What's Emerging mid-August 2022
A newsletter on interesting stuff that is emerging around the world so you can think about strategy
Welcome to our mid-August newsletter.
In the next few weeks, Paul will be continuing work with Save the Children on their strategic planning and run a Wardley mapping project for a data company. He will also record a video on Wardley mapping and foresight for a conference in Europe. He is helping to organise a conference on the future of farming in Southern Australia in September where he is creating scenarios and is Master of Ceremonies for the conference. He continues to participate in a global research project led by Simon Wardley from the UK and continuing a year long foresight advisory role with Vision Australia. He will also be presenting at the Tasmanian Forest Products conference, at the Irrigear network conference, and the Fred Hollows Foundation innovation week on foresight and innovation.
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
In case you missed it. The most popular link from the last edition:
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. Some of these claims are supposedly based on scientific evidence, linking to research which you are told to read. So, you look it up, but the papers are hidden behind paywalls. What should you do?.……Read more
What are we Writing About?
There is nothing in this section in this edition.
What’s Emerging
New study estimates how long mined metals circulate before being lost
In some cases, we're throwing out one metal in the process of extracting another……read more
Without an egg, sperm or womb, scientists create synthetic embryos in world first
Weizmann Institute of Science researchers have grown synthetic embryo models of mice outside the womb by starting solely with stem cells cultured in a Petri dish.The study, published in the journal Cell, has opened horizons for studying how stem cells form different organs in the developing embryo...……read more
Snap’s first AR game is a spooky ‘found phone’ mystery
Snap has launched its first in-Snapchat augmented reality game, a spooky “found phone” title called Ghost Phone. In the game, you’ll work to solve the mystery of what happened to the previous owner of a smartphone, and you’ll quickly learn that things are just a little bit... ghastly...…..Read more
A ‘Reversible’ Form of Death? Scientists Revive Cells in Dead Pigs’ Organs.
Researchers who previously revived some brain cells in dead pigs succeeded in repeating the process in more organs.........…..Read more
Discovered in the deep: the snail with iron armour
A golden snail with a foot clad in iron scales seems like a creature from science fiction. But in a few remote spots of the Indian Ocean these snails are very real. Paul: sometimes stuff is weirder than our imagination.......….. Read more
Renewable Energy Sector Defies Supply Chain Challenges to Hit a Record First-Half For New Investment
August 2, 2022 – Global investment in renewable energy totaled $226 billion in the first half of 2022, setting a new record for the first six months of a year. The uptick in investment reflects an acceleration in demand for clean energy supplies to tackle the ongoing global energy and climate crises, according to Renewable Energy Investment Tracker 2H 2022, a new report published by research firm BloombergNEF (BNEF)......….. Read more
Man who threw away £150m in bitcoin hopes AI and robot dogs will get it back
Paul: Another contender for futuristic headline of the year that would not have made sense 20 years ago....…. Read more
A 105-mile-long city will snake through the Saudi desert. Is that a good idea?
A tall and narrow stripe of a city more than 105 miles long, teeming with 9 million residents and running entirely on renewable energy — that's the vision Saudi Arabia's leaders have for The Line, part of a "giga-project" that will reshape the kingdom's northwest. Newly revealed design concepts show a futuristic walled city — its open interior is enclosed on both sides by a mirrored façade — stretching from the Red Sea eastward across the desert and into a mountain range........….. Read more
Seaweed helps Maine lobstermen ride the storm of climate change
In the fall, the fishermen plant tiny kelp seeds on the 1,000-foot-long ropes, and by late spring, attached to each one is close to 6,000 pounds of fresh sugar kelp. The seaweed is harvested, flash frozen and used to make kelp cubes for smoothies, as well as seaweed salad, seaweed kraut and more. Paul: I have friends in Portland, Maine and lobster rolls and beer plus a visit to the Holy Donut Shop (fantastic potato based donuts) are always on the cards when I visit. Climate change is altering the nature of the whole community .....…..Read more
How a Ford F-150 Lightning Powered a Night of Rock
The all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning doesn’t burn a drop of fuel, and it even offers multiple receptacles (both in the bed and the frunk) for plugging in lots of power tools and laptops at the worksite, coffee makers and toasters at a remote campsite, an entire house and another electric vehicle, and even a kitchen stove with a three-prong 240-volt plug. Paul: It is fascinating how electric vehicles are being marketed to part of the American market.....….….Read more
An AI Just Independently Discovered Alternate Physics
Grab any physics textbook and you'll find formula after formula describing how things wobble, fly, swerve and stop. The formulas describe actions we can observe, but behind each could be sets of factors that aren't immediately obvious. Now, a new AI program developed by researchers at Columbia University has seemingly discovered its own alternative physics. After being shown videos of physical phenomena on Earth, the AI didn't rediscover the current variables we use; instead, it actually came up with new variables to explain what it saw. Paul: this does not mean it is true but alternative perspectives from AI can provide interesting questions and possibilities. Take AlphaGo. Since the DeepMind program beat the best Go players in the world the human players have studied its moves and come up with new ways of playing even though humans have been playing for hundreds of years.....…… Read More
Where there's muck there's brass ... and critical minerals
Paul: an old saying from where I was born in Lancashire. Mine and processing waste is fast emerging as a new frontier for critical metals supply.....…. Read more
All-in-one solar tower produces jet fuel from CO2, water and sunlight
Taking carbon dioxide, water and sunlight as its only inputs, this solar thermal tower in Spain produces carbon-neutral, sustainable versions of diesel and jet fuel. Built and tested by researchers at ETH Zurich, it's a promising clean fuel project......…. Read more
Rex Airlines announces plan to retrofit existing fleet with electric-propulsion engines in regional trial
Rex Airlines has flagged Mount Gambier, in regional South Australia, as one of the initial routes that will trial the electric planes in 2024, which promise to be quieter, less polluting and easier to maintain than the existing turbine engines.... Read More
SGH to use digital tool to ensure proper wearing of personal protective equipment
A new digital tool to ensure healthcare workers and visitors entering high-risk wards are wearing their personal protective equipment (PPE) properly will be deployed at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) within the next two months. The tool, called Blue Mirror PPE Instructor, is powered by artificial intelligence......……. Read more
Business Tips
Google Pixel Buds Pro review: AirPods Pro, but for Android
Google's first attempt at truly wireless earbuds, the Pixel Buds, were good but not great. They lacked high-end features such as the active noise cancellation and transparency mode found in Samsung's Galaxy Buds and Apple's AirPods Pro. And Google's Pixel Buds A-Series, while more affordable, didn't offer any of the premium features some users have come to expect. Paul: I quite like my Pixel Buds A series but these look much better…… Read more
Let’s Agree That I Don’t Know You
Paul: A nice piece on personalisation in the age of data even though it is from a while ago.……Read more
Should your organisation pay its board directors?
The Board Payment Wizard leads you through a series of questions and answers designed to help your organisation to decide whether you should pay your board members. You'll need to allow at least 20 minutes to answer the 11 questions and consider the Wizard's responses....…. Read more
How to design a referral program
A successful referral program can be 20-30% of your acquisition mix, as one of several acquisition loops. It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s worth adding to complement other marketing efforts.. ..……Read more
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