Clyodynamics, slow buy, and the amdash
May 30, 2025
Welcome to this 155th 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 Niagara on the Lake, Canada.
This is what I noticed these past couple of weeks, thank you for sharing with those who look into the future.
Estelle.
Competitive Intelligence
The handy app for saving articles Pocket is shutting down. A newsletter to debunk geo-politics. Gen Z is willing to sell personal data—for $50 a month. Exploding Topics is a trend-tracking tool that shows you historical trend data and trend forecasts. An AI-powered company and market intelligence platform.
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.
WeightWatchers scraps business model to team up with anti-obesity drugs provider. Shanghai Lets Riders Design Their Own Routes. European airlines are redirecting flights from American cities to other destinations as "more passengers [opt] for destinations that offer smoother entry, and fewer political complications. Pharmaceutical company unveils a home that functions as medicine. Indian police are trying to ‘read minds' of suspects, over neuroscientists' objections.
Our future
“What’s Fueling America’s Fast Food Fixation? No buy, low buy, slow buy: How consumers prepare for an economic hit. Food feelings. The Futures Cone, use and history. A magazine from 2046: A glimpse into possible futures. Why futurists start with a backward glance. Slate truck reimagines vehicle ownership through four key trends.
We keep you updated on those trends and more on Twitter and Bluesky.
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?
Labubu maker Pop Mart removed the dolls from its 16 UK stores until June after customers were reportedly fighting over the viral toys. Fashion brand revives '90s dress after mother-to-daughter story goes viral. Cookies and ice cream fight for share as the great dessert boom plays out. Police called after Le Creuset warehouse sale brings four-hour queues. The Slowdown at Ports Is a Warning of Rough Economic Seas Ahead.
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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 the historial Tech Tree.
On my radar
I find fascinating how our language is a reflection and indicator of social trends (and I was last week at the Abbey library of St Gallen learning about neumes): Why Have Sentence Lengths Decreased? Marked decline in semicolon in English books. The amdash. Are You a Hostile Punctuator? Unseen Japan Insider: On Orientalism and Punctuation in the Japanese Language.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for curious minds and the polymaths.
Is science inevitable? What the Comfort Class Doesn’t Get. The man Who Saved the Apollo 13 Crew With Duct Tape. How network science can help us understand who will be the next Pope: this study reveals how status, information and alliances influence the papal election. The Jevons Paradox. Clyodynamics. A stunning visualization explores the intricate circulatory system of our oceans.
Numbers
10%- the market share of McDonalds in the coffee business.
41%- 41% of Users Late in creadit card payments Past Year, More Using Loans for Groceries
92%- 92 percent of the Federal Aviation Administration’s capital budget is for maintaining legacy systems, not building out the new state-of-the-art tech other countries have.
Feeling good
Naturecams all over the world. Stella Artois shows actual flight delays on billboards, reframing them as unplanned breaks.
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Sad news about Pocket, I used to love this app so much! Saved a ton of articles.
Cool campaign from Stella Artois though! I can totally relate to it.
Last time I had my flight delayed, I had more time in the city I was travelling from, enough time to have a beer with a friend :)