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Pedro Sampaio, population cap, and thoughts

What are you afraid of losing, if nothing in the world belongs to you?

Author

Micael Balioni
January 22, 2026

THE MUSTS

World

 Hau ab, Ausländer!

 Switzerland may set a limit on population growth

 In 2026, Switzerland is set to vote on a proposal to cap its population at 10 million. If approved, the country could suspend new arrivals when it approaches this limit, which would be the first law of its kind in history.

  • The idea was born in 2023, driven by the Swiss right-wing party (SVP). The main reason is that Swiss citizens have been complaining about high rents and overcrowding on public transport. Almost half of Swiss voters are in favor of the measure.

Switzerland currently has about 9 million inhabitants and has grown by 10% over the last decade, well above the European Union average of 2%. Immigration accounts for almost 90% of this population boom.

I thought it would be interesting to bring this up here because it could very well set a trend for the next decade…

What else in on

  • China: Even with the US tariffs, China posted a historic trade surplus of US$1.2 trillion, up 20% in 2025. The result was driven by strong exports and a weaker exchange rate, which made Chinese products cheaper abroad. (Read)

  • Japan: begins unprecedented mission to extract rare earths from the high seas in order to become less dependent on China. (Read)

  • South Korean: Former South Korean president sentenced to 5 years in prison. (Read)

  • India: The Central Bank of India proposes the creation of a BRICS digital currency. (Read)


    To click: Spin the birth wheel and see a comparison with your current life.

 

Economy & Business

This is my family. I found it, all on my own.

Cinema in 2025 had a protagonist

 

Disney ended 2025 with the smile of someone who knows they rule the playground. Of total ticket sales in the US and Canada—around US$9 billion—Mickey's house alone grabbed 27.5% of the market.

  • In practice, the studio earned US$2.49 billion in North America alone. This figure put the company in the lead, well ahead of Warner Bros.' $1.9 billion and Universal's $1.7 billion. To give you an idea, no other studio in the world managed to break the $1 billion barrier or hold more than 7% of the market share.

The secret to success was “sticking to the status quo”. Disney proved that audiences are addicted to nostalgia, bringing back the remake of Lilo & Stitch, the sequel to Zootopia, and more from the Marvel universe.

  • The weight of franchises is so great that 9 of the 10 most-watched films of 2025 were based on already well-known brands.

For 2026, the strategy is to intensify the high level. The studio is preparing the first Star Wars since 2019, as well as Toy Story 5, a live-action version of Moana, and the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday. Grab the popcorn folks!

What else is on:

  • Netflix: The streaming service upgraded its Warner Bros. Discovery offer to all cash to provide more certainty for shareholders. What Netflix did not explicitly say is that the sweetened offer is also intended to stave off Paramount Skydance’s attempted hostile takeover of WBD. (Read)

  • Comeback? Paramount Skydance is looking for a strategic investor for MTV. The idea is to sell a stake in the broadcaster and bring in partners with music rights, artists, and connections in the industry, trying to breathe new life into a brand that has defined generations. (Read)

  • Apple: Apple confirms that the new Siri will use Google's Gemini, creating yet another partnership between the giants. (Read)

 

Technology & Science

this is a meticulous well written article

ChatGPT is literally changing the way we speak

Since its launch three years ago, ChatGPT has changed the way we study, write, and work. But a new study suggests something even more curious: we are starting to talk like it.

How it worked: Researchers analyzed 700,000 hours of videos and podcasts to find out if ChatGPT's vocabulary had already left the internet and entered people's mouths.

 The result: The use of words such as “delve” “realm” “meticulous” and “comprehend” has increased between 25% and 50% per year in human interactions since 2023. The interesting thing here is that we are talking about natural conversations, such as those you have with your colleagues at lunchtime.

Although people mirror others in terms of how they speak, behave, or dress, the fact that we speak like AI raises the question: do we have control over how much we are influenced by artificial intelligence?

What else is on:

  • Could the future of water be in the air? A professor at the University of California, Omar Yaghi, decided to go with the second option—and ended up winning a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for it. He created a technology capable of extracting moisture from the air and turning it into drinking water, without the need for electricity. (Read)

     

    *Apple on arriving late to Artificial Intelligence: “We've rarely been the first. There was a PC before the Mac; there was a smartphone before the iPhone; there were many tablets before the iPad; there was an MP3 player before the iPod.” The statement by Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, puts the company's current artificial intelligence strategy into perspective. The message is that being late to market is not a problem — as long as execution raises the industry standard.

