Today's Articles (21/5/2025)

May 21, 2025

‘Without time, there is no flavour’: a South Korean grand master on the art of the perfect soy sauce

• "The flavour unfolds slowly, first salty, then deeply savoury, with hints of something almost floral. It bears little resemblance to the bottles labelled “soy sauce” in western supermarkets."

Google unveils ‘AI Mode’ in the next phase of its journey to change search

• Clickthrough rates from Google search have dropped by 30% in the past year with AI Overviews.

• Google searches from mobile Safari have also dropped with people using AI alternatives.

Japanese minister resigns after saying he doesn’t buy rice because he gets it free

• "But speaking at a fundraiser last weekend, Etō said he had “never bought rice myself because my supporters donate so much to me that I can practically sell it”."

• When Japan has been struggling with rising rice prices (2x compared to last year).

Hundreds of Yale-NUS books discarded, sparking concerns among alumni over waste and loss

NUS apologises for ‘operational lapse’ in disposal of Yale-NUS library books, promises review

• Singapore's flagship university.

Backlist

Amy Chua and the big little lies of US meritocracy

• "Children from the wealthiest 1 per cent take more Ivy League places than the bottom 60 per cent combined."

• "Studies show that an eighth grade (14-year-old) child from a lower income bracket who achieves maths results in the top quarter is less likely to graduate than a kid in the upper income bracket scored in the bottom quarter."