Welcome to this 120th 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 have prepared this newsletter this week from Toronto, Canada. This is what I noticed this week, thank you for sharing with those who look into the future.
Estelle.
Competitive Intelligence
Google Search Results Scraper, A Chrome extension that collects Google search results and puts them into an Excel file. Intelligence X is a first-of-its-kind archival service and search engine that preserves not only historic versions of web pages but also entire leaked data set. theHarvester is designed to capture public information that exists outside of an organization’s owned network.
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.
Houthis may sabotage western internet cables in Red Sea. Why the world’s biggest EV maker is getting into shipping. John Deere Announces Strategic Partnership with SpaceX. Barrier-free, state-of-the-art, sustainable: first Porsche Charging Lounge opens. What is a snow drought? Investors Are Almost Always Wrong About the Fed on Interest Rates. No One Is Prepared for a New Era of Global Migration. Stanley just launched its first-ever apparel collection. This disused mine in Finland is being turned into a gravity battery to store renewable energy.
Our future
City Trends 2024. Inside the brain of a Kazakh smart city. I Love Reading 1980s Computer Magazines, and So Should You. Mineral requirements for clean energy transitions. Meet the ‘endineer’ who helps companies design the end of life for products. Rice covered in cow cells aims to provide nutritious, sustainable food. How to Blend Worldviews for the Future of Agriculture & Climate.
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?
Air Canada Has to Honor a Refund Policy Its chatbot made up. Some crustaceans have evolved a way to make silk. Stinge watching. New Dating App Only Accepts Users With Good Credit Scores. The chart of music genres. 3 million smart toothbrushes were just used in a DDoS attack. The Enhanced Games – an Olympics-style competition where athletes are allowed to take performance-enhancing drugs – recently announced its seed round.
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On our radar
I will be teaching next week in Switzerland at IMD Business School to a group of corporate directors, and we’ll review directors’ dilemnas around data and AI in particular: It’s Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy. How Walmart, Delta & Starbucks are using AI to check employee messages. How keeping your phone charged might help boost your credit score. Social scoring systems: current state and potential future implications.
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 spent time reviewing the date that Netflix released, and what it means in terms of emerging trends: viewership data on 18,000 shows.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for curious minds and the polymaths
Europe's Olfactory Heritage. Molecular sensor enables water bear hardiness. The intriguing maps that reveal alternate histories. The strange and turbulent global world of ant geopolitics. Why China is betting big on chiplets. Geopolitics and the geometry of global trade.
Numbers
500M- 500M Africans will leave rural areas and move to cities over the next two decades, establishing the largest urban population in the world
41%- A survey found that 41 percent of Americans reported that they’ve become “more spiritual” over the course of their lives
100bn- The global market for sand was estimated to be worth about $100 billion per year
Feeling good
Careful words. Spanning Seven Centuries, judging a Book by its Cover. Curvature generates a map highlighting the most twisty roads, all across the world. No one is safe from inflation, not even the Tooth Fairy.
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Contact me at Competia with your feedback or ideas. Thank you for reading.