Welcome to this 63rd issue of our newsletter “Weak Signals and other Trends”. Each week, I 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.
As I did last summer, this newsletter will be published bi-monthly during the months of July and August, returning to the weekly schedule in September.
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This newsletter was written this time from Switzerland. This is what I noticed this week, thank you for sharing this newsletter to those who look into the future.
Estelle.
Competitive Intelligence
How to access paywalled research papers without institutional access. An advanced Youtube search engine. Automatic screenshots of everything you saw on the web, and full-text search for your browsing history. Twitter officially rolls out its long-form content ‘Notes’ feature.
Strategic blindspots
Looking at the familiar with “alien eyes” allows you to unlock new business model opportunities while avoiding risks stemming from strategic blindspots.
A New Bill Aims to Ban Mergers in Ag and Food Sectors. Patagonia Provisions Sells Food Products That Prioritize Sustainability. Why Farmers Are Getting Priced Out of the Hudson Valley. Apple Will Handle Its Own Lending for Buy Now Pay Later Service. Beewise has $118 million in funding and a plan to save the bees. Rising food and fuel costs are making gig work unsustainable. Marriott hotels becomes first hospitality brand to launch a media network. How would an alien think? The social media that did not make it.
We have scheduled the dates for 2022 for our “Strategic Blindspot course” . Our next course will be offered in Montreal on October 26-27, 2022. Registrations are now open.
Our future
Do we need a better understanding of 'progress'? Farm Robots Will Help Feed the World During Climate Change . Amazon demonstrates Alexa mimicking the voice of a deceased relative. How to future? The Personal Brand Is Dead. The public library is the new WeWork. Giant ice volcanoes identified on Pluto. Abundant features on Europa bodes well for search for extraterrestrial life.
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?
The artist Charles Ray walks to Burger King every day. Why the US military is listening to shrimp. It’s just the smell. The grocery list collection. Momternships. The latest icecream flavor is a perfume. Japanese city encourages daters to send love letters. Labs across beauty industry are engineering products that degrade the functioning of human skin to give women the look of lifeless AI filters. Launching a brand. A floating city in the Maldives begins to take shape. New emoji.
Join us to discuss those trends and signals most Saturday at 9am EST on Clubhouse. We have a panel of futurists that illustrate what those signals might mean, and a fantastic group of curious minds in the room.
On my radar
Those who know me know I am always scanning for how we will adapt to an aging world. A few articles caugh my attention this week on this subject as I am preparing an article I will co-write during the summer with my son: Reorganizing space for multiple generations. How to design homes for life well beyong 100. Aging Population Ups Demand for Already Scarce Accessible Homes. Aging Population to Boost Smart-Home Technologies. Living with dignity in multi-generational housing.
I have in my list of inimaginable risks a complete shutdown of Internet. After a fascinating discussion this week in Switzerland with the chairman of ICANN on the functioning of the Internet network and its vulnerabilities, this came in my radar: What Internet shutdowns mean. Solar flares could destroy the Internet. Digital refugees.
Down the rabbit hole
This section highlights a subject that lead me to many useful threads, or a single site, that opened many doors.
This week, I went down the rabbit hole into the work of Brent Roberts, a psychologist and leading expert on personality change. While conducting extensive research about personalities, Roberts shows ours can, in fact, change over time.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for curious minds and the polymaths …
The history of smile. When Elon met Twitter. How the Ancient Egyptians Built the Original Skyscrapers with Data. Slosh dynamics. Google maps to find fresh air. The art of framing problems. The limits of a thinking mind. Revenge of the Earthworms. How the travel industry uses scents to keep you coming. Just our type. A Beginner’s Guide to the Zettelkasten Method.
Feeling Good
Love this animation of Swiss trains. Mapping How to Laugh Online in Different Languages. Libraries, A Love Story. Drawing group. Living Tree Bridges. Alternate calendars.
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