Bloop, wealth squads, and canatourism
June 3, 2022
Welcome to this 60th 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.
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This is what I noticed this week, thank you for sharing this newsletter to those who look into the future.
Strategic blindspots
Looking at the familiar with “alien eyes” allows you to unlock new business model opportunities while avoiding risks stemming from strategic blindspots.
Wealth squads. NFT lending. The rise of AI is pushing patent laws to their limits. Sony to debut constantly-updating games. Farm vehicles approaching weights of sauropods exceed safe mechanical limits for soil functioning. Make like a zebra to avoid insect bites. Cannabis Tourism Is Now A $17 Billion Industry.
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
Music Fans Become Artists’ Besties, Collaborators, and Even Unpaid Interns. Developing a futures mindset. Deep Under the Ocean, a Fresh Source of Green Power Takes Shape. Engineers Develop Zero Carbon Cement. What will entrepreneurship look like in the future? What Will People Eat in 2050? New York is giving robots to older residents to combat isolation. N.Y.C. Companies Opening Offices Where Their Workers Live.
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?
People come together to form collectives to promote new ideas based on shared passions. Forecasters have prepared a backup list of storm names in case we run through the alphabet. Aptera has more than 22,000 reservations for its solar electric car with up to 1,000 miles of range. An Hologram Studio Receiving Millions From the CIA. Gucci built a persistent town inside of Roblox. Because animals. Statement candles. In Poland, People Are Roleplaying as American. A rooftop walk. Virgin Atlantic Makes History With New Change to Employee Dress Code. Four Seasons Resort Maui hosts a sunscreen swap. Thousands of Salesforce employees wrote a letter urging the company to drop the NRA as a client.
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 our radar
I have launched this week a research project that will continue all summer to document the longevity economy ( how we will adapt products and services to a population that is growing older). Three articles came through my radar this week: In the US, New York is giving robots to older residents to combat isolation. From Switzerland, "Les seniors veulent plus d’autonomie et moins de solitude" . In Nigeria, The technical tunes getting elderly Nigerians up and digitally dancing.
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 threads of Cat Zhang, who demystifies what GenZ is up to by digging into the TikTok landscape.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for curious minds and the polymaths …
If the ancient Romans had Google Maps. In situ recording of Mars soundscape. Watches, and the stories they tell. Temporal Belonging. 10 ways to use fewer colors in your data visualizations. What’s Your Rate of Inflation? The Obsessive World of Digital Music Collectors.
Feeling Good
InterIntellect is a “Netflix for curious thinkers”.
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Contact me at Competia with your feedback or ideas. Thank you for reading.