6 minutes estimated reading time
Decivilisation
President Macron
The Threat of Decivilisation | Quillette – President Macron when having a Chatham House type discussion with sociology experts used the phrase processus de décivilisation – as a descriptor for the widespread civil and political unrest that has rocked France.
On the face of it, decivilisation is an appropriate term if Macron believed that there was something rotten at the centre of French society. But the phrase decivilisation is problematic and Macron has been capitalised by French on the political left.
Renaud Camus
The crux of the left’s criticism is a work by the author Renaud Camus. Camus became famous writing a book called Tricks about a series of up to 45 stories (depending which edition you read) about one-night stands he had travelling around the world as a gay man in the late 1970s. Decades later Camus became more famous for his contributions to ideas of the far right, notably the great replacement concept in reaction to increased immigration in France from former French colonies. While these works were published in French they were summarised for English readers in his book You Will Not Replace Us!
In his works he describes the gradual takeover of France as decivilisation.
The left
The left drew a line between Camus work and Macron’s phrase and assumed that it was a way to build a bridge to the resurgent far right in France.
The reality is more complex. The degree of change in French society has driven backlashes in French society, in a similar way that Brexit and small boat immigration did in the UK. The problem for the left is that these reactionaries would have been natural constituents of the left. The left, like in many countries, instead has pivoted to degree educated urban dwellers, abandoning the workers to the far right.
Is French society really breaking down?
It’s hard to tell whether ‘decivilisation’ is really happening. Civil disturbances tend to happen during times of economic unrest and in the past has been a reset. There is a body of opinion who believe that social media has its thumb on the scales, driving things harder and faster without a countervailing force to help balance things out over time, like happened in previous decades.
Beauty
Shiseido will ‘turn away’ from heavy promotions in China to achieve sustainable sales growth | Cosmetics Design Asia – heavy promotion during China’s shopping festivals just cheapens the brands and educates Chinese consumers to wait until 11.11 and similar
China
China’s New ‘Anti-Espionage Law’ Raises Complex Compliance Issues for Multinational Corporations – Publications | Morgan Lewis – handy paper that you can download
Microsoft to move top AI experts from China to new lab in Canada | Financial Times – I think there is a question of whether these researchers will be able to leave China or even stay with Microsoft…
Economics
Europe’s new success stories are built on high luxury, not high tech | Financial Times
Energy
Japan Recommits to the Hydrogen Society – Akihabara News
Ethics
Finance
Has China become too cosy with private equity? | Financial Times
Japan Rail Companies Limit Train Passes Due to Chip Shortage – these stored value cards also allow consumers to buy things in combinis as well as travel. They are similar to Hong Kong’s Octopus cards. What’s happening to the chips through? Japanese YouTubers have published advisory videos around the debacle for tourists to Japan. It seems to be a drive towards registration as much as anything else
Hong Kong
Hong Kong to review car plate searches after journalist wins final appeal against conviction over accessing info for doc. – interesting that Ms Choy won her case
‘Phenomenon’ behind organ donor withdrawals similar to 2019 ‘black riots,’ says Hong Kong’s John Lee
The rise of Hong Kongers moving abroad: Diaspora, part 2: And shalt be dispersed | Brian Kern
Luxury
From Hèrmes To Bored Ape Yacht Club: The Problem With Protecting Brand IPs In Web3 | Jing Daily – a digital cesspit
Cigars are still a thing. This looks like a feature length video produced in conjunction between the YouTuber and a cigar manufacturer.
Marketing
Multi-factored reasons in nature why campaigns seem to be working less well. We know that as campaigns have become more digital, campaigns have been less effective and marketers being less confident in their campaigns. Interesting the way brand building on digital is danced around. The channels often dont work and measures are BS only a technologist would love.
Materials
Rich Rare Earth Elements Deposit Found in Americas | EPS News
Media
Unretiring. (original post) | by John Battelle | May, 2023 | Medium – John Battelle between projects and not willing to engage with VC funding again
Online
Are we approaching the age of digital disengagement? MIDIA Research
NetEase’s expansion to the West is in full swing | MIDIA Research – avoiding the uncertain home regulatory environment
Children’s Media Lives – Ofcom
After Nissan, Singapore Airlines is the latest brand to take its influence from a popular YouTube channel’s content: The Sound of Singapore Airlines – Beats to relax to – YouTube – Singapore Airlines does its own version of Lo-Fi Girl
Retailing
SHEIN Has Bootlegged the Air Jordan 11 | Lifestyle Asia
ChatGPT is used in China for Amazon listings, flirting – Rest of World
Security
Suspicious Activity: What Are German Fighter Pilots Doing in China? – DER SPIEGEL
Cybersecurity at Risk in Automotive Industry – EE Times – worthwhile reading in the context of the Hyundai | Kia case brought by New York: New York sues Hyundai and Kia over ‘explosion’ of car thefts | Financial Times
British Airways, Boots and BBC among companies hit by cyber security attack | Financial Times
University of Manchester suffered a cyber attack | Security Affairs
China is building the most powerful warship radar on record: scientists | South China Morning Post – based on technology from a UK semiconductor company a Chinese state owned enterprise bought when it went into administration in 2008
How hacking could affect food security and jailbreaking agricultural machinery.
Software
INFER Public | The Pub Blog – INFER forecasters: Don’t expect GPT-5 anytime soon probably not: Will OpenAI Ever launch GPT-5? Sam Altman Has The Answer / Digital Information World
The Illusion of China’s AI Prowess | Foreign Affairs and The bearable mediocrity of Baidu’s ChatGPT competitor Ernie Bot | MIT Technology Review
Sci-fi writer Ted Chiang: ‘The machines we have now are not conscious’ | Financial Times
Technology
Marvell Launches Interconnects on TSMC’s 3-nm Process – EE Times
Global Rise in Industrial Robot Density: China Surpasses the US – China Internet Watch – interesting. One has to keep an eye out on where the data is from and the tension between current high Chinese young adult and graduate unemployment, aging population and innovation. Finally not all robots are created equal
Telecoms
A global satellite blackout is a real threat — can hackers help? | Financial Times