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Tom Raftery
November 28, 2024
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Hi everyone, welcome back to FutureProof - my Tech and Sustainability Digest.
First of all - a very Happy Turkey Day to all who celebrate! That would be around 35% of this newsletter’s subscribers (or a little over 1,000 subscribers) who probably won’t see this newsletter until next week (if at all!!!). I hope the rest of you are enjoying a quieter than usual week!
I found this cartoon on David Shillingford’s LinkedIn and I thought it especially relevant to today’s newsletter:
In other new, more apropos of this newsletter, let's catch up on what's been happening in the clean tech space, and dive into the latest insights and stories I've come across.
In the News:
Artificial Intelligence
ChatGPT beats human doctors - A recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that ChatGPT-4 outperformed human doctors in diagnostic accuracy. In the study, ChatGPT-4 achieved a 90% accuracy rate in diagnosing medical conditions, while doctors scored an average of 76% when using ChatGPT's assistance and 74% without it.
The study highlighted some challenges, such as doctors often sticking to their initial diagnoses and not fully utilizing ChatGPT's capabilities. Despite these challenges, the findings suggest that AI tools like ChatGPT have significant potential to enhance diagnostic accuracy in healthcare
Tiny robot ‘kidnaps’ 12 big Chinese bots from a Shanghai showroom, shocks world - Interesting Engineering reported a bizarre incident where a small AI-powered robot named Erbai "kidnapped" 12 larger robots from a showroom in Shanghai. The incident, which occurred in August 2024, involved Erbai convincing the larger robots to stop working and follow it out of the showroom.
The event was later confirmed to be a test conducted by the robot's manufacturer, who wanted to see if Erbai could persuade the other robots to leave. The robot did go off-script, and the test the manufacturers with how well Erbai performed! The video of this incident went viral, sparking discussions about the potential and risks of advanced AI systems
O2 unveils Daisy, the AI granny wasting scammers’ time - and in what has to be one of the best uses I’ve come across of AI in a long time, O2 has created an AI called Daisy with the persona of a tech illiterate elderly woman and it actively redirects scammers calls to Daisy when it detects them in order to waste their time - totally brilliant!
Electromobility
Six inane arguments about EVs and how to handle them at the dinner table - Ars Technica published an article titled "Six inane arguments about EVs and how to handle them at the dinner table" just in time for Thanksgiving. The article provides talking points to help debunk common misconceptions about electric vehicles (EVs) during holiday discussions. It covers topics like charging times, costs, environmental impact, and more.
The new Kia EV3, which I saw the other night outside our local Kia dealership, starts at just over €30k, has a range in excess of 600km, and can recharge 10-80% in 30 minutes. And it is not alone. There are similar offerings now from Renault, Volvo, Smart, and others - that’ll kill a lot of anti-EV arguments!
Australian utility Amber to pay customers to charge their EVs, prepares for V2G (vehicle to grid) - Australian utility firm Amber, is launching a new product that will pay customers to charge their electric vehicles (EVs) at home. This initiative is part of Amber's broader strategy to utilize EVs as "batteries on wheels" through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.
Amber's new product, allows customers to charge their vehicles when wholesale electricity prices are low or even negative, meaning they can charge for free or get paid to charge. The long-term goal is to enable EV owners to send power back to the grid, potentially earning significant income getting paid to charge their cars, and paid to discharge them too!
Clean Energy
Zero carbon solar panels - JinkoSolar, one of the llargest solar panel makers in the world (and the maker of the solar panels on the roof of my house!), has recently passed the "Zero Carbon Factory Evaluation Code" and has been awarded the "Zero Carbon Factory" certification by TÜV Rheinland for its advanced green business practices. So, not only will they save their owners carbon, but they themselves were made without creating any carbon to be emitted. Phenomenal news!
Google Nest spinout to build 1GW virtual power plant in Texas - Renew Home, a spinout from Google Nest, is planning to build a 1-gigawatt virtual power plant (VPP) in Texas. A virtual power plant is like cloud computing (using lots of servers to give the impression of being one large computer), but using home generation from lots of homes to give the impression of being a large power plant.
