Your weekly dose of #curiosity in technology, science 🧬, innovation and business🧐 Quick overview of this weeks curiosity Newsletter:
Most underestimated (technology) trend for now and the decade?!? Let us define it. Talking about “new space” needs some depth and definition! Moon, we are coming back again, but now we are staying. Who will win the space race this time? Launching a New Sections of this newsletter: Green Shots! what is next for batteries🪫? rabbit 🐰 hole dive into New batteries?! Go green or go home: post carbon futures are many. This weeks long read: In defense of technology! Let me share my secret of reading books; why I read multiple books at the time?!
Happy Reading and Don’t forget to stay curious and subscribe 🙌❤️ if you have any suggestions, question or comments I encourage everyone to reach out and share their thoughts, as this newsletters is a much for you as it is for me.
This weeks thoughts
Most underestimated (technology) trend for now and the decade?!
As I’m watch the new spaceX starship explode into a million pieces, I can’t but think: “Will this be a pivotal decade moment for New Space?”
A little break from AI 🤖. While browsing around the airport on my return trip from a beautiful week in Norway I picked up the new edition of Wired magazine. That substantiated my feeling.
You would think, As everyone is in a frenzy around AI, and it feels like we can’t talk about anything else this would also drive the theme of this Technology magazine. Nothing is less true. The cover was about “The New Space Race”…..I feel they nailed it. This is a trend that is not discussed enough, just “New Space” in general.
About 2 months back I had the privilege to spend time at the Paris Space Week, and in my post I already eluded to the potential of this new found fondness of exploration. In combination with the miniaturisation and cheaper launches 🚀 this Industry has found a new accelerator for growth. 💰 The economy of space has grown 9% 2021 to 2022…Interesting to note is that the growth is in software and edge applications not core engineering and hardware (this part was mostly on cheaper and smaller).
Commercial space race is uprooting fundamentals on earth, from nano satellites to new space data, to low orbit communication bringing internet to the last 1B people that are still left out. Even ♻️ Space and sustainability are now getting intertwined… between analytics & AI, imagery and geospatial are helping with new insights and solutions for our climate problems, and will accelerate our efforts to a sustainable planet 🌎.
It seems that we find ourselves in a new stargazing 🔭 future. The more concrete question is what will all this exploration bring us back on earth? I would like to close my thoughts 💭 with this article by The Next Web (TNW) from 2022 that summarises the 7 futuristic space technology that NASA exploring. I put technology in brackets for a reason, as I see it more as movement of multiple technologies that are colliding to make it happen, and new ones that we will need to develop.
P.S. I have to apologise that this newsletter is a bit longer than normal, as it has been a couple of weeks I just had a lot to share this time 😆. Happy reading and exploring.
Quotes I'm thinking about
“Looking at the stars always makes me dream, as simply as I dream over the black dots representing towns and villages on a map. Why, I ask myself, shouldn’t the shining dots of the sky be as accessible as the black dots on the map of France?
Vincent Van Gogh (Dutch painter 1853 - 1890)
This weeks Tech articles
This week I have selected 3 articles that illustrate the development of the new commercial space developments happing across the globe.
Let us define it. Talking about “new space” also needs some depth and definition, this presentation from 2015 by Nasa still gives the best overview in my opinion of this new arising domain of commercial space exploration
Moon, we are coming back again, but now we are staying, I hope you saved a spot for us. We are not just going to land, but we are going to build a base.
Who will win the space race this time? Will it be the obvious players or are there surprises? This article in the Wired magazine I picked up illustrates the different powers beautifully and gives a breakdown of China’s history with space and how the leaders of China see it as a pillar for the future.
This weeks Green Shots
Launching a New Sections of this newsletter. In the Green Shots section I will share articles on technology developments that are advancing the green leap needed for a better planet. This week green shot is about what is next for batteries, as EV sales are raising, now about 10% of total car sales, so are the batteries 🔋.
First article focusses on the question: "Is this development sustainable 🪫 or should we radically rethink the approach?" MIT Technology Review has some ideas on this.
For those that want the extend their rabbit 🐰 hole dive into New batteries, you are welcome because I can tell you it goes deep…This article is more about the different materials that you can use to build a battery and how each of them has its pro's and con's.
To close this section I chose an article about the so called "glamour problem of green innovation." Go green or go home seems to be the message these days. Post carbon futures are many not one, so only focusing on the high end glamours solutions is not the only way…..
