Links for 12/18. The best stories in economics, energy, investing and other remarkable news..

China’s empty talk of reform – Craig Stephen’s This Week in China – MarketWatch
10 things your houseguest won’t tell you – MarketWatch

Eight tips for finding cheap airfares – Jennifer Waters’s Consumer Confidential – MarketWatch

Sub-Prime Lending Never Died – Bizarre Story of World Acceptance, Stock Up 327%

Autodesk, the tech sector’s sleeping giant – John Dvorak’s Second Opinion – MarketWatch

BBC News – Wonga offers instant loan option on retailer websites

BBC News – Viewpoint: How hackers exploit ‘the seven deadly sins’

BBC News – Are you never more than 6ft away from a rat?

Economist’s View: Is the Fed Risking “Dangerous Side Effects”?

Three rules for good pundit behaviour, or if you like: how to obstruct the debate on inequality in three easy steps « Economics for public policy

A123 Bankruptcy: The National Security Question : Greentech Media

Apple in 2013: Five predictions | Apple – CNET News

IBM Research: IBM 5 in 5 2012: Hearing

All I Want for Christmas Is My Apple TV – Jeremy Allaire – Voices – AllThingsD

Apple’s Inroads in the Office Are Starting to Add Up – John Paczkowski – News – AllThingsD

Manufacturing the future: The next era of global growth and innovation | McKinsey Global Institute | Productivity, Competitiveness, & Growth | McKinsey & Company

Nassim Nicholas Taleb on Accepting Uncertainty, Embracing Volatility – Knowledge@Wharton

Venture Capitalist Tom Perkins: ‘If There Is No Risk, You Have Already Missed the Boat’ – Knowledge@Wharton

‘Makers’: Chris Anderson on DIY Manufacturing – Knowledge@Wharton

Maneet Ahuja on Hedge Funds and the ‘Alpha Masters’ – Knowledge@Wharton

In or Out? The Case for — and Against — the Stock Market – Knowledge@Wharton

Samsung to launch 110-inch UHD TV at CES 2013? – News – Trusted Reviews
BlackBerry maker RIM expected to report more big financial losses – News – Trusted Reviews
Reserve managers turn sultry eyes towards China | FT Alphaville
Apple, strategists and the proprietary software problem | FT Alphaville

Key Apple Suppliers Enter Oversold Territory – Seeking Alpha

A Simple Options Bet On Apple That Could Make 62% In One Month – Seeking Alpha

The Top 100 Websites of 2012 | PCMag.com

Is Microsoft’s Surface Tablet a Mistake? | PCMag.com

Is Microsoft’s Surface Tablet a Mistake? | PCMag.com

Beware—over-indulging can take hours off your life

Smoking takes 10 years off life expectancy in Japan, not 4 as previously thought, experts warn

Recent increase noted in pubic hair grooming injuries

Kim Jong-un: North Korean dictator and Time readers’ person of the year | World news | The Guardian