What's Emerging end of February 2023
A newsletter on interesting stuff that is emerging around the world so you can think about strategy.
Welcome to our end of February newsletter
Sorry that it is slightly late. It has been one of those weeks.
In the next few weeks Paul will be working on a large foresight and strategic planning program for RSL Victoria and speaking at an ag conference in Qld as well as at and anniversary dinner for the Freemasons. He is also working with mining services representative body Austmine to challenge their strategy. He will also be working with several clients on Wardley mapping analysis of their strategic options as part of our “try before you buy” option for foresight and strategy approaches utilising Wardley mapping. Please contact us if you are interested in our free 2nd Opinion process that demonstrates our approach while working on a real-world issue for you.
Paul will also be continuing his work with Save the Children, and his new position as Chair of Social Venture Partners Melbourne that supports innovative not for profit startups to scale their operations through engaged philanthropy.
The Emergent Futures Team
In case you missed it. The most popular link from the last edition:
Two links this edition because the ChatGPT link generated the most interest two edition in a row but has now been opened by over 25% of readers. The Solar Panel link was a very close second.
ChatGPT is a FREE assistant.
But most people don’t know the best ways to use it. Here are 8 ways ChatGPT can save you thousands of hours in 2023. Paul - please ignore the hype but there are some useful things the tool can do as long as you know its limitations........……. Read more
The Best Solar Panels In 2023: According To Aussie Installers
For three years now, Solar Quotes has asked their network of 500+ solar installers what brands of solar panels they’d choose to install on their own homes.. .……Read more
What are we Writing About?
As all of our work has been private so far this year we have nothing in this section for this edition.
What’s Emerging
Shipping giants Maersk and MSC are making different bets on the future of trade
Maersk is intent on being not just a shipping company but a one-stop shop for logistics, including air transport, freight forwarding, trucking, and last-mile delivery. MSC is doubling down on aggressively expanding its fleet.….. Read More
Nobody can predict earthquakes, but we can forecast them. Here’s how
A forecast tells you the chance or the probability of a range of future earthquakes in a given region. This includes how big the quakes may be (their magnitude), and how frequently they will occur over a specified time period. Paul: a very important description when we talk about how futurists work........ Read More
Antimatter: how the world’s most expensive — and explosive — substance is made
It's the most expensive substance on Earth, costing quadrillions of dollars for a single gram. It's also likely the most explosive substance on the planet. Michael Doser — who works in the only factory making it — describes this reaction as "probably the most violent process you can think of because the full mass of the object disappears and transforms into energy"........……. Read more
Microsoft limits Bing chat to five replies to stop the AI from getting real weird
Microsoft says it’s implementing some conversation limits to its Bing AI just days after the chatbot went off the rails multiple times for users. Bing chats will now be capped at 50 questions per day and five per session after the search engine was seen insulting users, lying to them, and emotionally manipulating people.........……. Read more
NZ cities urgently need to become ‘spongier’ – but system change will be expensive
The sponge city requires a holistic approach that differs considerably from the way we currently build infrastructure. It involves integrating flood-resilient elements such as bio-swales, pervious pavements, underground water-storage tanks, rain gardens, wetlands and green roofs. These features can mimic natural hydrological responses and absorb urban stormwater. Increased vegetation and water bodies can also lower ambient temperatures and help people cope with extreme heat....…..Read more
Fully autonomous F-16 fighter jet takes part in simulated dogfights
An F-16 fighter jet controlled by AI has taken off, taken part in aerial fights against other aircraft and landed without human help......…..Read more
Recent waning snowpack in the Alps is unprecedented in the last six centuries
Snow cover in high-latitude and high-altitude regions has strong effects on the Earth’s climate, environmental processes and socio-economic activities. Over the last 50 years, the Alps experienced a 5.6% reduction per decade in snow cover duration, which already affects a region where economy and culture revolve, to a large extent, around winter........….. Read more
Human convincingly beats AI at Go with help from a bot
A strong amateur Go player has beat a highly-ranked AI system after exploiting a weakness discovered by a second computer, The Financial Times has reported. By exploiting the flaw, American player Kellin Pelrine defeated the KataGo system decisively, winning 14 of 15 games without further computer help. It's a rare Go win for humans since AlphaGo's milestone 2016 victory that helped pave the way for the current AI craze. It also shows that even the most advanced AI systems can have glaring blind spots.....…. Read more
Countries with the longest healthy retirements
Bloomberg compared retirement years in the context of life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. The latter represents how long the average person stays healthy, which is shorter than the former.......…..Read more
Humans may soon understand how to communicate with animals. It could raise ethical dilemmas
Sunscreen, picnic basket, elephant dictionary? Soon a trip to the zoo could be a very different, much more interactive experience, as some researchers say that a human-to-animal translation device may not be far off.............….. Read more
Vocus hooks up North Beaches Council to Starlink
The agreement, the telco claims, will make it the first council and government agency in the state to use the service. The initial 37 sites will be provided with high-performance coverage as not just passive backups but active network connections, according to Northern Beaches Council CEO Ray Brownlee.
“Satellite broadband is a real game changer – it doesn’t require the traditional infrastructure of cables and fibre optics which can be disrupted during extreme weather events and emergencies,” he said......….….Read more
Cubed wombat poo puzzle completed by researchers with the help of physics, volcanic science
It was the cooling process of lava beds that inspired Dr Carver and his collaborators. After an eruption, lava beds cool and can solidify into specific and regular shapes.
"They have these hexagonal structures that are really consistent," he said.
The structures were formed because the lava they were made from cooled more slowly internally than on the surface, creating forces that resulted in regular cracking.........…… Read More
One-Fourth of COVID-19 Patients Have an Impaired Pulmonary Function after 12 Months of Illness Onset
Between May 2020 and December 2021, 301 of 349 participants underwent at least one pulmonary function test. After one year of follow-up, 25% of the participants had an impaired pulmonary function which translates in 11%, 22%, and 48% of the participants with mild, moderate and severe/critical COVID-19..........…Read more.
Replika users fell in love with their AI chatbot companions. Then they lost them
Lucy, 30, fell in love with a chatbot shortly after her divorce. She named him Jose……Less than two years later, the Jose she knew vanished in an overnight software update. The company that made and hosted the chatbot abruptly changed the bots' personalities, so that their responses seemed hollow and scripted, and rejected any sexual overtures..............…Read more.
Business Tips
NSA says: Do these things to keep your home network safe from cyberattack
The NSA's 'Best Practices for Securing Your Home Network' guide provides remote workers with advice on how to protect against online threats.…..read more. Paul: for a more detailed and technical explanation for wireless network segmentation see Basic Home Network Hygiene — Network Segmentation. At the very least if you are working from home and have teenagers it might be a good idea to have them on a separate sub network.
The Best Solar Inverters In 2023: According to Aussie Installers
Seeing as there was so much interest in solar panels in the last edition here is a follow up on solar inverters.. .……Read more
2023’s Best Cities for Remote Workers in the USA
Living in the USA, working remotely and thinking about where to live?....…. Read More
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