Curiosity read this week
Ok you got me, I snuck in one AI read this week. One of my favourite writers, historian and amazing storyteller, Yuval Noah Harari argues in this economist piece that “AI has hacked the operating system of human civilisation.” He states: “Storytelling computers will change the course of human history!” (TIP if you subscribe you get a couple of articles per month free)…. If I freely interpret, Harari argues that the attack of AI on our language and storytelling is worse than being enslaved physically by AI. As Language and storytelling underpins all human culture and history. Very impressive and thought provoking read.
This weeks Long read
For curious minds, the explorers, the people that have some more time to spend here a beautiful article in defense of technology. It is 5 years old but still a beautiful read. Technology is not perfect and never will be, as humans we are responsible for it either-way. Distinguishing fear from fact is becoming more and more import and more difficult, but does that mean we should stop experimenting?
Books I'm (re)-reading
Let me share my secret 🤫. I read multiple books at one time. At any given moment I could be reading 5-6 books at the time. Why, I hear you thinking? I love to have different inputs, and to combine more difficult reads with easy page turners. Mixing both fiction and non-fiction also give me a different perspective, and keeps me energized, craving for more. If you want to try i would select 2-3 books. I would say select one you want to read but just can't seem to start with it, one that is an easy read, and one that develops a new kind of skill.
I take at least an hour in the night to read, stop Netflix 1h earlier and go to bed and read for an hour… you could do 20min each, or 30min. With that you will have 365 hours in a year (or 366 😆), if you on average read 40 pages an hour (based on most studies, adults avr 40-50p/h) that is 14600 pages a year, If we take most book to have 300 pages, this would means you will read about 48 books a year. Not bad for just an hour a day.
Re-reading - “Contact” by Carl Sagan,
Read it a long time ago. While waiting on my hotel room to be ready, I decide to browse book stores in Oslo (my other favourite activity next to running) and I stumbled onto this book again and decided to get it are start re-reading. The cool thing about these books is that overtime they still hold value, even with a changing world, it delivers a new perspective.
Adriatic: A Concert of Civilisations at the end of the modern age by Robert D. Kaplan -
With my heritage from Croatia, this book directly caught my eye. The book is a travel log, like a polar steps, exploring the region of east Italy and the balkan trough the eyes of a historic poet with words, would be my interpretation. Kaplan is know for his literary capabilities, almost poetic in his description of history. It is an amazing read if you are interested in the complex history of the region.
This weeks cool gadget
As summer is approaching, the heat is Intensifying and our playful nature gets freed from the confines of the four walls, this gadgets becomes a must have 😆. A couple weeks back I had a big water fight with my kids and all the neighbour kids joined in, I lost horribly 😂. It was fun, but next time I will be prepared 💪.
Podcast episode I liked this week
New podcast for you that I haven't shared yet: THE DRIVE by dr. Peter Attia. Not really about technology but a fun one to explore, this episode is a just 14 minutes on the pros and cons of cold therapy and the impact on longevity.
Where can I listen to your podcast Idea Loading?
Latest episode 🚨EP21 #Idealoading podcast: "Business for good, is just good Business." Have a listen 🎧 on any platform you consume your podcast and don't forget to subscribe! https://lnkd.in/djxYrTNJ
It is official kicking of new season of idealoading with my dear friends Katja van Beaumont and Marc Rietrawho after 20+ years heart and soul in blue decided to follow their passion and started a company Conscyo with Pieter den Hertog, that focuses on conscious consulting, driving #sustainablebydesign thinking and transformation to a more sustainable future for everyone, making the difficult decisions instead of the easy one! It was such an amazing honest, open and vulnerable conversation, and a lot of learnings:
🚀 Starting your own company that goes against the grain of
🤔 rethinking everything,
🤯 Radical Transparency
👩 Transforming business also take transforming yourself
🏃 ♀️ Challenging yourself everyday
♻️ Circular economy is a must not a nice to have
🍃 Sustainability transformation over Digital transformation
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ddZrx_sq
Apple: https://lnkd.in/dJfq-imS
Website: https://idealoading.buzzsprout.com
Happy Reading and Don’t forget to subscribe 🙌❤️ if you have any suggestions, question or comments I encourage everyone to reach out and share their thoughts, as this newsletters is a much for you as it is for me. Follow me on LinkedIn