Topic

Business & Economics

A collection of 89 issues

Venezuela's Ocean of Oil, Desert of Production: The Great Paradox

Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves, but political turmoil, sanctions, and difficult-to-extract heavy crude have crippled its production, leaving it a fraction of Saudi Arabia's output. A story of potential squandered.

The Seeds of Deceit: How One Man's 'Bio-Piracy' Crashed Brazil's Economy

In 1876, British explorer Henry Wickham smuggled 70,000 rubber seeds from Brazil. By deceiving customs, he enabled the creation of Asian plantations, breaking Brazil's global monopoly and causing the catastrophic collapse of its rubber-fueled economy. A classic case of bio-piracy.

Guess I Got What I Deserved: How 'Breaking Bad' Breathed New Life into Badfinger's 'Baby Blue'

Badfinger's 1971 song 'Baby Blue' saw a massive resurgence after being featured in the 'Breaking Bad' finale in 2013. The perfectly placed track skyrocketed in sales and streams, making its historic debut on the UK charts at No. 73, over four decades after its original release.

The Lab That Almost Built the Internet: BT Research, Prestel, and a Legacy of 10,000 Patents

BT Research, a pioneer in industrial R&D, held over 10,000 patents by 2000. Its innovations include single-mode optical fiber and Prestel, a revolutionary 1979 viewdata service that was a direct forerunner to the modern internet, offering online services via TV and phone lines.

Kipper und Wipper: The 1620s Crisis That Turned Coins into Children's Playthings

During the 1621-23 Kipper und Wipper crisis, states in the Holy Roman Empire debased currency so severely to fund the Thirty Years' War that hyperinflation ensued. Coins lost so much value, containing more copper than silver, that they were reportedly used by children as worthless toys.

Spells & Subpoenas: How Wizards of the Coast's Pinkerton 'Raid' on a YouTuber Shook the Magic Community

Wizards of the Coast hired Pinkerton agents to confront a YouTuber at his home and retrieve unreleased Magic: The Gathering cards. The agents allegedly threatened the content creator and his wife, causing a significant community backlash over the company's aggressive tactics.

The Siri You Never Knew: The Ambitious AI Apple Acquired, Not Invented

Apple didn't invent Siri. It was acquired in 2010 from a company spun out of a DARPA AI project. The original app had a broader, more integrated vision than the initial iPhone version, a fact that still surprises many and fuels debate about its lost potential.