Middle East Support
I love this Wired series.
Society
Why countries trade with each other while fighting
This topic has always fascinated me. ““This mental image that everyone has, that we don’t trade with our enemies during war, is actually an artifact of the world without any neutral rights,” Grinberg says. “Once we develop neutral rights, all… Read More »Why countries trade with each other while fighting
Why is China smashing its tech industry?
Maybe it is just different values and culture. “China may simply see things differently. It’s possible that the Chinese government has decided that the profits of companies like Alibaba and Tencent come more from rents than from actual value added… Read More »Why is China smashing its tech industry?
“This telegram must be closely paraphrased before being communicated to anyone.” Why?
Simple as this. “Never repeat in the clear the identical text of a message once sent in cryptographic form, or repeat in cryptographic form the text of a message once sent in the clear. Anything which will enable an alert… Read More »“This telegram must be closely paraphrased before being communicated to anyone.” Why?
Xi Jinping is the main thing holding China back
Why having one strong leader is always bad in the end. “When you have a leader that strong, it creates a lot of big risks for a country — even one as large, productive, and technologically advanced as China. These… Read More »Xi Jinping is the main thing holding China back
Stumbling through history towards beer
History of beer is much more interesting than you think. “Whether the drink somehow made its way from the Mideast to northern Europe or was independently invented by the Gauls and/or the Germans is unclear. Some see a Babylonian influence… Read More »Stumbling through history towards beer
Nuclear Batteries Can Power Devices for Decades. Is That a Good Thing?
Why don’t we use them more if they work? “The technology works, it has many advantages over chemical batteries, and it can be utilized safely. But what very few companies have been able to do is find a new market… Read More »Nuclear Batteries Can Power Devices for Decades. Is That a Good Thing?
The prospects for war with China: Why I see a serious chance of World War III in the next decade
Will status quo prevail or not? “If the expected destruction from war rises faster than the value of controlling Taiwan, that widens the bracket, creating more and more buffer room for the status quo. Some of you will recognize this… Read More »The prospects for war with China: Why I see a serious chance of World War III in the next decade
Why Sri Lanka is having an economic crisis
A bit older one but still insightful. “Food and fuel are generally the most crucial imports — people can do without the latest iPhone, or a new car, but they can’t really do without food and transportation. And since lots… Read More »Why Sri Lanka is having an economic crisis
Why China can build so quickly and America can’t
It is not good for a lot.of stuff, but it is good if you want to build shit. “There isn’t a single answer to the question about why China can move fast and why we can’t, but Wang offers one… Read More »Why China can build so quickly and America can’t