| ? |
 |
|
Don't like ads? Go ad-free with TradeBriefs Premium    
CEO Picks - The best that international journalism has to offer!  S11China, the Worldâs Shopping Cart   China is no longer just the world’s factory; now, it’s also the world’s mall. As online shopping slows within China, a new generation of e-commerce companies has emerged, with their sights set on foreign customers. Their rise has been meteoric: In the past few years, Shein has cornered the fast-fashion market and is now expanding to sell almost anything; Temu only launched at the end of 2022 and now has 130 million global users; and TikTok is converting its vast user base into online shoppers with TikTok Shop.The rise of these Chinese shopping platforms has reshaped online shopping for buyers and sellers. Their ultra-low prices have enticed customers and beaten back the competition but also invited scrutiny. Governments are starting to question the impact on local business and the integrity of supply chains — in some cases changing import rules or even banning platforms outright.
Continued here
|
S1"Oppenheimer" breaks the recent trend at the Oscars - The Economist (No paywall)  CINEMAGOERS and Academy voters have not seen eye to eye for more than a decade. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” had grossed only $139m at the global box office when it won Best Picture last year; according to Box Office Mojo, which tracks films, it ranked 34th of all the movies released in 2022. It was hardly a mainstream smash, yet it had a strong showing compared with some of its predecessors: “Nomadland”, “Spotlight” and “Birdman” all ranked in the 70s in their year of release. (“Moonlight” did not make the top 100.) Little wonder the viewing figures for the ceremony have been low: the public has not cared about the winning films.
Continued here
|
| ? |
|
S2All the Carcinogens We Cannot See - The New Yorker (No paywall)  In the nineteen-seventies, Bruce Ames, a biochemist at Berkeley, devised a way to test whether a chemical might cause cancer. Various tenets of cancer biology were already well established. Cancer resulted from genetic mutations—changes in a cell’s DNA sequence that typically cause the cell to divide uncontrollably. These mutations could be inherited, induced by viruses, or generated by random copying errors in dividing cells. They could also be produced by physical or chemical agents: radiation, ultraviolet light, benzene. One day, Ames had found himself reading the list of ingredients on a package of potato chips, and wondering how safe the chemicals used as preservatives really were.But how to catch a carcinogen? You could expose a rodent to a suspect chemical and see if it developed cancer; toxicologists had done so for generations. But that approach was too slow and costly to deploy on a wide enough scale. Ames—a limber fellow who was partial to wide-lapel tweed jackets and unorthodox neckties—had an idea. If an agent caused DNA mutations in human cells, he reasoned, it was likely to cause mutations in bacterial cells. And Ames had a way of measuring the mutation rate in bacteria, using fast-growing, easy-to-culture strains of salmonella, which he had been studying for a couple of decades. With a few colleagues, he established the assay and published a paper outlining the method with a bold title: “Carcinogens Are Mutagens.” The so-called Ames test for mutagens remains the standard lab technique for screening substances that may cause cancer.
Continued here
|
S3How I Learned to Concentrate - The New Yorker (No paywall)  A defining feature of the theory group was the explicit value that the researchers there placed on concentration, which I soon understood to be the single most important skill required for success in our field. In his book “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!,” the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard P. Feynman recalled delivering his first graduate seminar at Princeton, to an audience that included Albert Einstein and Wolfgang Pauli: “Then the time came to give the talk, and here are these monster minds in front of me, waiting!” At M.I.T., we had our own monster minds, who were known for their formidable ability to focus.I was astonished at how the most impressive of my colleagues could listen to a description of a complicated proof, stare into space for a few minutes, and then quip, “O.K., got it,” before telling you how to improve it. It was important that they didn’t master your ideas too quickly: the dreaded insult was for someone to respond promptly and deem your argument “trivial.” I once attended a lecture by a visiting cryptographer. After he finished, a monster mind in the audience—an outspoken future Turing winner—raised his hand and asked, “Yes, but isn’t this all, if we think about it, really just trivial?” In my memory, the visitor fought back tears. In the theory group, you had to focus to survive.
