"It is incredibly empowering to know that

your future is in your hands."

?– Keanu Reeves

Foresight Friday

Following trends that shape our futures

Presenting my ideas on the TEDxAkron stage in April 2018 was an awesome experience. Spending the day among other inspiring people and hearing their stories was simultaneously humbling and encouraging. My talk would be published on the TED Youtube channel 45 days later completing what had been a transformative 348 day journey–that continues today.

You see, I wanted to give a TED Talk, and realized that it would take effort to realize that goal. Over three summer days in 2017 I compiled a list nearly 40 TEDx Talks around the globe–from Omaha, Nebraska to Mumbai, India–the list was detailed and my application process meticulous. In the end, I made time to apply to 11 separate TEDx events.

On Sunday January 7th, I received an email:

"Thank you so much for your interest in speaking/nominating a speaker for TEDxAkron... We would like to learn more about your proposed idea."

It took 199 days from my first submissions but the first week of 2018 ended on a fabulous high! I traveled to Akron six weeks later for my audition and was accepted.

Give a TED Talk in 2025

This month I am bringing together a small cohort of up to 10 people who want to give a TEDx Talk in 2025. Over the course of six weeks of live Zoom sessions I will guide the cohort through the process of narrowing down their topics, selecting ideal target TEDx events, and submitting intentional applications that resonate with each event.

If giving a TEDx Talk is on your bucket list, why not make 2025 the year it likely happens? The cohort is filling up, so apply here if you want to start your journey to the TEDx stage.

By Thanksgiving you will have planted some amazing seeds for the new year.

Earth's third energy force discovered

A fundamental ambiolar electrostatic field joins gravity and magnetism

A rocket team reports the first successful detection of Earth’s ambipolar electric field: a weak, planet-wide electric field as fundamental as Earth’s gravity and magnetic fields.

First hypothesized more than 60 years ago, the ambipolar electric field is a key driver of the “polar wind,” a steady outflow of charged particles into space that occurs above Earth’s poles.

This electric field lifts charged particles in our upper atmosphere to greater heights than they would otherwise reach and may have shaped our planet’s evolution in ways yet to be explored.

Watch NASA's short video for YouTube explaining the discovery

Source: NASA

Mushroom driven robots

Biohybrid robots controlled by electrical impulses — in mushrooms

Watch out, Skynet - the real threat isn't AI, it's sentient shiitakes pulling our strings from the shadows.

Cornell researchers have created innovative biohybrid robots incorporating fungal mycelia to sense and respond to their environment. By harnessing mycelia's natural electrical signals, they've developed a new method of robot control that could outperform purely synthetic systems. This groundbreaking research, published in Science Robotics, demonstrates how integrating living organisms with robotics can yield more adaptable machines.

Read the full story via the Cornell Chronicle

Thank you for taking the time to read and please share with anyone you feel may find this interesting. Have a great weekend!

Gratefully,

Vinny Tafuro

Visionary. Futurist. Economist.

"I see distant horizons clearly and work meticulously toward them."

Institute for Economic Evolution, Founder

813.240.0739

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