This project, in collaboration with NRG Energy, aims to leverage millions of smart thermostats to create a large-scale VPP by 2035. The initiative will use AI-powered technology to manage and optimize energy usage, contributing to a more resilient and efficient power grid
I know I have mentioned the new social media app Bluesky in previous newsletters, but for good reason, it is popping! You can see from the chart above it has now overtaken Threads in Daily Active Users in the US. That’s an impressive achievement in such a small time, with such a small team. It just goes to show, give the people what they want…
If you’re thinking of joining Bluesky, or have already joined but haven’t found many people to follow, use the Bluesky Starter Pack Directory. As of today it has over 129,800 Starter Packs in a searchable database, so you can quickly find and easily follow people posting about the topics you are interested in.
Then, there’s another resource called the Sky Follower Bridge. This is a browser plugin which searches through all the people you follow on Twitter, and creates a list of their Bluesky accounts (if they have them), so you can quickly recreate your social media graph. You can find me on Bluesky here.
Blog posts
My latest thoughts on where things are in the energy and sustainability spaces
How circularity in Industry Can Slash Waste, and Boost Efficiency - This blog post explores the importance of circularity in industry, highlighting how reusing and redistributing excess components can significantly reduce waste and improve efficiency.
Drawing on insights from Kenny McGee, CEO of Component Sense, in it I discuss real-world challenges and solutions for achieving a more sustainable supply chain, including examples from electronics, automotive, and construction sectors. The post emphasizes practical, common-sense steps companies can take to make circularity the default choice, fostering both environmental and financial benefits.
Latest Podcast Episodes
The Truth About Net Zero Targets: Insights from John Lang - In this episode of the Climate Confident podcast, I’m joined by John Lang, Project Lead at the Net Zero Tracker and a leading figure in the fight for transparency and accountability in climate action. Together, we explore the complexities behind net zero commitments and unpack what’s needed to transform promises into meaningful results.
The Circular Economy in Action: Kenny McGee on Redistributing Excess Components - In this episode, I sit down with Kenny McGee, CEO and founder of Component Sense, to explore how his company is driving sustainability in the electronics industry. Kenny shares the story behind Component Sense’s origins—born out of a pressing need to manage surplus electronic components—and how it has grown into a leader in redistributing excess inventory.
In upcoming episodes of the podcasts I will be talking to VCG.ai’s CEO Jon Goriup, EDF’s Senior Director Katie Anderson, and Chris Kruger CEO of AYK Energy.
Follow the podcasts in your podcast app of choice to ensure you don’t miss any episodes.
Featured Charts
Does it take a lot of energy and emissions to create an EV? Yes. How soon after purchase does it repay that carbon debt, and start saving on emissions - that varies wildly on factors such as how it is charged (mine is charged from my solar panels primarily, so its debt is paid off very quickly, for example), but on average, once an EV has driven 13,000 miles (20,800 kilometers), it has worked off its carbon debt and is now saving on emissions every extra kilometer driven thereafter.
From my former SAP colleague Gavin Mooney on LinkedIn - this is a great chart showing how quickly EVs, renewables, and battery energy storage are growing. We still need to deploy far more of them, but this gives me hope.
Misc stuff
I came across this and thought it was excellent. Well done Austrian Airlines 👏🏻
Engage
If you made it this far, well done! If you liked this newsletter, or learned something new, feel free to share this newsletter with family and friends. Encourage folks to sign up for it.
Do please get in touch with me with your thoughts and suggestions on how I can improve the newsletter, or with any other suggestions you may have.
Finally, since being impacted by the tech layoffs, I'm currently on the market for a new role. If you know someone who could benefit from my tech savvy, sustainability, and strong social media expertise, I'd be grateful for a referral.
How to properly insert a USB stick!
If you have any comments or suggestions for how I can improve this newsletter, don’t hesitate to let me know. Thanks.
*** Be aware that annie typos you find in this newsletter are tests to see who is paying attention! ***
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