Welcome to this 14th issue of our newsletter “Weak Signals and other Trends”. Each week, I sift through hundreds of sources of inspiration to track where we’re heading. We discuss those trends and signals every Saturday at 9am EST on Clubhouse.
This is what I noticed this week, thank you for reading and sharing this newsletter to those who look into the future.
Trends Intelligence
We are focusing this week on a series of tools and techniques that foresight teams are using to spot weak signals and trends:
Spotting trends in a fast-changing world. Your spreadsheet’s new best friend to map patterns. A Journey to the End of Time – timelapse of the future. Pour prédire l’avenir, engagez des romanciers. Touching the future. The problem with prediction. How to build a breakthrough …the secret of Backcasting. Articles + Resources + Interviews exploring the eco-system of influences impacting the future .
Blindspots
Looking at the familiar with “alien eyes” allows you to unlock new opportunities and avoid missing emerging risks
All These Balls Are the Same Color.
Is Amazon Building The Next Generation Bank? What is the Fastest-Growing Sport? Developers struggle to meet demand for e-commerce storage space. Why Shoppers Are Obsessed With ‘Summer Camp’ Jewellery. Stockpile of Unfinished Ford Super Duty Pickups Missing Chips Is Now Visible from Space. IBM says it has created the world’s first 2 nanometer chip.
We have scheduled the dates for our “Strategic Blindspots” course which will take place in an hybrid format in the fall.
Our future
N.Y.P.D.’s Robot Dog Returns to Work, Touching Off a Backlash. Google’s Plan for the Future of Work: Privacy Robots and Balloon Walls. US Army Explores Equipping Robots with Living Muscle Tissue . How do you teach someone to write in a world of robot authors? Brands are testing out OnlyFans as a marketing channel. The World’s First Robot Lawyer. Mindcraft. Coworking , third-wave style. Slum dwellers in India get unique digital addresses so that residents can use Google’s plus codes to direct deliveries and medical care to their front doors.
Weak signals
Weak signals are indicators of a change, a trend or an emerging risk that might become significant for the future. They allow us to run hypothesis, expand our thinking, and challenge assumptions. How will you interpret those in your industry or field of expertise?
Cities appoint ‘Chief Heat Officers’ in response to warming threat. Meet the Renaissance Man Obsessed with Mushrooms. Tiffany Just Launched a New Line of Diamond Engagement Rings—for Men. Colorado legislature passes bill to allow human composting. How Pixar Uses Hyper-Colors to Hack Your Brain. A supermarket in a museum.
On our radar
In this section, I will share some of the content I come across as I work on specific mandates for our clients. This is what I worked on this week:
Business Scents- I am keynoting another conference on the future of the office for the hybrid workforce. This week, I studied the scents ( the weak signal Eau d’Office was already in our last week’s newsletter): The Rise of Digital Olfaction. The people trying to save scents from extinction. The Internet Of Senses And The Virtual Future Of Work. Wake up and smell the workplace: how aroma is changing behaviour.
The longevity economy is a recurring research for me. Here is a take on digital afterlife: The digital afterlife industry is here to help you plan your death. The digital afterlife industry. Making It Easier to Honor a Loved One on Facebook After They Pass Away. What happens to crypto-assets once you die. Creating a digital will. The data we leave behind.
Our speaking engagements can be found here.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for the curious mind as you like to cross over to new fields:
The beauty of the ampersand and other keyboard symbols. TikTok and the Vibes Revival. Such an amazing tale of what happened: The Untold Story Of The SolarWinds Hack. Lego share soothing new ‘White Noise’ playlist of the sound of Lego bricks. People With ‘Too Many Interests’ More Likely to be Successful, According to Research ( hurrah for polymaths!). 99% invisible. What Data Can’t Do.
Feeling Good
The super yacht in Amsterdam. Sweden, Dressed in Summer. Educational TikTok Accounts ( I love the Rijk’s Museum account). A garden vision. A digital collection of roots system, hand-drawn. A 104 years old timeless style.
Pour les francophones: Le Tiers-Livre ( hint: check the page about ambition).
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Contact me at Competia with feedback, or ideas for what to write about. Thank you for reading.
