Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Alan Smith

Hakyung Kim @hakyungkim.bsky.social · 4d

A key question this year is just how much of US economic growth has come from tech investment, aka the AI boom. The net contribution of the tech to real GDP growth is a bit more than a third YTD. But consumer spending, a bigger part of GDP, has weakened, in effect making tech's contribution larger.

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Alan Smith @theboysmithy.ft.com · 9d

@olihawkins.com getting deep into blockchain nerdery with maths students at @ucl.ac.uk

Oliver Hawkins pictured delivering a lecture to UCL students, who are seated in a lecture theatre

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 13d

The Russian spy ship stalking Europe’s subsea cables on.ft.com/4nOeeCn

The Russian spy ship stalking Europe’s subsea cables

Covert operations in waters surrounding the British Isles pose a grave threat to critical infrastructure and a fresh challenge to Nato

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Alberto Cairo @albertocairo.com · 13d

BIG NEWS! We've updated the website of the Open Visualization Academy, where you can see all its contributors: openvisualizationacademy.org

This is the announcement in our newsletter: openvisualizationacademy.beehiiv.com/p/we-re-back...

#dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVis 📊

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵 @threadinburgh.scot · 14d

Look what we have here then.

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Hakyung Kim @hakyungkim.bsky.social · 18d

Trump promised that tariffs would lead to a big increase in US production at the expense of imports, and at the same time generate enormous tax revenues. Critics replied that it had to be one or the other. So far, revenues are the clear winner. w/ @theboysmithy.ft.com @robarmstrong.bsky.social

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Tom Hannen @tomhannen.ft.com · 20d

I have spent *many* hours making AI-generated Stephen Fry pogo at a 70s punk club, get angry with a kid for throwing spaghetti on the floor, and see his life flash before his eyes. It's been a journey. You should watch our short film: youtu.be/9ztAyAyv5Uk

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Danyel Fisher @danyelf.bsky.social · 23d

Sure: it can be useful (as here!) to show two temporally aligned phenomena. You need to ensure that playing with the Y axis doesn’t make the graph start lying, though.

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Robert Armstrong @robarmstrong.bsky.social · 25d

Unhedged chart of the week; Pity the poor Fed
via @hakyungkim.bsky.social
Sign up for COTW here: ep.ft.com/newsletters/...

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Brynley Heaven @brynleyheaven.bsky.social · Sep 8

Credit to @mayfaircynic.bsky.social for seeing this gem. "Please note the previous owner is buried ..."
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/1...

Check out this 3 bedroom barn conversion for sale on Rightmove

3 bedroom barn conversion for sale in West Harting, Petersfield, GU31 for £600,000. Marketed by Henry Adams, Petersfield

www.rightmove.co.uk

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · Aug 23

Wide ranging piece from @theboysmithy.ft.com who used to work at the ONS on how to restore our statistical system. He makes the point we need to think of data as a form of infrastructure
on.ft.com/45MlLdJ

The challenge of restoring credibility to the nation’s statistics

Definitions of what constitutes ‘infrastructure’ always skew physical but information is vital to a modern economy

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Amy Borrett @amyborrett.ft.com · Aug 14

🎓New data shows top unis are enrolling more UK undergraduates due to “uncertainty” over international recruitment and mounting financial pressures, outperforming lower-ranking institutions which are typically more reliant on the domestic market

on.ft.com/46REXsB

Line chart of accepted UK students on A-level results day by tariff group of university showing high-ranking univerisites have expanded their intake of UK students

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · Aug 13

As the nationwide drinking rate of Americans plummets to a nearly 90-year low, it seems like Republicans are leading the decline. While it's unclear what is behind the sharp downturn for Republicans in particular, many prominent party members have been open about their sobriety. on.ft.com/4oB94uO

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Chris Cook @chriscook.news · Aug 12

We wanted to know if the money that the EU has put into rearmament is turning into production capacity — and the answer is: yes. Industry is rearming.

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · Aug 12

Analysis of radar satellite data shows rearmament on a historic scale, stretching over 7mn sq metres of new industrial development on.ft.com/3HsEbYG

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Alan Smith @theboysmithy.ft.com · Aug 1

Keep on top of the latest tariff data by bookmarking our Trump tariff tracker www.ft.com/content/2c47...

