What's Emerging June 2022
A newsletter on interesting stuff that is emerging around the world so you can think about strategy
Welcome to the end of June version of the newsletter.
In the next few weeks, Paul will continue running a project on how to maximise the adoption of new irrigation technologies in the Dairy and Cotton industries via the use of Sense Maker narrative collection techniques. He will also be continuing work with Vision Australia on their 10 year vision and strategic planning and continue a scenario project with the New Zealand veterinary profession on the future for veterinary science. He will also be speaking to an innovation day for a major architectural firm in Sydney, a Hydroponics Conference in Melbourne and a Knowledge Management Meetup in Melbourne. He is helping to organise a conference on the future of the farm later in the year and has joined a new global research project led by Simon Wardley from the UK. More on that later. Lastly he will be working with a business looking at new teaching platform models for universities.
Please Contact Us if you want to talk about any of these approaches for your organisation or industry or want a presentation for your organisation or conference.
The Emergent Futures Team
Paul has also started a pro-bono project with 100 Story Building as a lead Partner for Social Venture Partners Melbourne which will involve a comprehensive business model review.
In case you missed it. The most popular link from the last edition:
Herd immunity was sold as the path out of the pandemic. Here’s why we’re not talking about it any more
It’s understandable why this notion gained so much attention, as it promised a complete return to a world without COVID. But in reality it was probably always a pipe dream As time wore on, herd immunity became even less reachable. Here’s why we’re not talking about it any more, even with the high vaccination rates we see today.….. read more
What are we Writing About?
Paul’s presentation to a the AMC/PIX conference on the future of plant protein substitution for meat and its flow on effects is now up on our website. Go to our HOME PAGE and scroll to our latest work to access it.
What’s Emerging
The race to produce green steel
By using electricity to separate iron from its ore, the firm claims it can make steel without releasing carbon dioxide, offering a path to cleaning up one of the world’s worst industries for greenhouse gas emissions....…. read more
Fearing lawsuits, factories rush to replace humans with robots in South Korea
The Serious Disasters Punishment Act was meant to be a triumph for workers' safety. Instead, it's spurring companies to erase staff..……read more
1.2m subscribers propel The Economist to record revenue
The Economist had its most successful year financially since 2016 last year with profit up and record revenue, thanks to increased subscriptions.…..Read more
Polio virus detected in London sewage samples
The virus that causes polio has been detected in a concerning number of sewage samples in London, health officials have said.
The disease was common in the UK in the 1950s but was eliminated by 2003. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it was probably imported to London by someone who was recently vaccinated overseas with a live form of the virus........…..Read more
This Startup Wants to Get in Your Ears and Watch Your Brain
Born from Alphabet's “moonshot” division, NextSense aims to sell earbuds that can collect heaps of neural data—and uncover the mysteries of gray matter.....….. Read more
How Flesh Penetrating Sound Waves Could 3D Print Implants Directly Inside You
Researchers at Concordia University have devised a way to solidify liquid into plastic, creating a 3D-printing option that could be used to implement medical implants directly inside a patient's body. Direct sound printing (DSP) utilizes high-frequency sound waves to accomplish its intended use....….. Read more
This CRISPR pioneer wants to capture more carbon with crops
New research at Jennifer Doudna's institute aims to create faster-growing, carbon-hungry plants using the gene-editing tool...…. Read more
Lift Energy Storage System: Turning skyscrapers into gravity batteries
Renewable energy is intermittent, so energy storage and release will be critical in the next few decades. IIASA researchers have put forth a fascinating solution, proposing to turn skyscrapers into giant gravity batteries for remarkably cheap renewable energy storage.........….. Read more
Astroforge raises $13M seed round for asteroid mining ambitions
Y Combinator startup Astroforge wants to succeed where other companies have failed, by becoming the first to mine an asteroid and bring the material back to Earth — and it’s aiming to do so as early as the end of the decade. .....…..Read more
ZiGGY: An autonomous robot that saves you a parking spot then charges your EV
Through its ability to recharge itself via different energy sources and its summoning feature, ZiGGY can alleviate the need to install specific parking stalls for EV charging, as any spot can now become a spot to recharge....….….Read more
Could flat tyres soon be a thing of the past?
Is it the end of the black rubber air-filled doughnut first used on vehicles in the 1890s - a product designed to be indestructible, and therefore not easy to recycle? On a test track in Luxembourg, a Tesla Model 3 is twisting through tight corners, accelerating rapidly, and doing emergency stops. Standard stuff. What's remarkable, though, is the car is sitting on four airless tyres - made by Goodyear, the US manufacturer...…… Read More
Eco-airship contract to launch 1,800 jobs in South Yorkshire
Spanish carrier orders 10 helium-filled Airlander 10 aircraft in boost for UK green tech and maker HAV....…. Read more
New 3D Printing Tech Spits Out Whole Robots All at Once
In a new study published in Science, a team of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles developed a new 3D printing method that can create working robots made from metamaterials (synthetic materials from elements not found in nature).....….. Read More
Scientists unveil bionic robo-fish to remove microplastics from seas
Tiny self-propelled robo-fish can swim around, latch on to free-floating microplastics and fix itself if it gets damaged. Read More…..
Japan Is Dropping a Gargantuan Turbine Into The Ocean to Harness 'Limitless' Energy
The 330-ton prototype is called Kairyu, a word that translates more or less into 'ocean current'. Its structure consists of a 20 meter (66 foot) long fuselage flanked by a pair of similar-sized cylinders, each housing a power generation system attached to an 11 meter long turbine blade......……. Read more
Business Tips
How to access paywalled research papers without institutional access
The Internet is full of extraordinary allegations, promises of breakthrough discoveries, and content promoting new, innovative products. …… Read more
Nomadico
Tips for the working traveler- a Newsletter.……Read more
New Amazon CEO’s Scary Meetings Make Sense
Andy Jassy calls them “the Chop.” Here’s what other bosses can learn from them...…. Read more
Hit the road: Where to claim 25 per cent off your dining bill across Victoria
Paul: Just for the Victorians but I did not realise this program was still open and so there might be many others ..……Read more
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