Plasmonic paint, lemming, and the shuffle button
April 14, 2023
Welcome to this 95th 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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I am sending this newsletter this Friday from a frozen Montreal, Canada after yesterday’s ice storm. This is what I noticed this week, thank you for sharing with those who look into the future.
Estelle.
Competitive Intelligence
A search engine for 100+scholarly databases. Hydrosat Achieves Unparalleled Accuracy with Its Crop Yield Forecast. Search for images, recognize the text on them and identify the location.
We have scheduled the dates for 2023 for our courses. “Advanced Search Techniques for Competitive and Customer Intelligence” will be offered on June 5, 2023. Registrations are now open.
Strategic blindspots
Looking at the familiar with “alien eyes” allows you to unlock new business model opportunities while avoiding risks stemming from strategic blindspots.
Nearly 60% of Institutional Investors Used Reddit for Investment Calls. GPT-4 works as virtual pair of eyes for visually impaired people. Your Next Landlord Could Be 100 Random People. This Is the Lightest Paint in the World. The tragic blown promise of Amazon Go. Share of 65+ in Europe. Gigs, scams, ghost work: India tech sector's dark side. Vegetable Shortage: Onion Prices Soar, Fueling Global Food Inflation. The impact of population booms and busts.
Our future
The Future of AI in the Workplace: A Survey of American Managers. Who Will Take Care of Italy’s Older People? To shape the future, we must first understand the present. Humanoid robots are coming to a warehouse near you. At this grocery store of the future, 1 tablespoon of clean water costs $198. Loneliness in the US subsides from pandemic high.
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 pope’s puffer jacket. People Are Creating Records of Fake Historical Events. Stressed plants make ultrasonic clicking noises. How a video game has revolutionized the way farmers are buying tractors. Forget luxury goods, US shoppers are now using buy-now-pay-later services to pay for groceries. Baby First Social Media Handle.
Down the rabbit hole
This section highlights a subject that lead 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 discovered a Foresight Directory.
On my radar
I have been digging into systemic change dynamics for a client that needs to influence behavior for a large number of players: Don’t Try To Shape Opinions, Shape Networks. Three degrees of influence. The 3.5% rule. The tale of the starfish.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for curious minds and the polymaths
A good look at GDPR fines. The UK's International Technology Strategy. The countries with the longest- and shortest- retirements ( for my French readers…). The analysis of the wording of layoff comms. The history of the shuffle button. Environment and culture shape both the colour lexicon and the genetics of colour perception. The future of Apple.
I like new words, I learned this week about lemming.
Numbers Humanoid robots are coming to a warehouse near you
30%- With over one million mechanical maestros at their disposal, the global automotive industry commands one-third of all operational robots.
4- 4 out of the top 5 most downloaded Apple apps in the United States are Chinese.
40 - Anthropologists have taken up the task of calculating hunter-gatherer working hours
Feeling good
The world's biggest collection of obsolete sounds. Visit the seed vault. Locals and tourists. Live birds. 100 ways to end a letter. Slow learning. After Dark Screensavers.
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Thanks for reading Weak signals and other trends!
Contact me at Competia with your feedback or ideas. Thank you for reading.
Loved on my radar this week. Thanks Estelle!