Alternatives to big tech + more news

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Alternatives to big tech 

Alternatives to Big Tech, and a t-shirt | Creative Good – as someone who has used RSS for a long time I am intimately aware of the needs for alternatives to big tech. Google Reader obliterated RSS readers and then obliterated RSS readership by abruptly withdrawing the product. I’d argue that you could use Apple’s default iCloud account and MacOS apps. Mark Hurst recommends Safari or FireFox but ignores Mail.app, Calendar.app and Contacts.app. I have been using these three apps since I started using OS X in 2001.

China

Understanding China’s Rise Under Xi Jinping — By The Honourable Kevin Rudd – probably one fo the best essays that I have read on China from a macro perspective

Innovation

Nice little Nesta egg: Former lottery quango took £7m from Google • The Registerdetails of Google’s influence in European academic life are detailed in a report by the Campaign for Accountability (CfA), an initiative part-funded by Google’s competitors. Google turned out to be the only corporate sponsor of think tank Readie, the Research Alliance for a Digital Europe, hosted at Nesta.

Luxury

LVMH’s Private Equity Firm is Banking on the Power of Korean Culture — The Fashion Law – its ironic given how few brands sell in Korea (which has in turn fuelled demand for fakes) that LVMH is putting so much weight on the country. More luxury related content here

Marketing

Nike, McDonald’s jump on China mobile gaming craze to entice young consumers | South China Morning Post

Security

Qualcomm, National Security, and Patents – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

Technology

Is Joplin a Serious Open Source Evernote Alternative? Hackernoon – this could be very interesting

The US is getting Facebook Lite, a service designed for developing countries — Quartz – think about this before banging on about: cloud, IoT and 5G

VW Just Gave Tesla a $25 Billion Battery Shock – probably the best argument that I’ve read for super capacitor and hydrogen fuel cell technology due to the shortage of cobalt. Lithium prices have also inflated massively over the past few years

Amazon: The Making of a Giant | WSJ – Today, the AI assistant has more than 30,000 skills available on its store and can be used to control more than 4,000 smart-home devices from 1,200 different brands. (paywall)

The battle for digital supremacy – America v China – tactical rather than the required strategic response

China’s ‘Fun Headlines’ App Considers IPO at $3 Billion Value – Bloomberg – huge risk is China’s changing media regulation landscape

The Seven-Year Itch: How Apple’s Marriage to Siri Turned Sour — The Information – great read (paywall)