Trump tracker: US tariffs

As the president launches a trade war, follow the latest on tariffs and executive orders

www.ft.com

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Alan Smith @theboysmithy.ft.com · Aug 1

According to YBL, although most of the newly announced tariffs are higher, rates on Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are now lower than had been previously announced or threatened. The 90-day pause on Mexico’s 30 per cent tariff rate also provided a dampening effect.

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Alan Smith @theboysmithy.ft.com · Aug 1

A second seismic event of the week that has failed to create the impact most feared... According to Yale Budget Lab, the US effective tariff rate as at August 1 is now 17.3% (after consumption shifts). This is the highest since 1935, but still a shade down on estimates earlier this week...

A chart of the effective US tariff rate - now at 17.3, the highest level since 1930s. Based on actual trade, the rate at the end of May 2025 was 8.8%

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Sam Joiner @samjoiner.bsky.social · Jul 30

New: The American guns turning Haiti’s gangs into an army.

Caches of weapons — including sniper and military-style rifles — are being smuggled from Florida, enabling Haitian militias to challenge the country’s fragile government. The UN says gangs now outgun the police.

ig.ft.com/haiti-gangs/

The American guns turning Haiti’s gangs into an army

Weapons smuggled from Florida are empowering the country’s militias and enabling them to challenge a fragile government

ig.ft.com

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Alison Killing @alisonkilling.bsky.social · Jul 30

NEW: Heavily armed gangs control 95% of Haiti's capital and are expanding their campaign of murder, rape and extortion across the country. Better armed than the Haitian police, it is weapons smuggled from the US than have enabled their dominance. We tracked how Haitian gangs get their guns.

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · Jul 29

What a graph

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Joel Suss @joelsuss.ft.com · Jul 29

US tariffs are now at the highest level since the 1930s. Great presentation of the data 👇

on.ft.com/3UyQ9Tv

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Gerry Doyle @mgerrydoyle.bsky.social · Jul 29

the graphic here does a great job of illustrating why prices have not risen exactly as much as tariffs have, but are stepping up over time

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · Jul 29

Donald Trump has pushed US tariffs on foreign goods to the highest level since before the second world war.

Here is a look at the progression of Trump's tariffs: https://on.ft.com/3U52cYB

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Alan Smith @theboysmithy.ft.com · Jul 29

New: Donald Trump's tariff blitz brings US levies to highest level since 1930s on.ft.com/3IRgx8M

A chart showing the proprtion of non-USMCA 2024 US goods imports covered by Trump tariff deals. It shows that seven deals mean that more than 60% of US imports threatened with 'reciprocal tariffs' are now covered by a Trump tariff deal

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Reposted by Alan Smith

Hirofumi Yamamoto @hirofumi-yamamoto.bsky.social · Jul 28

NEW: "Money Machine" in Japanese

FT and Nikkei have released the Japanese version of the Apple Vision Pro app Money Machine, with Nikkei engineers leading the localization. Check it out!

@data.ft.com
@theboysmithy.ft.com

www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...

経済の流れ3Dで体感　日経･FTがアプリ､Apple Vision Pro向け - 日本経済新聞

日本経済新聞社と英フィナンシャル・タイムズ（FT）は28日、米アップルのゴーグル型端末「Vision Pro（ビジョンプロ）」向けアプリ「Money Machine（マネーマシン）」の日本語版をリリースしました。ユーザーは3D（3次元）空間内で、経済のお金の流れを体感できます。大阪・関西万博の英国パビリオンで8、9日に開催されたイベントで公開されました。同アプリの英語版を2024年9月にリリー

www.nikkei.com

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Alan Smith @theboysmithy.ft.com · Jul 22

The UK government is set to raise tens of billions of pounds in debt to fund the Sizewell C nuclear power station - the costliest nuclear power plant in the world on.ft.com/40s9GZh

A scatter plot showing the comparative capacity and cost of nuclear power plants that shows Sizewell C is now set to be the costliest nuclear reactor in the world

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