Welcome to this 127th issue of our newsletter “Weak Signals and other Trends”.
Each week, I personally sift through hundreds of sources of inspiration to track where we’re heading. If you are a new subscriber to this newsletter, take the time to send me a note and introduce yourself, I love to understand who is reading.
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I have prepared this newsletter this week from Geneva, Switzerland. This is what I noticed this week, thank you for sharing with those who look into the future.
Estelle.
Competitive Intelligence
Free Address and Places Search. Meta Uses Your Instagram and Facebook Photos to Train Its AI Models. The Role of Satellite Imagery in Open Source Intelligence. Deep learning to exploit better and faster. Satellite Imagery Provides Insights to Global Questions and Changes the Data Landscape. Unlock earth secrets. Creatively Collecting, Processing and Applying Global Information.
Strategic blindspots and business models
Looking at the familiar with “alien eyes” allows you to unlock new business model opportunities while avoiding risks stemming from strategic blindspots. This section also is about the risks we miss.
Solar Storm Knocks Out Farmers' Tractor GPS Systems During Peak Planting Season. Stadium Subsidies. The environmental impacts of river sand mining. Costco Expands Reach Across Japan with the Support of Mini Resale Shops. The Startups Building for Underserved Markets. IKEA hosts flea markets at European stores.
Our future
How to navigate the US$18t wealth management challenge. Seven out of 10 office staff prefer grander job title to pay rise. The Space Force is planning what could be the first military exercise in orbit. Cities and cities-clusters. BCG take on the future of work.
We keep you updated on those trends and more on Twitter.
Weak signals
Weak signals are indicators of a change, a trend or an emerging risk that might become significant for the future. They allow us to run hypothesis, expand our thinking, and challenge assumptions. How will you interpret those in your industry or field of expertise?
IV drips are one of the latest cure-alls for vacation excess. Bumble Founder Suggests 'Black Mirror'-Like Dating Future. New York is suing the world’s biggest meat company. Bakery chain uses AI to help Bangladeshis estimate their actual date of birth. Why Hermès is heading to the Ivy League. Entreprise à durée déterminée. Flood of Fake Science Forces Multiple Journal Closures.
Book a speaking engagement about weak signals and emerging trends.
On our radar
I have been investigating alternative data sources for competitive intelligence in the field of oil and gas and other commodities: Satellites Are Reshaping How Traders Track Earthly Commodities. Estimating the Volume of Oil Tanks Based on High-Resolution Remote Sensing Images. Money from Oil Tank Shadows. Monitoring oil reserves from space.
Down the rabbit hole
This section highlights a subject that led me to many useful threads, or a single site, that opened many doors: “A rabbit hole is not a distraction. A rabbit hole is your brain trying to tell you to pay attention to something you’re curious about. Ignore algorithmic rabbit holes” ( by are.na):
This week, I explored 100 trends to watch.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for curious minds and the polymaths
The Light Eaters and Plant Intelligence. How to Begin a Creative Life. Mathematicians Identify the Best Versions of Iconic Shapes. Your guide to cybercrime and hacking slang. The secret symbolism of gardens. Forget Milk and Eggs: Supermarkets Are Having a Fire Sale on Data. Polycrisis analyses.
Numbers
10 - Why it takes NYC nearly 10 years to install 500 feet of pipes
2%- The number of calves is down 2 percent compared to last year and is the lowest on record going back to 1948
15 million- Goldman Sachs projects that 15 million people, or 13 percent of the U.S. population, could be taking GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy by 2030
Feeling good
Explain that stuff. Fledgling cams. Produce an audiobook version of your eBook using virtual voice narration, a synthetic speech technology.
Image: by the Cascade Institute
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