Continued here
|
| ? |
|
S4The Big Problem With the Giant Stanley Cup - WIRED (No paywall)  Once a masculine emblem of construction workers and hikers, Stanley drinkware is now a status symbol for the wellness-oriented internet trend-chaser. The ubiquitous 40-ounce Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumbler is at the heart of some of the 2020s’ most recognizable woman-dominated and pastel-toned trends, like the “hot girl walk” and TikTok’s controversial #WaterTok niche. The Stanley cup, as it is universally known, is toted by countless influencers and even some A-list celebrities who praise its supposedly superior functionality even as it draws mockery for its sometimes comical impracticality.The movement against disposable containers is urgently needed, and reusable water bottles have been fashionable for decades. In the past, consumers signaled their love of hydration and the environment with water bottles from brands like Nalgene, Swell, Hydro Flask, and Yeti. But none of Stanley’s predecessors inspired a frenzy on a scale so large that it threatens to symbolize the very kind of environmentally-harmful consumption that reusable containers are supposed to end.
Continued here
|
| ? |
|
|
| ? |
|
|
|
S5How Perfectionists Can Get Out of Their Own Way - Harvard Business Review (No paywall)  If you’re struggling to let go of some of your perfectionistic tendencies, or managing someone who is, it can be helpful to remember the ways perfectionists can self-sabotage in the workplace. Among these are struggling to make decisions (because none of them seem optimal), worrying over sunk costs, avoiding challenges (to avoid failure), applying excessively high standards to others, and ruminating about failures or weaknesses. All of these will hurt performance at work. To overcome these kinds of challenges, perfectionists can develop heuristics for faster decision-making, focus on learning from past successes, try to focus on improving by 1% rather than being totally perfect, and learn strategies to disrupt rumination.
Continued here
|
S6Legal Weed in New York Was Going to Be a Revolution. What Happened? - The New Yorker (No paywall)  A few years ago, Howell Miller was in prison in New York State, walking laps around the track with a fellow-inmate he’d befriended, who happened to be a former U.S. congressman. Prior to the prison stint, Miller, a cheerful guy in his early fifties, had run a construction company and a serious marijuana operation, simultaneously. “I was a silent baller,” he told me. “Then one of my guys got caught with forty-four hundred pounds on a truck.” As Miller neared the end of a twelve-year sentence, he began hearing stories of people getting rich running weed shops: “I was thinking, Why the hell am I still in jail?” His ex-congressman friend, Anthony Weiner, told him on the track that day that the first dispensary licenses were going to be awarded to people who had marijuana convictions. “I thought, I’m gonna get out and look into that,” Miller said.What Weiner had described was the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary program, or CAURD. It’s the flagship program of the Office of Cannabis Management (O.C.M.), the agency created, in 2021, to oversee the legalization of marijuana in New York. The state’s cannabis restrictions had been loosening for almost a decade, but that year the government passed a law that would have seemed unthinkable just a short while before. The governor at the time, Andrew Cuomo, had been pushed left on the issue during a primary challenge from Cynthia Nixon; after his reëlection, he found himself knee-deep in multiple scandals, and unusually pliable. The law not only made pot legal for adults; it also allocated forty per cent of weed-related tax revenue to communities where cops had made disproportionate marijuana arrests, and it set a goal of awarding half of all licenses to “social and economic equity” applicants: women, people of color, service-disabled veterans, distressed farmers, and residents of those overpoliced communities.
Continued here
|
S7The Benefits of Innovation That Isnât Disruptive - Harvard Business Review (No paywall)  SmileDirectClub (SDC), an American teledentistry company once valued at nearly $9 billion and poised to disrupt the traditional braces industry, went bankrupt in December 2023. SDC offered a breakthrough solution for teeth straightening. With the price (originally some $1,800 vs. the standard $3,000-$6,000), the time of treatment (6 months vs. around 2 years), no required office visits, plus clear aligners you can slip on and off, it is not surprising that SDC took off. Since its founding in 2014, a customer base of 2 million people opted for SDC vs. traditional braces.
Continued here
|
S8How Much Caffeine Is Too Much? - Scientific American (No paywall)  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that people consume no more than about five milligrams of caffeine per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight daily, which adds up to around 400 mg for a 79-kg (175-pound) person. Although you may be able to have more without negative consequences, there is theoretically a limit to how much caffeine your body can handle. “You can certainly die from caffeine overdose,” says Jose Antonio, a sports and exercise scientist at Nova Southeastern University. Fortunately, consuming that much caffeine is really, really difficult. “We’re talking multigram doses,” in the neighborhood of 10 grams or more, he says. On average, an eight-ounce (about 240-milliliter) cup of drip coffee prepared at home contains around 100 mg of caffeine, so most people would need to consume more than 100 cups of joe in a single sitting before they started to get into dangerous territory.The amount of caffeine in a cup of commercially brewed coffee can vary wildly, however. A Starbucks grande dark roast contains about 260 mg of caffeine, while a medium hot coffee from Dunkin’ has 210 mg. And some energy drinks can contain up to 300 mg in a 16-ounce (473-milliliter) can. Caffeine pills and powders can be dangerous if taken in bulk and should be used cautiously.
