The French are coming to build theme parks
Geopolitics, Birkenstocks and Spandex.
Hello,
Is geopolitics a zero-sum game? If you believe in exponential growth, then it isn’t. We could band together, mine minerals on the moon, and enjoy our apportioned grass-fed forest beef, confident that the maths adds up and the atmosphere will be fine. Some would argue we have no other choice in the face of global threats like climate change and alien invasions.
Or maybe it’s a fight to the bitter end: whoever uses the most oil wins, and you’d better buy my gadgets or I’ll squash you. It seems this is how the current political leadership of the world perceives things, and perhaps that’s the reality. But when does competition become an end in itself? What are you going to do with the upper hand once you have it? Tell everyone you’ve got the upper hand? Expand the pie, I say.
I win,
Hugo
Chessmaster General
The Business of Stuff
The Stuff
UK Government scores an own goal again ⚽ - Apple has pulled Advanced Data Protection for UK users after the government requested backdoor access to user data. This means that no data in the UK will be fully encrypted, a loss for consumers and a a bit of an L for the government, which should probably avoid picking fights with global tech companies where possible.
Scotland isn’t happy about English single malts 🥃 - There has been a backlash against a proposal to allow English whisky producers to use the term “single malt” in their marketing, with the Scotch Whisky Association saying it will “devalue” the term. The issue revolves around the mashing, fermenting, and distilling needing to occur in the same location.
Birkenstocks are not art, says German court 👡- The sandal maker has been trying to prevent knock-off versions from being sold by petitioning a court to claim they were works of art and thus entitled to strong copyright protections. The judge rejected this argument, 18 months after the case began. Birkenstock has been around since 1774, but it’s only in the past few years that it has shed its association with tofu and granola, with many celebrities wearing the sandals.
Fake sourdough is on the rise 🍞 - Beware of fake loaves. Many supermarket loaves that purport to be sourdough contain numerous additives and are not made using the traditional method. These loaves have been branded “sourfaux,” and the Real Bread Campaign is not happy about the whole charade. I’m glad people are standing up for bread.
Everyone is going mad for Spandex 🧘 - The global spandex market was valued at $8 billion in December, thanks to its widespread use in athleisure and shapewear. The only issue is that it’s responsible for a huge amount of microplastics entering the environment, leading several companies to try and create biodegradable alternatives.
Football fans are exposed to thousands of gambling ads 💰- The number of adverts appearing during the opening weekend of the Premier League went from 11,000 in 2023 to 29,000 in 2024, leading experts to say that the market is out of control, as unsurprisingly, self-regulation doesn’t really work. Some have suggested that the current “self-regulation” approach might be influenced by gambling companies inviting MPs to football matches.
Quantum computing could be here in years, not decades 🍪 - Microsoft has made an announcement, and if (a big “if”) it’s not just marketing bluster, then Majorana 1 could be solving “meaningful industrial-scale problems” sooner than expected. There’s a steady stream of announcements from companies about quantum computing, but the general consensus is that it’s still a way off from being truly useful.
Amazon takes complete control of Bond 🥸 - They bought MGM, which owns the franchise, in 2022, but after a long period of tension and inactivity, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are stepping back to let Amazon take over. They obviously want a return on their investment, so many think it will follow the same path as Star Wars at Disney, with numerous hit-and-miss spin-offs.
The Elizabeth Line has been a success after all 🚂 - The project has performed far better than expected, transporting 500 million passengers since it opened in May 2022. Yes, it took far longer than anyone anticipated and was massively over budget, but could it be a sign that it’s worth undertaking large new projects? It has led Liverpool Street and Paddington to overtake Waterloo as the UK’s busiest stations.
A proposed French theme park in Oxfordshire seems a bit suspicious 👑 - Puy du Fou, a historical theme park in western France, is consistently ranked among the world’s best. The family behind it is looking to open one in the UK, but people have pointed to their involvement with the Kremlin and a proposal to build “Tsarland” in Crimea as questionable. The founder, Philippe de Villiers, also has far-right political leanings. As much as I’d love to romp around a fake medieval castle, it’s not sounding great.
Quote of the week
“Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously.”
― Hunter S. Thompson