Welcome to this 41st 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.
Join us on Clubhouse to discuss how to interpret some of those trends and weak signals most Saturday at 9 am EST (we’re on tomorrow).
Thank you to those who mentioned this newsletter in their blogs...: this week, I tracked Mitch at Six Pixels, Stéphane at 15Marches, and Adrian at the WEF in 7Things.
You can subscribe to this weekly newsletter here to get it directly by mail.
This is what I noticed this week, thank you for sharing this newsletter with 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.
New food regions are emerging. ByteDance, TikTok’s Owner, Dives Into the Fragrance Race. Etre un éternel débutant est la meilleure chose qui puisse vous arriver. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations. Magic Leap, will focus its new model, the Magic Leap 2, on medical customers. Channeling sci-fi to bank on “the inevitable arrow of progress. The digital stickers millionaires.
Les scénarios catastrophes des services français – « Le plus grand risque est le manque d’imagination ».
Trying too hard and this quote:
One of the most consuming uses of our time has been accumulating information to help us make forecasts of all those things we think we have to predict
We have scheduled the dates for 2022 for our “Strategic Blindspots”course . Our next cohort will take place in Montreal, Canada, on April 26-27, 2022. Registrations are open.
Our future
Global Risks Report 2022 by the World Economist Forum. TikTok Trends Forecast Forecast: Predicting how some funny little dress-up videos will be ground into fodder for takes in the content mines. The Post-Pandemic Office Should Be a Clubhouse. Future cities from the past. 7 Cultural Trends For 2022-2025. Crypto-packaged goods. Cyber Insurance Will Not Cover Cyber Attacks Attributable to Nation-State. The future is sweaty. Every driver in London soon might have to pay a fee any time they take a car trip. The Future 100: Trends and Change to Watch in 2022 (pdf). LinkedIn data reveals what workers want.
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?
Taco Bell to Launch First-Ever Business School for Employees. Amazon heads to the mall with prototype clothing store. Why Are All These People Showering in Their Arc’teryx Jackets? Toyota Ventures backs seed extension into Agtonomy. The vital art of talking to strangers. Why Are DAOs Suddenly Leaping Into Wyoming Real Estate? Strawberry Prince. Michelin avance sur son projet d'aile gonflable pour bateau cargo. The irony: Selfridges is selling NFTs in store. Sunscreens are adapted with ingredients that also offer protection from blue light. Kava.
We like this coop that curates journals for you, from Pasta Professional, American Funeral Director, and Plumber Magazine - great way to explore weak signals.
Join us to discuss those trends and signals every Saturday at 9am EST on Clubhouse ( we start back on January 8). 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 will keynote a talk with Women in Mining in February on how to become “Future-Ready”: 2050 Predictions, Eyes, Xi, Apps, Cars, Traits, Bounties, 2050; Biased by design; 450 million guns and other predictions for 2050.
Down the rabbit hole
This is a new section. It 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 Google Cemetery and what we learn from failures.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for curious minds and the polymaths …
Sound research. Strings and knots. Scotland could soon pardon thousands of witches. Recognizing that waste is central, not peripheral. Kindness is genetic. The 19th-Century Gym. Visualizing the Evolution of the Alphabet. The container guide.
Change of seasons and this quote:
You can measure social progress by how much people are paid for their labor, but you can also measure it in how much freedom they have to experiment with other kinds of work, how much “seasonal” variation they are afforded.
I have published this week a yearly review of the top 70 newsletters curious minds are reading in 2022.
Feeling Good
Your hiking routes online. Most Defiantly Hopeful Stories of 2021. How far can you go with a direct connection? Build a city. Click to relax. Soane Museum exploration. Active Vintage Websites.
The image illustrating this week is Jacquemus’ 24/24 7/7 pop-up store.
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Contact me at Competia with your feedback or ideas. Thank you for reading.