Heart-Centered Thinking: Last week, on February 29th (Leap Day), I made this public “Leap of Faith.” I share it with you in the spirit of trying to show more of my whole self. (I also hope you will occasionally check in with me and see if I am living up to my own promises and commitments.)
Think Again: Mark Twain once quipped, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its pants.” I suspect this was true 150 years ago, unfortunately, it is even more true today. A case-in-point is this recent viral photo of a guy smoking in a McDonald’s–it’s not real and the article does an excellent job of explaining the small mistakes that artificial intelligence generated in producing the photo. Nevertheless, I am sharing it with you because in this election year you will continue to see a variety of photos of the two leading presidential candidates which are NOT real. I wish there was an easy solution to this very serious problem but there is not. Therefore, each of us will have to become more discerning consumers of news stories, photos and videos. (Please don’t mindlessly share any content which you are not sure is 100 percent authentic. To this end, I also recently shared this one-minute video explaining how the enemies of the United States are trying their best to get Americans to hate their fellow Americans.)
Think Faster: This “Wave House”–which is actually a new data center–was recently 3D printed in Germany over the course of 6 days. (Note: Humans were still required to do much of the “finishing” work.) The center measures 6,600 square feet and it could be a harbinger of things to come in the construction industry. This technological advance in 3D printing could also mean that soon other structures which are currently quite ugly, boring or insipid (think strip malls) could become more unique, sleek and attractive.
Think Small and then Big: Babylon Farm Micro-Farms is attempting to bring vertical farming to all K-12 classrooms. The company’s CEO states that his vision is to bring his company’s technology into every school, home and apartment building in the near future so that everyone can grow much of their own food. The price point is currently too expensive for this dream to be achieved but if the price can be lowered it is possible that “personal growing pods” could become a fixture in some schools, offices and homes.
Think Twice: Over 100 years ago, asbestos was considered a “miracle” material because of its fire-retardancy properties. Today, of course, we know that it also had some very serious side-effects. Could the same be true of plastics in the future? It is too soon to say but this article citing that microplastics have been found inside more than 50 percent of the plaques found in clogged arteries is troubling and may point toward a serious problem for the entire plastic industry. Such a finding would, of course, mean that every industry which currently relies on plastics may soon need to find new substitute materials for their products and packaging.
Afterthought: ‘The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” Robert Swan, OBE
P.S. Did you miss last week’s newsletter? Check it out here.
