⏩ Carbon-sequestering artificial reefs, plant-based fur, wooden offices, AI-powered video editing and more...
The Future Normal: Fast Forward #31
This week it has been hard to escape the dramas playing out at FTX and Twitter. We haven’t got close to the bottom of either story, but I particularly enjoyed Scott Galloway’s reflections, entitled simply Hubris.
The rest of this week’s links are far more optimistic, and look beyond the myth of the lone genius. If we are going to create a Future Normal that we want to – or indeed can – live in then we will need far more than a handful of wunderkinds promising to save us.
With that in mind, scroll down for this week's future-focused provocations.
What if … we embedded solar into our infrastructure? France has mandated that all large car parks must be covered by solar panels within 5 years. Given finding suitable sites is one of the blockers for scaling up solar, this is a hugely encouraging move.
What if … we built parks for fish, as well as ourselves? Miami Beach’s ReefLine will be a seven-mile snorkel trail which passes over an underwater sculpture park and an artificial reef made from carbon-sequestering concrete. A great way to make climate education impactful, relevant and interesting.
What if … we could create biodegradable electronics? Researchers have discovered that mycelium skins could replace the hard-to-recycle plastic substrate materials found in computer chips, potentially reducing the huge volume of e-waste.
What if … you could make fur, from plants? Biofluff is a new startup aiming to disrupt the fashion industry with its ethical, sustainable plant-based fur. We’re used to plant-based food, but the future is plant-based everything.
What if … everyone could receive personalized cancer treatment? Scientists used the Crispr gene-editing tool to modify patients’ immune cells to target their particular cancer. Could the long-promised era personalized health be nearly upon us?
What if … your next office building was made from wood? Most of us take it for granted that buildings are made of concrete and steel. The SporX office building in Drammen, Norway, is made entirely of sustainable local wood and glass. All 10 stories of it!
What if … the age of social media is ending? I said there wasn’t going to mention Twitter, but this is a great piece on the unnaturalness of broadcast social media and how it skews our behavior for the worse.
What if … everyone could edit audio and video as easily as they can edit an email? Descript, an AI-powered media editor raised a further $50 million to democratize content creation. Check out the demo video, it’s pretty mindblowing. The future of work will be augmented.
Also well worth checking out is Time’s Top 200 Innovations of 2022, which features many innovations that we’ve looked at in past editions – from recyclable fabrics and carbon counting software, to virtual companions and e-bikes…
Planning for 2023?
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