Welcome to this 50th 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.
Should other species have their own money? Technical Debt. Our time. Asian firms top list of protein producers at risk of incubating next pandemic. A New Look For Innovation: Less Heroes, Fewer Processes. Kenya’s quiet slide underwater . How visual data is propelling a new wave of climate tech. New York’s Shadow Transit . The end of globalization? Automated trucks could erase 500,000 jobs in the US alone.
We have scheduled the dates for 2022 for our “Advanced Analysis”course . Our next course will be offered in an hybrid format on June 9-10 ( online - or in person in Montreal). Registrations are now open.
Our future
Planet city. Visions of the Internet in 2035. In a world first researchers created a digital cell that grows like the real thing. The Psychedelic Revolution Is Coming. ‘Design Decoder’ Software That Makes Shopping More Accessible For The Color Blind. Research on robot noses. Finops (in French). Icy Antimatter Experiment Surprises Physicists. World Bank wants 210,000 mini-grids this decade . A new kind of hybrid hotel. Is the tech magic gone? How does Gen Z feel about credit cards? It's complicated. The 2022 Future of Equity Report. Drivers’ licens The Overlooked Stone Carvers of Escolásticases in an Apple wallet.
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?
Aching wrists, early retirement and the surprising physical toll of esports. Instagram launched a feature called Live Moderator. Chaos Monkey. Uncertainty. Goblin mode. The 'Broken Home' is Split into Individual Quarters. The cooking village. The Future of DAOs Beyond Tokens. Volvo and ChargePoint will build EV charging stations at Starbucks in 5 states. A comic book recently sold at auction for $2.4 Million. The cancel culture consultant. Adidas filed for an “individualised footwear” patent,
On our radar
I am working for a client on an explorative path to understand the behavioral implications of advertising: Coors Light and Coors Seltzer Are Creating the First Big Game Ad That Runs in Your Dream. Is Advertising Following Us Into Our Dreams? Promoting subjective preferences in simple economic choices during nap. Real-Time Dialogue between Experimenters and Dreamers During REM Sleep.
I have joined the board of directors of Cookit this week, so you’ll hear more about the future of food in the next few newsletters…
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 this site dedicated to sounds.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for curious minds and the polymaths …
Mixing rice and fish farming uncovers striking trends. Mapping out the Metaverse. The list of Sony trademarks. Intimacy Gradient and Other Lessons from Architecture. Predicting the past with Ithaca. The people who draw rocks. The Hidden Image Descriptions Making the Internet Accessible. The Medieval Influencer Who Convinced the World to Drink Tea—Not Eat It. Starbucks problems.
Feeling Good
Evolving English VoiceBank - Accents and dialects. What shape is the Internet? The Overlooked Stone Carvers of Escolásticas.
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