LIHKG forum
LIHKG forum became famous beyond Hong Kong when it was at the centre of the leaderless protest movement during the 2019 Hong Kong protests. Hong Kong’s local internet has a history of Reddit like forums since the late 1990s.
HKGolden
Prior to 2016, there was the HKGolden Forum named after the Golden Computer shopping centre in Sham Shui Po. Golden Computer shopping centre considered one of the cheapest places in Hong Kong to purchase a computer. Products on sale range from complete PC systems, smartphones and peripherals. Unlike purely consumer-oriented IT shopping centres, Golden features several stores specialising in professional grade networking equipment as well.
The HKGolden forum fell out of a site put up in the late 1990s by stall owners at the Golden Computer centre to show people what were the typical prices for computer parts. The HKGolden Forum served as a creator and distributor of memetic ideas in Hong Kong including new slang terms of the local Cantonese vernacular and promoting discussions of societal topics.
LIHKG
LIHKG forum seemed rise in prominence once it was launched in 2016, quickly eclipsing HKGolden. It is restricted to contributors having an email address from a Hong Kong ISP (like Netvigator) or a local higher education institution. The LIHKG forum pig icon became a familiar motif on 2019 Hong Kong protest posters and artwork.
Since the national security law in Hong Kong it has has been a source of some anti-vaccination / public health programme discussions. Today the LIHKG forum app has been taken down from the Android and iOS app store.
Most Hong Kong political discussions have already moved on to various Telegram channels.
China
Is China Uninvestable? Complaints from Foreigners Won’t Sway Xi Jinping – Bloomberg and Is China uninvestable, redux | Financial Times – this is going to make it harder for China’s friends on Wall Street
China has a fateful choice to make – by Noah Smith – An angry, chauvinistic nationalism has become a deeply rooted force in China’s society. Even as China’s government has wavered on whether to support Putin, there has been a massive outpouring of support for the invasion on Chinese social media. Of course that nationalistic sentiment isn’t unanimous, and it’s hard to tell what percent holds it, but for now they seem to have the upper hand. In fact, at this point it’s not clear that China’s top leadership could stop the nationalist tide even if they wanted to; like the generals of Imperial Japan, they could end up getting pushed into aggressive action by a populace that had no idea of the risks. – interesting that we’re starting to see this kind of rhetoric beyond reactionary elements
Volkswagen and China: the risks of relying on authoritarian states | Financial Times – I think China is going to have problems from a business point of view, when even its most ardent fans are getting pressure from their China association
China takes wait-and-see stance on Pakistan’s political turmoil – Nikkei Asia
On China’s Internet, Rare Flash of Anger at Beijing’s Position on Ukraine
China Inc unconvinced Xi Jinping’s regulatory storm is over | Financial Times
Ukraine gives Europe a key swing vote in the US-China rivalry | Financial Times and Lithuania wants EU to cancel summit with China – media – LRT
Chinese market rally disguises concerns over deglobalisation | Financial Times
Consumer behaviour
Can the State Make you More Religious? Evidence from Turkish Experience – Çokgezen – – Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion – Wiley Online Library – apparently not, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t see more religiosity amongst young people as they become adults
Culture
Park Island. (For Peter Moss, May 2018) | by Aidyn F | Medium – my friend Aidyn’s poetry. We were introduced by a former colleague of mine from Yahoo! who had worked in Hong Kong as a TV presenter before the handover. Aidyn introduced me to the Foreign Correspondents Club and gave me a different perspective on Hong Kong
Design
Inside Vitsoe, the British company with a very long shelf life | Financial Times
Ethics
It’s not Cancel Culture, it’s Cancel Technology
Finance
CVC plans Amsterdam listing in blow to London market | Financial Times
FMCG
