Heat + more things

3 minutes estimated reading time

Origin of the movie Heat

Until watching this video on Heat I didn’t understand its link to Michael Mann’s earlier projects Crime Story and L.A. Takedown; which were basically attempts to make the same story for film. One of the reasons why Heat looks so realistic is that the film used a number of ex-special forces consultants including Steven Mitchel, who you might know better as Andy McNab. Heat is a legendary film for putting Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro in the same scene at the same time.

Heat has fantastic dialogue and is used by the US military for training purposes.

Beauty

Is the BBL bubble about to burst? – The Face – BBL is Brazil Butt Lift – the big butt is going the way of oversized breast enhancement surgery. It will have its place, but it won’t be so extreme

China

China plans three-tier data strategy to avoid US delistings | Financial Times 

Country Garden shares suffer 15% hit on $360mn share sale discount | Financial Times – Country Garden is one of China’s biggest property developers and has a reputation for being better run than Evergrande, which provides a benchmark for how soft the property sector in China is right now

UK plc is cutting ties to China, says CBI boss | Financial Times 

Design

UK Soccer Team’s New Jerseys Show Impact of Climate Since Founding 

‘Prison Gothic’: Hong Kong road signs reborn as new font – Hong Kong Free Press HKFP“Responding to the social movements and changes is a big incentive for the fonts’ development,” said Brian Kwok, associate professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s design school. “In the past, symbols of Hong Kong local culture might be egg tarts, milk tea and the Lion Rock,” Kwok told AFP. “Now fonts have become a way for young people to explore their Hong Kong identity.”

Economics

Gen Z are side-hustling their way out of the cost of… – The Face – exaggeration, but it shows how inflation is top of mind, even in style and youth media

Finance

Crypto Breaks the Rules and That’s the Point – Bloomberg – I don’t agree with Tyler Cowen on this

Hong Kong

Beijing-backed media print full page attacks on last active protest group in Hong Kong – Hong Kong Free Press HKFP 

Ideas

Artist Scott King on the promise of procrastination – The Face – an iteration on the flaneur mindset

Legal

Thoughts on today’s Damning Report on Hong Kong from the UN Human Rights Committee – interesting criticism that I am surprised China hadn’t been able to suppress

Luxury

European recovery helps LVMH weather China lockdowns | Financial Times 

Media

Hong Kong’s leading bookstores decline to stock new book by last governor Chris Patten | Hong Kong Free Press – this is just going to create the retail equivalent of the Streisand effect

Retailing

Esprit bets on economic rebound with ambitious global comeback | Financial Times 

Online

Inside TikTok’s Attempts to ‘Downplay the China Association’ – surprised Chinese nationalists don’t stand up and demand that TikTok shows China ‘pride’. However this disclosure didn’t surprise me at all: TikTok Owner ByteDance Distributed Pro-China Messages To Americans, Former Employees Say 

Why do we keep going back to anonymous messaging apps? – The Face 

Security

Top Republican accuses China of infiltrating Fed to access US data | Financial Times 

Web of no web

Early look at the user experience for PlayStation VR2  – PlayStation.Blog 

Japan: An unlikely metaverse candidate? – GWI

Gov Files Antitrust Suit to Stop Facebook From Buying VR Company