Future Today #042 - GPT-3, DNA Storage, Mental Models, Robots
David Alayón
Chief Executive Officer @ Innuba · Innovation Advisor @ Mindset · Fellow @ Acumen · Professor @ IE & Headspring · Author of UPGRADE · Futures & Foresight enthusiast
Welcome to Future Today!?A newsletter for those curious about social innovation, disruptive technologies and futures studies. In it I will share weekly blog articles, interesting links and recommendations for books, movies, series and courses.
?? Patagonia doesn’t use the word ‘sustainable.’ Here’s why. At Patagonia, we don’t use the word “sustainable.” Why? Because we recognize we are part of the problem. Previously, we set ourselves the target of carbon neutrality by 2025. But purchasing offsets to get us there doesn’t erase the footprint we create and won’t save us in the long run. We must first put the weight of our business behind drastically cutting emissions across the full length of our supply chain.
?? Mental models and human virtue in the digital age (ES) Some threats are sudden and unexpected. Others come more slowly and simmer. But all are a cognitive blind spot for which society is unprepared. Whether it is pandemics or populisms, new weapons or new technologies, global warming or vast inequalities, it is humanity's response that makes the difference between survival and extinction. And our actions depend on what we envision.
?? Microsoft Makes Breakthrough in the Quest to Use DNA as Data Storage. Microsoft, one of the pioneers of DNA storage, is making some headway, working with the University of Washington’s Molecular Information Systems Laboratory, or MISL. The company announced in a new research paper the first nanoscale DNA storage writer, which the research group expects to scale for a DNA write density of 25 x 10^6 sequences per square centimeter, or “three orders of magnitude” (1,000x) more tightly than before.
?? Frictions of reality (ES) In recent years it has been strongly felt that we need new narratives about reality. But it is not just a whim, but a social tool, a necessary change to be able to address the world and give it a necessary meaning. Now that we face the challenge of being even more polarized, we pull the thread to think about why it is becoming an increasingly popular topic.
?? New video shows robot with terrifyingly realistic facial expressions. A UK-based robotics company called Engineered Arts has shown off an impressive new humanoid robot that can put on some eerily realistic facial expressions. A teaser video shows the grey-faced robot wake up, distort its face into a grimace of shock, and then examines its hands in disbelief.
?? We interviewed GPT-3 about what life will be like in 2030 (ES) Below you can read the full interview. The inputs we have made, that is, what we have asked GPT-3, are written in bold. Everything that is not in bold has been the work and grace of GPT-3 without any intervention on our part.
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?? 6 inventions that failed because they arrived too early. Facebook has decided to face the biggest reputation crisis since its foundation by betting its future on virtual reality. History abounds with examples of inventions that, even though they were good ideas, failed because they arrived too early, such as the selfie stick, Apple's first iPad or flying cars.
?? Scientists 3D-Print Programmable Living Structures With New Microbial Ink. Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is promising to rewrite the way we build and manufacture everything from consumer products to houses. And it has even made its way into the life sciences, where so-called “bio-inks” are used to 3D print live tissues or organoids for medical research and hopefully someday entire organs for transplant.
?? Italian group OTB creates BVX, its company in the metaverse (ES) While luxury houses are multiplying their forays into the virtual world through new presentation formats, the sale of NFT (non-fungible tokens) or even partnerships in the world of video games, the group that owns Diesel, Maison Margiela and Jil Sander brands is entering the metaverse by creating a specialized company.
?????? Is moving away from social media a form of corporate social responsibility? UK cosmetics company Lush has announced its decision to leave Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, saying its decision reflects concerns about the alleged effects of these social networks on the mental health of their users.
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