Welcome to this 97th 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 Venice, Italy. This is what I noticed this week, thank you for sharing with those who look into the future.
Estelle.
Strategic blindspots
Looking at the familiar with “alien eyes” allows you to unlock new business model opportunities while avoiding risks stemming from strategic blindspots.
Airpods are becoming a platform. Overemployed’ Hustlers Exploit ChatGPT To Take On Even More Full-Time Jobs. Digital payment speakers for the illiterate in India. Foodtrucks for dogs. Apple’s savings account. AI is taking the jobs of Kenyans who write essays for U.S. college students (the irony is not lost on me…). Groundwater
Gold Rush. High Risk of Biological Hazard' In Sudan After Fighters Seize Biolab.
Our future
A new and faster machine learning flywheel for enterprises. Employee-Tracking Software to Surveil Workers Makes IT Managers Uncomfortable. New, greener air traffic control (ATC) towers are coming. Opportunities in AI x Travel. India is a youthful power house. China will become a gerontocracy. Yokosuka becomes Japan's first city to use ChatGPT for administrative tasks. Teachers in Denmark are using apps to audit their student’s moods. Mobile vaccine printers.
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?
Why child safety bills are popping up all over the US. Reverse ATMs and where it leads. Watertok and its dangers. New Car Has No Rear Window. CEO Celebrates Worker Who Sold Family Dog. Sunflower hidden disabilities project launched at Austin airport . Why more and more Americans are painting their lawns. Walmart filed a patent for automated food selection using “hyperspectral sensing,” to select the freshest produce for your online orders without using human labor.
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 Open Questions: « Some anomalies/questions which are not necessarily important, but do puzzle me or where I find existing explanations to be unsatisfying ». Just the perfect site for polymaths…
On my radar
I am preparing a keynote adress for a client end of May, taking place in beautiful Charlevoix, Quebec, where I summarize in a 16-minute presentation the systemic trends of the world: Global Risks in 10 years, Strengthen links between science and high finance, Converting global systemic risks into sustainable returns, On the origin of systemic risk… and my favorite example, mustard seeds.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for curious minds and the polymaths
I like new words, so this week I learned about deaccessionning. What are we searching right now. A jellyfish that is considered immortal. Honey-tripping and the Roman army. How to wander. The hidden way we work together.
The age of average, and this quote:
“Perhaps when times are turbulent, people seek the safety of the familiar. Perhaps it’s our obsession with quantification and optimisation. Or maybe it’s the inevitable result of inspiration becoming globalised.”
Numbers
30- 30% of cybersecurity professionals admit to covering up a data breach according to Bitdefender research.
80- The average drunk driver drives under the influence more than 80 times before being arrested the first time.
1/3- One-third of adults still sleep with a comfort object
Feeling good
Random airport view. Whimsical and poetic recipes, all AI generated. Kindergarten children dropped seeds in the crack of the sidewalk to see what would happen. Street art and bad luck spots.
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