The Faster Lane
from Tyler Brûlé
SpaceX IPO, diamond smuggling and the inconvenient truth about Mars
Guess where I am. Go on. Guess! Guess! Okay, I’m going to give you a hint. I’m in a pod, far away from home and I’m staring down at a reddish surface. Beside me…
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Now boarding: The airline quiz for frequent flyers and terminal romantics
Good morning, ohayogozaimasu, bonjour and bom dia. Wherever this column finds you today, I hope that you’re having a fresh and lively start to your Sunday. Over this way it’s a quick pit stop…
Even buzzing Bangkok feels flat when the spark is missing
If you follow this column with some degree of commitment you’ll know that I have a pretty set travel circuit. While some cities come and go (not so much Los Angeles, New York or…
Why the indignity of 05.25 is redeemed by the right airline
Confirmed: 05.25 is an ugly number set of numbers – especially when it has “am” tacked on the back followed by the words “boarding” and “time”. That was how the week started in Lisbon.…
Flypasts, a shady business idea and the case for a crisp shirt
The week started with a pacy jolt of radio shows in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, hit the midpoint with a smoothly productive flight back to Zürich and it’s wrapping with a bit of beach…
Sock drawer diplomacy and the campaign to restore order on the domestic front
1. It had been bubbling and gurgling for a while but I ignored it, made the best of an increasingly unmanageable situation and pushed it to the side. Something to be dealt with another…
Despite daily drone assaults, the UAE keeps its business buzz
The week started with a quick dash to the UAE for a few meetings and briefings, a bit of scouting for some projects and 48 hours of intense observation and analysis of life on…
Read the room: How hosting well became part of the story
Is it a cold? Could it be jet lag? Have I now joined the ranks of those who suffer from hay fever? Or could it be the morning after a rather extraordinary evening that…
Ten reasons why a Bangkok base is hard to resist
Are you someone who spends a lot of time doing the north-south Asia circuit (mostly for work, occasionally for pleasure), has never lived in the region but always finds themselves playing the “but if…
Mark Carney in Tokyo: Coffee, conversation and how to lead a charm offensive
“Shall we go for a little walk? Grab a coffee nearby?” he asked. It sounded like a perfect start to a sunny Saturday in March. After all, we’d both earned it. He’d already been…
Five days, three cities and 10 discoveries to take home
This week The Faster Lane touched down in Hong Kong, Taipei and Tokyo for a bit of market surveillance, cocktailing with subscribers and friends, and even some rapid retail immersion in Aoyama with a…