Big Tobacco’s future in Russia goes up in smoke | Financial Times – a classic case of consumer globalisation: they made sophisticated products, marketed them expertly and raised quality standards. It would be fine apart from one problem: the product was cigarettes and the World Health Organization estimates that more than 19m Russian smokers will die prematurely. Hence the global pivot that companies have been trying to make towards vaping and heat-treated tobacco devices, including Philip Morris’s IQOS and BAT’s Glo. Russia has been vital to the “smoke-free future” that Philip Morris now promises and one executive last year hailed its “truly very spectacular progress” there. It is not clear how much safer heat-treating tobacco is to produce a nicotine vapour rather than smoking it in cigarettes. One analysis concluded that users of the devices inhale “substantially fewer” toxicants, but the results were mixed and most studies are done by tobacco companies. Nor is the purpose of heat-treated tobacco devices obvious. Philip Morris says that 72 per cent of IQOS users switched entirely from cigarettes in 2020, but it leaves many who carry on using both. There is an echo of the past transition from Belomorkanals to Marlboro Golds: better, but not good
Gadgets
Sound On Sound Issues (Active) – Amazing archive of the early issues from Sound on Sound magazine including amazing Japanese synthesisers like the Roland D-50
Does Apple (AAPL) Sell a Wireless Router? What Happened to the Apple AirPort? – Bloomberg – agree with Mark Gurman’s assertion
Why is Apple’s Studio Display basically a giant iPad? | The Next Web
Hong Kong
Singapore’s expat numbers lowest since 2010 suggesting no boost from Hong Kong’s exodus | South China Morning Post – so where are they going then or is this part of a retrenchment of staff from Asia? Hong Kong expats drive unprecedented demand for Singapore school places | Financial Times – this article is odd, given that Singapore apparently has had historically low migration to the city
Shenzhen overtakes New York as home for billionaires – Nikkei Asia
MTR sees Covid tester in action | The Standard – LIHKG forum users shared candid photos of Hong Kong people testing themselves for COVID in public including on the MTR and while out having a meal
Ireland
Land values up by a third in 2 years – Farmers Journal
Luxury
Phillips to Dedicate Entire Auction to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak – Robb Report
How Putin’s Oligarchs Bought London | ArticleDate
Why the Chechen Warlord Wears Designer Boots | GQ – As Russia invades Ukraine, murderous Chechen leader and Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov is using designer pieces to demonstrate his power. I don’t think Prada really wants Ramzan Kadyrov as a brand ambassador
Materials
Trafigura and Blackstone discussed investment of up to $3bn | Financial Times
Nickel Trading to Resume in London After Historic Squeeze – Caixin Global
Australia’s rare earths projects get US$360 million funding boost to counter China dominance | South China Morning Post more on rare earth metals here
Online
Google to terminate Universal Analytics on 01 July 2023 | Fresh Egg
Vimeo is telling creators to suddenly pay thousands of dollars — or leave the platform – The Verge
Meta sued by Australian regulator for allegedly ‘misleading’ crypto ads | Financial Times
The internet forgot about Clubhouse. Anti-war Russians didn’t.
Google’s John Mueller: “It’s Impossible To Crawl The Whole Web” | Search Engine Journal – Google never crawled all the web anyway
Retailing
Judge denies Amazon’s motion to dismiss antitrust case – Protocol – may face a case over fair pricing
Security
Yoon’s pledge to boost THAAD missile system risks China reprisal – Nikkei Asia
300,000 Volunteer “Hackers” Are Attacking Russian Computer Systems | Futurism
Dissidents targeted on behalf of China’s secret police, US prosecutors allege | Financial Times
Safe as houses: the KGB proof mansion | The Sunday Times
The cyber warfare predicted in Ukraine may be yet to come | Financial Times
Here’s why Putin won’t use nukes in Ukraine — Pass it on. | I, Cringely
Behold, a password phishing site that can trick even savvy users | Ars Technica
Technology
China takes a key step toward chip self-sufficiency | Financial Times – Luxshare are moving into chip packaging and Apple is a key enabler
The vibe shift in Silicon Valley – by Casey Newton
Web of no web
Japanese start-up wants to cause real-life pain in the metaverse | Financial Times