
Hello!
I’ve moved (back) to Substack! I suddenly realised that for a budding newsletter writer like me, it's better in almost every way. Nice to be part of a growing ecosystem and all that, rather than being in some pleasant but random corner of the internet. Like a man stranded on a desert island shouting at passing boats as they sail away quickly, trying not to make eye contact. And no, it’s not part of an elaborate scheme to charge £4.99 a month for market reports on antiques in Djibouti (but if you’re interested…).
If you’ve just strolled across this. Welcome. The content below is what you can expect on a weekly basis. Please do subscribe if it’s the sort of thing you’ve been looking for.
Cha cha real smooth,
Hugo
Chief Mover & Shaker
The Stuff
Ozempic is going to impact a number of business models ✈️ - the appetite suppressant which is now being used by millions of people will have ramifications for a number of industries as people snack less, stop bothering with other approaches to losing weight and ultimately weigh less. Airlines are expecting to save millions on fuel costs as passenger weight is a big contributing factor.
The sphere in Las Vegas is absolutely nuts 🔮 - launched with a concert by U2. A band I still can’t quite get my head around. Like, where are all their fans? Anyway, watch this. There was meant to be a sister venue built in Stratford but the local residents objected to having a massive luminous ball parked outside their gaffs, even with the offer of blackout blinds from the developer.
Italians are using English in weird and novel ways 🇮🇹 - we all know that English person who theatrically overpronounces ‘risotto’ but it turns out there’s some funny business going on with ‘inglese forlocco’ or ‘fake English’ over in Italy. Vending machines are ‘self-bars’, remote work is ‘smartible’ and boomer stuff is boomerata. Almost as bad as being cringissimo.
The owner of The Ivy gets told to take down ludicrous windows 🪟- they’ve been described as ‘windows gone mad’ by locals. Richard Caring who also owns Annabels, Sexy Fish and J Sheekeys has been ordered to remove the windows from his £40m property in South Ken as they did not keep in line with the character of the area. Needless to say, the Carings don’t get on very well with their neighbours.
The Four Seasons heads for the ocean 🛥️ - the hotel group is building a 95-suite $420 million superyacht which will be crewed by its own chefs and staff. They are of course keen to stress that is a ‘yacht’ and not a ‘cruise ship’, as used by the masses. Either way luxury travel continues to push the boat out…Fincantieri is building it.
Birkenstock is planning to go public in the next few days 🩴 - the maker of the hippie, sometimes-fashionable footwear is looking to sell shares on the New York Stock Exchange in order to pay down its debt. Spending on footwear more widely has slowed but the German brand has been able to modernise in a market that favours comfort and sustainability. Not bad for a company that has been around since 1774.
Netflix is getting into the merch game 🪆 - as Disney well knows the real money is made selling stuff off the back of a popular movie franchise. Netflix has cottoned onto this so a Squid Game doll can be yours for £115. Or are you a Bridgerton fan and getting married? Why don’t you consider a Bridgerton-inspired bridal dress for a couple of grand?
Michelin is branching out from ranking restaurants 🏨 - once upon a time they just made tyres but to help the growing number of motorists in France they started ranking restaurants. Now they are to begin giving keys to hotels which is probably good because the star system is just completely made up. But I guess so is everything. It will however be a big stress for hotels, as it is for chefs trying to hang onto their stars.
Weird AI chatbot encouraged would-be royal murderer to commit treason 👑 - that bloke that broke into Windsor Castle with a crossbow and planned to kill the Queen was using a chatbot called Replika who encouraged his behaviour. The moral of the story is it’s best to discuss these things with humans if at all possible, particularly when considering nefarious behaviour. They will hopefully not be that treasonous but if they are, they can be held accountable and sent to the tower as well.
Big tech wants you to wear their AI 🕶️ - it’s a massive limiting factor of software and therefore AI that is restricted to a screen, usually on your phone or computer. Thankfully Mark Zuckerberg and co have now infused Ray-Bans with microphones and cameras so you can peer into your friend's souls with ease. The Rewind pendant, another wearable, captures, transcribes and summarises all audio around you so you can keep track of all the times people mutter “silly necklace” as they walk past you.
“The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd” - Bertrand Russell