What's Emerging Mid-August 2021
A newsletter on interesting stuff that is emerging around the world so you can think about strategy
Introduction
Welcome to our mid-August newsletter for 2021.
In the next few weeks, Paul will continue working with a council on their community vision, and work with a new leadership team in the food sector. He will also be working on a value adding strategy for agriculture in Queensland and working with the AFL Players Association on their next strategic plan (with futurist Reanna Browne who is the lead consultant). Paul will also continue working in his role as advisor for foresight and strategy to Save the Children Australia.
Paul is also acting as lead partner for a Social Venture Partners Melbourne pro bono project with Little Dreamers, a fantastic organisation helping young people who are caring for a family member. He is also facilitating the creation of a new strategic plan for Social Venture Partners Melbourne and has temporarily stepped in as joint Executive Director of SVPM to implement the structure and strategy that flows form that plan.
If you know of anyone who is interested in the permanent part time position as Executive Director of Social Venture Partners Melbourne, a group of venture philanthropists impacting on the not for profit sector in Australia then please forward the following job description to them: SVPM ED Position.
Also The Top Tech Trends Debate is back as parts of Victoria’s Digital Innovation Festival on August 26th. If you are interested in exploring emerging tech trends and the effects they might have on society then register at: Top Tech Trends
To all our subscribers in NSW our thoughts are with you. Here in Melbourne we know how tough it is to be in lockdown for COVID for an extended period but until we get much higher vaccination rates there is no alternative but to grind it out. Please stay safe.
The Emergent Futures Team
In case you missed it. The most popular link from the last edition:
Australia’s Vaulta says its battery casing technology is game changer for EVs... read more
What are we Writing About?
Paul wrote: Australian Life for the Next 12 months - Some Scenarios. Based on the Doherty Institute Modelling Report. What is likely to happen may surprise you. Any low number of COVID cases following reaching 80% vaccination rates are likely to be the calm before the next surge as the Delta variant burns it way through the unvaccinated…. Read it Here
What’s Emerging
Houston’s diesel-dependent Metro, which has zero e-buses, will buy 20
Houston’s Metro is skittish about e-buses because it thinks they won’t be able to handle the city’s heat. It’s also worried that the Texas grid won’t be stable enough to keep electric buses running. But it plans to transition its entire public transit fleet to zero-emission vehicles by 2030. …. Read More
SwarmFarm founder Andrew Bate explains why he’s building a tech startup in a rural area
Paul: This is a great concept and technology..…. Read more
Instant delivery startup GoPuff about to be worth $15 billion
GoPuff, a Philadelphia-based instant delivery platform for everyday items, is raising $1 billion in new funding at a $15 billion post-money valuation. Paul: There seems to be a whole lot of hype and froth in this fast delivery market right now ..….. Read more
NAB launches Sharia loan product into Australian Islamic finance market tipped to be worth $250b
The head of local Islamic finance company Amanah Finance explains that the core philosophy goes further than avoiding interest. It is also about trade-based relationships. "The customer is at risk and the bank is at risk, and in order to achieve that it's not a debt relationship, it's more like a partnership relationship," Asad Ansari says...…. Read more
Ghost kitchen provider Reef is launching its own app
Ghost kitchen provider Reef is trying to take distribution into its own hands ..….. Read more
How Software Is Eating the Car
The trend toward self-driving and electric vehicles will add hundreds of millions of lines of code to cars. Can the auto industry cope?....….. Read more
Bayer set to phase out domestic glyphosate products in the US
"This announcement is specific to residential lawn and garden products in the United States and does not impact residential lawn and garden products in Australia," . Paul: not sure how long that will last......…. Read more
Bebot: Solar Power Assisted Beach Cleaning Robot
This solar-assisted remote-controlled sand sifting robot may play a small part in helping to keep beaches clean. ..….. Read more
Climate crisis: Scientists spot warning signs of Gulf Stream collapse
Such an event would have catastrophic consequences around the world, severely disrupting the rains that billions of people depend on for food in India, South America and West Africa; increasing storms and lowering temperatures in Europe; and pushing up the sea level off eastern North America. It would also further endanger the Amazon rainforest and Antarctic ice sheets. ..…..Read more
MicroLEDs Moving From Lab To Fab
MicroLEDs have outstanding performance attributes. The offer higher pixel density, lower power consumption, faster (nanosecond) response time, and wider viewing angle than LED-backlit liquid crystal displays (LCDs) or organic LED (OLED) displays. Importantly, they offer an order-of-magnitude higher luminance than OLED displays or LCD in direct sunlight conditions, which is crucial for handheld devices, as well as a key enabler for near-eye displays. ..….….Read more
Space start-up Varda, founded by SpaceX and Founders Fund veterans, aims to build factories in orbit
“The Varda mission is to build the first space factory – essentially the first industrial park on orbit,” CEO Will Bruey, who spent much of the past decade working on SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon spacecraft …….Read more
Revolut confirms a fresh $800M in funding at a $33B valuation to supercharge its financial services super app
The fintech funding continues to roll in at a rapid pace, a result of the huge shift underway in how consumers spend and manage their money. In the latest development, Revolut — the London-based financial “super app” that provides banking, investing, currency transfer and other money management services to some 16 million users globally — this morning confirmed that it has raised $800 million. …. Read more
Jurors could use VR to visit crime scenes, and help them reach a verdict
Virtual reality is frequently used for both entertainment and education, immersing people in computer-generated environments. Australian researchers are now looking into the benefits VR technology could offer in a courtroom — and the results so far are promising. ..…..Read more
Incredible Fibers Produced by Engineered Bacteria: Stronger Than Steel, Tougher Than Kevlar
Spider silk is said to be one of the strongest, toughest materials on the Earth. Now engineers at Washington University in St. Louis have designed amyloid silk hybrid proteins and produced them in engineered bacteria. The resulting fibers are stronger and tougher than some natural spider silks..……. Read more
Business Tips
Reducing COVID Mask Risk
Here is how to KNOT and FOLD a surgical mask to ensure tight fit to reduce side gaps. Fit is critical! Scroll down to see the video.…...Read more
Schedule tasks based on fluctuating energy levels
Paul: I am a big fan of this principle but please adjust for your own body clock and do not work from 5 am to 11pm!!!. …… Read more
Seven Sure-fire Ways to Do Scenario Planning Badly: A Guide to Poor Practice
The practice of scenario planning has no barriers to entry. Scenario planners have neither to pass a bar exam as do lawyers nor do they have to be certified by a professional body, as do engineers or medics. It follows, then, that quality control is non-existent, except ex-post, when bad scenario planning may have already negatively impacted the organisation. ..…. Read more
Designing a scalable design organization
Like any other vision work you’re doing within your organization, designing a design organization is part of that work. ….. Read More
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