Weekend edition—The Davos question, CO2 capture, fair video games

[Quartz - qz.com] Daily Brief sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! The World Economic Forum begins next week in Davos, where politicians, CEOs, celebrities meet to[establish the conventional wisdom] over fondue, cocktails, and high-minded debates. The conventional wisdom at Davos this time last year was that Donald Trump wouldn’t win the Republican presidential nomination, let alone the presidency; the British would bottle out of voting for Brexit; globalization was good; the tides of free trade lifted all boats; politicians should tell at least a semblance of the truth; and diplomacy was an erudite and tactful endeavor. Justin Trudeau’s[starry-eyed optimism] set the tone. It has always been easy to mock Davos for its out-of-touch elitism, with delegates[swooping in on private helicopters] to address big issues like climate change, income inequality, and the gender gap. The Davos consensus is rarely spot on. But its rejection in 2016 was epic and comprehensive. Brexit is on and Trump is in; globalization is on the retreat; nationalism is on the rise; and the soon-to-be-leader of the free world conducts diplomacy and policy on the fly via Twitter. This year at Davos, Xi Jinping and Theresa May will rub elbows with Matt Damon and Shakira, but Trudeau[isn’t going]. Strange to say it, this state of affairs might make Davos more relevant, not less. In the contest between[liberals and populists], it’s clear where most delegates at the Alpine gathering stand. Rather than getting together every year to confirm each others’ collective vision of the world, the assembled bigwigs, so used to winning, must now come to grips with the unfamiliar feeling of losing, and figure out what to do about it. So will the globe-trotting glitterati react with humility or hostility? Or will they simply shrug their shoulders, hit the slopes, and hope for the best? That question will define this year’s gathering.—Jenny Anderson and Jason Karaian We are sending a special edition of the Quartz Daily Brief every day during the week from Davos.[Sign up here to receive it]. Sponsor content by Cylance What is the future of artificial intelligence? From automated cars to personal assistants in our mobile phones, AI is increasingly ubiquitous. But how can it be leveraged to secure our data and protect our privacy? [Cylance is using AI] to prevent cyberattacks before they occur; find out more by connecting with Cylance's leadership next week at Davos. Five things on Quartz we especially liked Popping the liberal bubble. Annalisa Merelli couldn’t understand why conservatives so hated liberals—until [the tables were turned on her]. For Merelli, voting “no” in a recent Italian referendum was a choice based on research and reflection, but it put her squarely at odds with her usual liberal circles, and her decision was met with a contempt and arrogance that she found revealing. The tiny government agency that could. A wonky and decidedly unglamorous government agency has [become a key player] in the tussle over how to deal with president-elect Donald Trump’s business conflicts before he takes office. Heather Timmons dives into the work of the US Office of Government Ethics, and breaks down the tasks it faces to try to make sure Trump’s administration comes into the White House with a clean slate. Chasing down carbon emissions. Reaching emissions targets set out in the Paris climate agreement may be more achievable thanks to the work of two Indian engineers. Akshat Rathi traces how Aniruddha Sharma and Prateek Bumb have [managed to solve] one of the biggest hurdles to making lower carbon emissions a reality, by turning carbon dioxide into something actually useful. The iPhone turns 10. In a piece that telescopes time, Joon Ian Wong recalls the breathless, and [charmingly clumsy], reviews which greeted the iPhone when it was launched (only) 10 years ago. The “very thin” “computer with a blank screen” which “works without buttons,” and looks a bit “Newton 2.0-ish” blew reviewers away. Oh, how young we were. The other religious divide. Much of Christianity and Islam’s worldwide growth is expected to take place in Africa in the coming decades. But there’s a stark divide between African Christians and Muslims: educational attainment. African Christians are more than twice as likely to have formal schooling as their Muslim counterparts. Abdi Latif Dahir [breaks down] the numbers, and the context, behind the gap. Five things elsewhere that made us smarter Five things elsewhere that made us smarter Impeach Trump… Alex Pareene, writing for Deadspin, predicts that the incoming US president will fail both as a conservative mouthpiece and as a white nationalist: “[H]e will instead tweet for hours about which celebrity slighted him this week.” Republicans will do better [to install Mike Pence] and implement the full conservative agenda. … or track him. The president-elect’s tweets don’t just send newsrooms spinning—they also trigger [thousands of computer algorithms] that impact inboxes, investments, and even electrical currents, writes Jeremy Olshan for Marketwatch. Olshan talked to the internet service IFTTT about the most popular algorithms that have been set up to track the next commander-in-chief’s tweets. What migration feels like. Novelist and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo describes the alienation she felt when she moved to Britain as a student, and the similar sensation when she applied, now as a British citizen, for a visa to visit her native China. This arc of immigration, of being transplanted and deciding where to root oneself, was [excerpted] from her forthcoming novel by the Guardian. Understanding homelessness. An increasing number of America’s elderly are living and dying on the streets. Pacific Standard’s Rachel Nuwer [walks readers through] why America’s homeless population is aging faster than its general one, and how new research is breaking down stereotypes on how people become homeless, as well as how to help them. Negotiating fairness in video games is one of our most complex social contracts. Simon Parkin,[writing in Nautilus], lays out the Lucky Paradox: Lucky is fun, but too lucky is unreal. Video game designers—especially those working on “freemium” games with in-app purchases—need to create environments that convince players they are lucky, but without patronizing them, so they keep playing and spending. Our best wishes for a relaxing but thought-filled weekend. Please send any news, comments, vintage iPhone reviews, and Trump-tracking algorithms to hi@qz.com. You can follow us [on Twitter here] for updates throughout the day. Want to receive the Daily Brief at a different time? [Click here] to change your edition. To unsubscribe entirely, [click here]. Like us on [Facebook] and follow us on [Twitter]. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10011 | United States