Welcome to this 79th 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 week from Montreal, Canada. This is what I noticed these past couple of weeks, thank you for sharing this newsletter 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.
The long tail. Bike angels. Preventing charging infrastructure from becoming a new way to attack electric vehicles, the grid or your bank account. The autonomy winter. The Next Big Battle Between Google and Apple Is for the Soul of Your Car. Coworking’s comeback. Will TikTok Eat the Michelin Guide’s Lunch? The restaurant’s industry worst idea. Opportunities on the front lines of cybersecurity. Climate carnage.
Our future
Unretirement. The range of possible climate change scenarios is narrowing. Audiences demand more from their streaming services. Commercial satellites are the next front in space war. How the Internet Turned Us Into Content Machines. Employees’opinion on hybrid work. L'éco-anxiété s'empare de la jeunesse. Bleisure travel. Demolition Might be the Future of Construction.
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?
Italy’s new far-right government has proposed a new law that would ban raves. Miss Excel. Apartment complex keeps rents low by using no energy. Sadness is a trend. The self-control app. Feedback on the standards for minimum airline seat dimensions. Charging pavement. Bhutan’s new brand. A 95-year-old grandma wins Latin Grammy for best new artist. A robotaxi waitlist.
Numbers
71- NASA’s internal impact review found that the agency’s economic output in 2021 was $71B+, supporting nearly 340k jobs nationwide.
1- US Banks paid out over $1 billion to ransomware thieves last
90- Ransomware affected 90% of IT professionals at large companies in the last year
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 Snax as a signaler.
On our radar
I am finalizing the preparation of a keynote I am delivering this Friday at the ESG conference "Making an Impact " in Montreal: Global Trends by the CIA assesses the key trends and uncertainties that will shape the strategic environment for the United States. ESG and Climate Change Blind Spots: Turning the Corner on SEC Disclosure. Climate risk modeling. ESG investing has a sustainability blind spot: supply chains.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for curious minds and the polymaths
Color is in the eye, and brain, of the beholder. Good purpose, bad purpose. The original mechanical turk. The many meanings of moss. The Decline of Etiquette and the Rise of ‘Boundaries’. How to nurture a personal library. The Semiconductor Ecosystem. Visualizing how a city's population size impacts its happiness.
I like new words, this week I discovered: Cat Gap.
Feeling good
This game requires you to correctly guess a flight’s origin and destination based on various clues. An emotional logbook. A helix calendar.
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