Continued here
|
S9U.S. Must Act Quickly to Avoid Risks From AI, Report Says  The U.S. government must move “quickly and decisively” to avert substantial national security risks stemming from artificial intelligence (AI) which could, in the worst case, cause an “extinction-level threat to the human species,” says a report commissioned by the U.S. government published on Monday.“Current frontier AI development poses urgent and growing risks to national security,” the report, which TIME obtained ahead of its publication, says. “The rise of advanced AI and AGI [artificial general intelligence] has the potential to destabilize global security in ways reminiscent of the introduction of nuclear weapons.” AGI is a hypothetical technology that could perform most tasks at or above the level of a human. Such systems do not currently exist, but the leading AI labs are working toward them and many expect AGI to arrive within the next five years or less.
Continued here
|
S1040 trailblazing companies that are beating the West  If these names surprise you, they shouldn’t. Startup ecosystems outside the West have been churning out billion-dollar tech companies and radically innovative products for years. But their achievements are rarely celebrated or known here in the U.S. Today, not only are entrepreneurs in Buenos Aires, Lagos, and Jakarta building businesses that create huge economic opportunity and value, they’re also competing directly with Silicon Valley for users and growth in these markets. And they’re winning.Our 2023 annual list is devoted to 40 trailblazing companies that, in their own ways, beat the West. Some of them won by market combat: Years of bruising competition led to lucrative acquisitions by their Western rivals, or acquisitions of the Westerner’s local assets. A few just dominate their sector outright.
Continued here
|
S12Meet Indiaâs MrBeast â selfless saint or fame-hungry vlogger?  At 5:20 a.m. on a Wednesday, two trucks packed with 22 buffaloes and a dozen young calves rolled into Kothapet village in the south Indian state of Telangana. The cattle had traveled over 1,000 miles to make a star appearance in the latest video of Telugu-language social media sensation Harsha Sai. The 24-year-old YouTuber — also the platform’s top 2022 breakout creator in India — has amassed an online following of over 20 million with his flamboyant acts of charity. For this particular video, titled “I made a poor milkman into a millionaire,” Sai was orchestrating a surprise for a milkman, his wife, and their ailing son. The buffaloes were 100-pound bovines from the Murrah breed, known as “black gold” because of their high-volume milk production. At 6:30 a.m., Sai’s crew unloaded the buffaloes onto the unsuspecting family’s front yard.
Continued here
|
S13JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon: Not out of the woods on recession, but 'worst case would be stagflation' - Fortune (No paywall)  “The world is pricing in a soft landing, at probably 70-80%,” the JPMorgan Chase & Co. chief executive officer said via video link at the Australian Financial Review Business Summit in Sydney on Tuesday. “I think the chance of a soft landing in the next year or two is half that. The worst case would be stagflation.”The comments strike a slightly less optimistic tone from the top banker, who has recently painted a sanguine outlook for world markets — a sharp divergence from his views less than two years ago when central banks first started tightening interest rates. Dimon made headlines for warning in 2022 that a “hurricane” was about to hit the US economy.
Continued here
|
S14Oppenheimer Reminds Scientists to Speak Up for a Better World - Scientific American (No paywall)  Handwringing over the proper place of scientists has long preoccupied political observers in the U.S., both inside and outside the scientific community. We need look back no further than the pandemic’s intense debates over vaccines and shutdowns for examples. Speaking out—or even helping to craft good public policy—doesn’t come naturally to every scientist. A recent poll found that over 90 percent of scientists now consider political activism a “sometimes,” “most of the time,” or “always” responsibility. Scientists across the world see the gap between research and policy and recognize the need to undertake the often-uncomfortable duty of fact-checking leaders and informing the public. But there is even more that scientific experts can and should do. What we call science policy entrepreneurship, working with scientific experts and concerned people to craft solutions for lawmakers, offers a crucial way to generate smart policy.
