geopolitics
If you grew up American, as I did, you probably think only in US dollars and operate in a Visa/MC/Amex world. That's how the global financial system worked for decades. But times are changing. The US financial system declining in relative importance and is no longer
parenting
One of the things that's amazing about being a parent is seeing which abilities babies are naturally born with vs those that they figure out on their vs those that they learn from watching other people. We get to make our own observations and draw our own conclusions
credit cards
The Chase Sapphire Reserve kicked off the golden era of (US) credit card rewards. You could earn essentially 4.5% on anything remotely related to travel and dining as long as you were happy to use the "cash" to buy more travel via their portal. Competitors increased their
hong kong
On Wednesday, while sharing my thoughts on Hong Kong's latest fertility boosters announced in the 2026 Policy Address, I wrote the following about their plan to increase the number of spots for publicly funded IVF: If I recall correctly, there's also an upper age limit <
movies
One reason popular movies become popular is because they make the viewers feel good about themselves or a group with which they associate themselves. This is also why popular movies make for such effective propaganda. The movie Top Gun is a classic example of a popular movie that is very
history
I was reading analysis about the drama that the US president started recently in the UK when he came out in support of independence for North Ireland and how it has rekindled independence movements in Scotland and Wales. Some commentators believe it could lead to a break-up of the
hong kong
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee gave his 2026 Policy Address today. In it he announced a number of measures to encourage Hong Kongers to have more babies. I'm very interested in these policies because Hong Kong is my adopted home and I have an infant son who
performance
Dr. Gio Valiante on the Knowledge Project Podcast: You want to write a book. You write a book. You don’t wait for inspiration. You sit down every day and on the days where nothing’s coming, you stay in your seat and you write it badly because you have
apple
The Standard reports: The police on Monday noted that a security gap in the online checkout process—which bypassed the standard requirement for one-time verification passwords—has enabled scammers to ring up HK$25 million in fraudulent charges during the launch of Apple's latest smartphone series. During
driving
Dance like no one is watching I was driving this afternoon in Hong Kong and saw flashing headlights in my rearview mirror. A driver who had been speeding was suddenly tailgating me and wanted to pass. I was in the right-hand, overtaking lane because I had just been passing
bicycles
Earlier this year, I moved to the suburbs of Hong Kong and bought the first car of my adulthood this year in preparation for my new entry into family life. A downside of living in the suburbs in Hong Kong is that one needs to take a bus or drive
usa
Twenty-five years ago today, I was sitting in a history class called "The History of US Foreign Relations," at Wesleyan University in roughly a two-hour drive from New York City. A classmate's phone rang (or perhaps she got an text message...I don'