Why China still can’t make ballpoint pens. “Made in China has two weaknesses: one is ‘can’t be made,’ which is a real technical chokehold; the other is ‘can’t be used,’ which is often stuck on non-technical barriers.” The piece uses […]
China’s doing more on AI disclosure, but also not that much. “China is essentially the only major country to enact a preemptive, upstream requirement that all AI-generated video be labeled, watermarked, and traceable across the stack.” The piece explains why […]
Driverless vans in China are unstoppable. “In China, driverless delivery vans have become a total meme, they plow through crumbling roads, fresh concrete, motorcycles, anything. Nothing stops them.” Your delivery is on the way! ~ learn more
Growing up in China’s “404 Not Found”. This secret Chinese nuclear city called 404 wasn’t on any map. Built in the Gobi Desert in 1958, it housed elite scientists and workers focused on atomic bomb production. Life there was harsh […]
China’s new tax on condoms. In a move to boost birth rates, China will impose a 13% VAT on contraceptive products, marking its first tax on such items in three decades. “Removing the VAT exemption is largely symbolic and unlikely […]
The scale of China’s renewables. “The 22m tonnes of steel used to build new wind turbines and solar panels in 2024 would have been enough to build a Golden Gate Bridge on every working day of every week that year.” […]
China is killing the US on energy. Does that mean they’ll win AGI? “How will we feed the 100s of GWs of extra energy demand that AI will create over the next decade? On this episode, Casey Handmer (Caltech PhD, […]
Why is Argentina poor? “Around 1900, Argentina was 2x richer than Japan, and over 4x richer than Taiwan, South Korea, and China. But all these countries are now richer than Argentina.” Factors like land concentration and poor economic policies have […]
The Great Tea Race of 1866. On a May morning, five fast clippers set sail from China to London in a maritime showdown for the prized first tea delivery. Ariel and Taeping reached London neck-and-neck, only to face the harsh […]
Your phone already has social credit. “The only difference between your phone and China’s social credit system is that China tells you what they’re doing. We pretend our algorithmic reputation scores are just “user experience features.” At least Beijing admits […]