Continued here
|
S15S16How to give your pain meaning, with Nike athlete Tunde Oyeneyin  Pain is a message from the nervous system telling us that something is wrong and needs to be addressed. Many people take pain as a cue to stop what they’re doing. But for athletes, it can be the driving force that gets them across the finish line first, the ball in the back of the net, or a KO in the last round.Tunde Oyeneyin, the 37-year-old Peloton cycling instructor, Nike athlete, keynote speaker, and New York Times bestseller, has experienced her share of pain – both physically and emotionally.
Continued here
|
S175 books that shaped 21st-century philosophy  If a person can name a dozen philosophy books, the odds are that most of them are older. Some might even be ancient. This certainly adds to the perception of philosophy as something outdated and easily replaced by “more useful” things. But nothing could be further from the truth as modern philosophers continue to crank out the hits. Here, we list five modern philosophy books from this century you ought to know about. Peter Singer is an Australian philosopher and Big Think interview subject who’s well known for his support of utilitarianism and his focus on applied ethics. His stances on animal rights, effective altruism, and the possible utilitarian justifications for euthanasia have earned a great deal of attention, often manifesting as praise and criticism in equal measure.
Continued here
|
S18Building skills, talent, and trust in an AI world  Artificial intelligence (AI) will be a familiar term for most by now. PwC’s 2024 AI Business Predictions report indicates that 73% of U.S. companies have already adopted AI in at least some business areas, with generative AI leading the way. The report also anticipates AI to contribute up to $15.1 trillion to the global economy by 2030. That’s more than the current output of India and China combined.While AI use cases abound, many organizational leaders have yet to be directly affected. However, that gap is closing quickly. The depth, breadth, and potential impact of AI are poised to create challenges for leaders in almost every aspect of their roles.
Continued here
|
S19Mysterious writing system from Easter Island may be completely unique  Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is the most remote inhabited island in the world. This dot of treeless, volcanic land is only 63 square miles wide and sits 2,400 miles off the Pacific coast of Chile. Full of monolithic Moai statues, the island has been intriguing researchers for centuries—and its enigma only continues to deepen with a recent discovery.People first came to live on the island in the 12th century. Europeans landed on Rapa Nui in the 1720s, and they brought diseases that devastated the population. Then in 1863, the island was raided by enslavers from Peru, and some estimates say only 200 indigenous people survived.
Continued here
|
S20Mark Cuban and Andrew McCollum Urge Founders to Embrace the Chaos as They Start Entrepreneurial Journeys  It isn't often that two giants of the streaming age share nuggets of practical wisdom before an audience. But attendees of SXSW were treated to that on Sunday when Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban, and Andrew McCollum, CEO of streaming platform Philo, were interviewed by Inc Editor at Large Christine Huaghney Dare-Bryan about their exploits in building companies.Cuban offered some blunt career advice for would-be founders, particularly those just feeling out their paths. "Don't follow your passion," as a career guidepost, he said, contradicting one of the most popular entrepreneurial platitudes of our age. He noted that his adolescent passion to play pro basketball or baseball were, well, pipedreams.Â
Continued here
|
S21The Body Shop, Founded by Ethical Business Pioneer Anita Roddick, Closes Its Doors in the U.S.  The Body Shop's U.S. arm ceased operations on March 1, according to a company announcement from earlier this month. The brand's Canadian subsidiary commenced the liquidation of 33 closing stores as part of wider restructuring proceedings.A spokesperson for FRP, the administrators hired by The Body Shop International, told The Associated Press Monday that they have also announced plans to shutter 82 of 198 stores total in the U.K. Those closings are expected to occur over the next five weeks.
Continued here
|
S22At SXSW, the Founders of Olipop, Farmer's Fridge, and Sakara Life Spoke About Funding Strategies  Fresh food is one of the fastest growing categories in retail according to Deloitte. Two-thirds of United States consumers reported an increase in their fresh food purchases in 2019, and over 60 percent spent at least a third of their grocery budget on fresh food.The leaders of three brands working to meet that demand--Olipop co-founder Ben Goodwin, Farmer's Fridge founder Luke Saunders, and Sakara Life co-founder Whitney Tingle--joined Inc. at South by Southwest in Dallas, Texas on Monday to share how they innovate as more businesses enter the market.
Continued here
|
 |
TradeBriefs Publications are read by over 10,00,000 Industry Executives About Us | Advertise Privacy Policy Unsubscribe (one-click) You are receiving this mail because of your subscription with TradeBriefs.
Our mailing address is GF 25/39, West Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110008, India |