     

EDITOR’S RECOMMENDATIONS

Music

if you’re honest with yourself for just a second

 Sequencias by Pedro Sampaio: Ok… I’ve been wanting to recommend this album for over a month now. While I’ve been more connected to Brazilian music than ever, I’ve also been a little sad watching Brazilian pop slowly disappear from the charts. Pedro Sampaio is one of the few artists truly keeping it alive — and Sequências is all the proof you need. It’s not a traditional album, but a high-energy collection of singles produced by him (only 17 minutes long), each track featuring multiple artists, where Pedro takes the best from everyone and does his magic. 

If you need an extra caffeine hit for the gym, a soundtrack to get you in the mood for a Brazil trip, or simply something that makes you want to move, this is it. I’ve been dancing to this album for months and it never gets old. Easily one of the best Brazilian dance albums in a while — can’t wait to dance to it in Brazil again. Bonus points: Pedro also posts TikToks breaking down the production process and fun facts behind the tracks — a treat if you’re into that. (Rating: 10/10).

Hickey by Royel Ortis: This one came as a surprise during my UK trip. I didn’t really know Royel Otis before — although a good friend had shown me a couple of their songs — but I had unknowingly been listening to their Linger (SiriusXM Session) cover all year long. It’s probably my favorite version of the song, so when it finally clicked that it was the same artist, I was instantly curious and went straight to their latest album.

Hickey is the second studio album by the Australian guitar-pop duo, and it perfectly captures that bittersweet space between heartbreak and vitality. As Alex Peters from When the Horn Blows put it, the album “captures the sting of love lost without sacrificing musical vibrancy” — and I couldn’t agree more. I haven’t yet explored their earlier work, but Hickey alone was enough to convince me. If you’re into indie, alternative, slightly sad-boy music, this one’s for you. Start with car, who’s your boyfriend, or i hate this tune to get the vibe. (Rating: 8/10)

WHAT ABOUT ME?

Micael

not super inspired recently

 

This What about me could be about many things. But this week, I want to talk about inspiration — or, more precisely, the illusion of it.

We often believe that when we start a creative project, inspiration should be there every time we show up. That a piano player should only play when they feel inspired, and a writer should only write when they have something meaningful to say. But writing this newsletter — more often than not — has made me accept that this simply isn’t true.

Recently, during my trips to both Brazil and London, writing here felt more like a burden than a pleasure. And that made me think a lot. This was a project I created for myself, and to share with friends and family. So when I feel exhausted or don’t really have much to say, I sometimes ask myself: why do I keep this? What would be so bad about skipping one edition?

However,

  • A singer on tour won’t feel inspired to sing the same song 250 nights a year. And yet, the song is sung. And maybe — even if they weren’t inspired when they started — they might be by the time they finish.

  • By the same token, going to the gym isn’t about the thrill of the first week of January. It’s about going anyway — whether you’re tired, emotionally drained, or worried about life. And somehow, we never regret going once we’re already there.

This isn’t a job obligation. It doesn’t pay my bills. No one is depending on it. It’s simply a commitment I made with myself — and with the reader who faithfully opens it.

And recently, I realized that that’s exactly the point.

It is not — and it never was — about being inspired. It’s about doing the work. When inspiration comes, we welcome her. It’s a gift — writing feels exciting, almost effortless. But when it doesn’t, I write anyway. I follow the promise anyway.

  • Looking back, many of my favorite texts were written when I wasn’t inspired at all. The same goes for music — some of my favorite pieces came from moments when I almost had to force myself to write.

Creative work isn’t sustained by inspiration. It’s sustained by consistency.

There’s an amazing book about creativity that talks exactly about this tension between inspiration and discipline — The War of Art — and I’ve been resonating with it a lot lately. Highly Recommend it.

Maybe there will be a time when I’ll skip an edition. And when that time comes, I’m sure you’ll understand. But for now, I’ll just keep writing.

With love,

Micael.

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