Welcome to this 35th 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 in the summer..
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This is what I noticed this week, thank you for reading and sharing this newsletter to those who look into the future.
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Competitive analysis
This week, we focus on tools and methodologies strategic planning professionals are using to illustrate their findings:
The data visualization legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois. One dataset, ten visualizations. How To Think Visually. We love Nathan’s work on visualization. Competitive Analysis Charts to Visualize Your Competitive Landscape.
I have collected articles and advice on how to represent data in this Pinterest board.
Strategic blindspots
Looking at the familiar with “alien eyes” allows you to unlock new opportunities and avoid missing emerging risks
There could be so many marketing applications for this. To Be Energy-Efficient, Brains Predict Their Perceptions. To reinvent work, we have to destroy the clock. The dangers of gender bias in design. Disney Shows Its Cards in Pursuit of Sports Betting. Against Technological Inevitability. The great tree migration. Apple announces Self Service Repair. ESG investing has a sustainability blind spot: supply chains. Desperately seeking shoe rack.
Our future
Six trends that will shake up the travel space in 2022. A metaverse for business travelers. Oxagon at Neom. Energy in Concrete Blocks. Fuel efficient private planes. E-textiles wirelessly powered by omniphobic silk-based coils. Your Boss Wants to Spy on Your Inner Feelings. Can a Machine Learn Morality? 6 Things to Think About When Designing Your Child. What will the world look like in 2031? A Conversation about Indigenous Futurisms. Twitter to combine shopping and livestreams. ‘Energizing’ Color of the Year for 2022.
Entretien en 2042 : à quoi pourrait ressembler un monde en 100% télétravail ?
We provide in-house training to executive teams and board to feed their strategic planning process and investigate future scenarios. More here.
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?
Rage shake your phone. Since when did the playlists get this specific? Can I ride my bike? Naming snowplows. The runaway student. The Moments That Make Single Life Blissful. Great depression cooking. Puppy shortage created a crimewave. I’ve been following Gentle Monster on my radar for a while, this is their latest art installation. Life-Sized Barbie Concept Car At LA Auto Show. From trash to strawberries. Gorpcore.
Join us to discuss those trends and signals every Saturday at 9am EST on Clubhouse. We have a panel of futurists that illustrate what those signals might mean, and an enlightened group of curious minds in the room.
Down the rabbit hole
This is a new section. It highlights a subject that lead me to many useful threads, or a single site, that opened many doors.
This initiative by Craig Mod seems the perfect way to observe tiny signals. Not only did I envy the initiative, but I am reading each day the lovely blog posts as he meanders Japanese cities.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for the curious mind …
How ultracold, superdense atoms become invisible. The data visualization legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois. Surface Tension. Women in type. The Tyranny Of Time. Octopuses, crabs and lobsters will receive greater welfare protection.
Feeling Good
Double pendulum. City walks. The ‘Hood. Oh Billie Jean. The happy tax payer. MRI scans.