What's Emerging Mid-June 2022
A newsletter on interesting stuff that is emerging around the world so you can think about strategy
Welcome to the mid-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 and a Hydroponics Conference 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:
China’s population is about to shrink for the first time since the great famine struck 60 years ago. Here’s what it means for the world
China accounts for more than one sixth of the world’s population. Yet after four extraordinary decades in which China’s population has swelled from 660 million to 1.4 billion, its population is on track to turn down this year, for the first time since the great famine of 1959-1961….. read more
What are we Writing About?
Paul’s latest presentation on Foresight for Practical Strategy is now up on our website. Go to our HOME PAGE and scroll to our latest work to access it.
What’s Emerging
Scientists wrap robotic finger with 'living human skin' that can heal itself
If you shook hands with a robot today, it would feel no different to grabbing a cold hunk of metal. But one day, it may not be much different from shaking hands with a fellow human....…. read more
Apple’s CarPlay is going beyond the infotainment screen
Apple announced a complete refresh of CarPlay to better connect with a car’s instrument panel and a deep integration with the vehicle itself. CarPlay users will be able to swap what they see on the instrument panel with a very Apple-looking widget design. Users can add trip info, control climate in the car, see the weather, view updated navigation information, fuel and battery levels, and more. It can adapt to different screen sizes and has an all-new interface that is reminiscent of having an iPad on the center screen.……read more
New Electronic Nose (E-Nose) Mark III (wireless) to assess volatile compounds of food, beverages, animals and plants
The Digital Agriculture Food and Wine Group has developed the fully wireless, portable and low-cost Mark III e-nose (Figure 1) to assess quality of food and beverages as well as early detection of infestation of insects in plants and diseases in plants and animals.…..Read more
Vinyl record sales surpass CDs in the U.S. for the first time since the 1980s
Vinyl records accounted for US$232.1 million of music sales in the first half of the year, compared to CDs, which brought in only $129.9 million, according to a report from the Recording Industry Association of America.......…..Read more
Our Community is moving to a four-day week
The six-month trial is overseen by 4 Day Week Global in partnership with leading think tank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign, and researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston College......….. Read more
Ultima Genomics claims $100 full genome sequencing after stealth $600M raise
The appetite for genomic data continues to rise in the field of biotech and pharmaceutical research, but cost is still a factor — even sequencing a full genome now costs as little as $1,000. But with claims of reducing that cost by another order of magnitude to $100, Ultima Genomics may even further accelerate this economy....….. Read more
Are 'Climate-Friendly' Options on Restaurant Menus Coming Soon?
For example, a salad that comes with beef would be labeled "high emission." That would mean the meal generates a higher carbon footprint -- perhaps in the range of 2 or even 3 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) -- and is therefore less environmentally friendly. Alternatively, a vegan spaghetti dish would be labeled "low emission." It would therefore be greener, in that it might produce just 130 grams of CO2..…. Read more
Smart contact lens for glaucoma could release drugs when needed
A wireless contact lens that monitors eye pressure and delivers glaucoma drugs on demand has been tested in animals.........….. Read more
Andrew Ng’s Startup Automates Factory Inspection
ounded in 2017, Landing AI counts among its users Foxconn, Stanley Black&Decker and automotive supplier Denso. They and others have applied deep learning to improve their efficiency and reduce costs......…..Read more
Aptera has more than 22,000 reservations for its solar electric car with up to 1,000 miles of range
This is Aptera’s second go. The company was created in 2006 with the aim of bringing to market a super-efficient three-wheeled vehicle. Unfortunately, the project didn’t work out, but the founders recently decided to revisit the project after having launched a different successful company in the electrification space...….….Read more
ANZ introduces paid gender affirmation leave
ANZ announced it will allow employees based in Australia and New Zealand to take paid leave while they are affirming their gender. Its newly created gender affirmation leave will allow employees to take six weeks of paid leave and up to 12 months of unpaid leave as they undergo any aspect of gender affirmation..…… Read More
This electric tricycle can transform into a camper AND a boat
If you’ve been wondering what your Bear Grylls lifestyle has been missing all this while, meet the weird and wonderful BeTriton, the amphibious e-trike that’s a bike, a boat, and… a camper. Paul: me want....…. Read more
Herd immunity was sold as the path out of the pandemic. Here’s why we’re not talking about it any more
Early in the pandemic, the term “herd immunity” hit the headlines, along with a polarised discussion on how to achieve it. Some groups were attached to the now-discredited notion of letting a dangerous virus rip through the population to reach the critical level of population immunity needed to reduce transmission. But a more serious conversation focused on the prospect of attaining herd immunity by vaccination. Not any more....….. Read More
On Safari in the Transylvanian Alps, Where Bison Roam Once More
In Europe, “rewilding” is aiding the reintroduction of key animal species, including bison, which visitors can track in the forests and meadows of western Romania........……. Read more
Business Tips
10 must-have Excel skills everyone should know
This is an ad for his courses but still has useful stuff…… Read more
4 great Gmail time savers
Paul: I particularly like writing emails in Google Docs .……Read more
I’m getting older, how can I prevent falls?
Not strictly a business tip but useful, especially for those of us with older parents....…. Read more
I wore a continuous glucose monitor for a month. Here’s what I learned
Paul: these monitors are moving beyond better understanding of diabetes and into tracking systems for people to better understand how their bodies respond to all sorts of foods and exercise ..……Read more
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