What's Emerging mid-February 2023
A newsletter on interesting stuff that is emerging around the world so you can think about strategy.
Welcome to our mid-February newsletter
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 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:
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
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
Nintendo Will Pay Its Workers 10% More
The move is meant to invest in the workforce and address inflation. Paul: a different attitude to most companies that have cut their profit forecast.….. Read More
Boeing to build braced-wing airliner, shooting for 30% efficiency gain
With a US$425-million cash injection from NASA, Boeing will build and test a full-sized airliner based on its transonic truss-braced wing (TTBW) concept, using long, thin, strut-braced wings to add lift, reduce drag, and burn less fuel........ Read More
US military plan to create huge autonomous drone swarms sparks concern
The AMASS project would involve thousands of drones, on the ground, in the air and in the water, working together in a "swarm of swarms" to overwhelm enemy defences (subscription may be required)........……. Read more
How a digital twin for intense weather could help scientists mitigate climate change
Using a Cerebras CS-2 computer, scientists are able to simulate large computational fluid dynamics experiments in near-real time, which they say may have dramatic implications for energy and climate change projects........……. Read more
How to make hydrogen straight from seawater – no desalination required
Researchers have developed a cheaper and more energy-efficient way to make hydrogen directly from seawater, in a critical step towards a truly viable green hydrogen industry. The new method from RMIT University researchers splits the seawater directly into hydrogen and oxygen – skipping the need for desalination and its associated cost, energy consumption and carbon emissions....…..Read more
Not so sweet: How honey-loving Winnie the Pooh became a slasher film villain
Paul: You are never going to get that image out of your head but an interesting consequence of copyright law.......…..Read more
Telemedicine Has Been ‘Hugely Beneficial’ for Health Care, Study Shows
Cal State Fullerton assistant professor of management David Cho co-authored a study examining the costs and benefits of these services.
Cho said: “Our results show the benefits of telemedicine outweigh its operating costs in almost any scenario. Improvements in patient outcomes benefit not only the patients but can also be hugely beneficial for the entire healthcare system as well.”
“Telemedicine can identify patient concerns before they escalate into more serious issues, such as readmissions. These services are even more beneficial to those recently discharged.”.........….. Read more
Food, feed and fuel: global seaweed industry could reduce land needed for farming by 110m hectares, study finds
An area of ocean almost the size of Australia could support commercial seaweed farming around the world, providing food for humans, feed supplements for cattle, and alternative fuels, according to new research. Paul: extreme care needs to be taken on these sorts of possibilities given it disturbs a whole new ecosystem.....…. Read more
Amazon Fresh raises its threshold for free delivery to $150
Paul: Groceries is a much harder problem than other delivery markets due to the variations for cold chain, packaging, and package sizes......…..Read more
Your work future could depend on how well you can talk to AI.
Paul: AI and human partnerships are a critical part of our future. Less than the hype around ChatGPT would have you believe but still very important..............….. Read more
China says it successfully cloned 3 highly productive ‘super cows’
They were cloned from highly productive cows from the Holstein Friesian breed, which originated in the Netherlands. The chosen animals are capable of producing 18 tons of milk per year, or 100 tons of milk in their lifetimes.....….….Read more
Sailing cargo ships are making a genuine comeback
Sailing cargo ships are making a genuine comeback. Japanese bulk carrier MOL is operating a wind-assisted ship. American food giant Cargill is working with Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie to deploy WindWings on its routes. Swedish shipping company Wallenius is aiming for Oceanbird to cut emissions by up to 90%. The French start-up Zephyr & Borée has built the Canopée, which will transport parts of European Space Agency’s Ariane 6 rocket this year........…… Read More
Precision Neuroscience is making brain implants safer, smarter and reversible
The array they’ve developed is called Layer 7, a reference to the fact that the cortex itself has six layers, which the interface sits on top of. A single Layer 7 array is bit bigger than a thumbnail, but it has 1,024 microelectrodes on it, producing a density hundreds of times better than what’s in general use today. And they’re designed to be used in arrays themselves, essentially tiling across a region of the brain. Each array would provide a fast, accurate picture of the activity of the cortical regions it covers............…Read more.
Goffin’s cockatoo named third species that carries toolsets around in preparation for future tasks
A third species joined the exclusive club of toolset makers in 2021, when scientists in Indonesia saw wild Goffin’s cockatoos using three distinct types of tools to extract seeds from fruit. And in new research, researchers have shown Goffin’s cockatoos can also take the next leap of logic, by carrying a set of tools they’ll need for a future task.. .............…Read more.
Business Tips
How to transfer photos from your Android device to your Windows computer
You may have snapped thousands of photos on your Android phone over the years. Maybe you're preparing to wipe your old phone to trade it in for a new Samsung Galaxy or just want to look at your photos on a big screen instead of the little black slab in your hand. No problem. You can transfer your photos to your Windows computer in a few different ways.…..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
Generative search - a Podcast from the always interesting Benedict Evans
What would generative search mean? Generative video? Indeed, Generative products?....…. Go to podcast
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