Futur-ish

The sun has been the biggest tech success story of the last quarter century. Solar panels are cheaper than fences, efficiency just keeps going up and people are installing them at rates that consistently exceed projections. A bottomless brunch of free photons might sound like the perfect gift, and for some, it is. However, for 250 years, we’ve built energy systems and grids around the core concept of scarcity and they’re fundamentally unequipped for the crisis of overabundance. Step in, friend of the pod, Australia, who are about to introduce a new plan to shock the system and drive a behaviour change that tells us more about what the future of energy might look like than you might think. LinksToo Cheap to Meter, NRC: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/students/history-101/too-cheap-to-meter#:~:text=Strauss's%20optimism%20for%20fission%20continued,be%20metered%2C%20just%20as%20weAustralians have been offered free solar power. How do I get mine and will it make my energy bill cheaper? The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/04/australia-free-solar-power-scheme-how-when-houshold-billsThe Duck Curve, US Department of Energy: https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/confronting-duck-curve-how-address-over-generation-solar-energyQuotes, Hon. Chris Bowen: https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/bowen/media-releases/joint-media-release-more-victorian-communities-benefit-100-million-energy-upgrades#:~:text=%E2%80%9CGenerations%20of%20Australians%20have%20enjoyed,and%20keep%20their%20communities%20strong.Power to the people: the neighbours turning their London street into a solar power station, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/18/power-to-the-people-the-neighbours-turning-their-london-street-into-a-solar-power-station

It used to be that the plastic blocks most teens might be interested in were multicoloured and used for stacking on top of each other. Now they’re transparent and vaguely-phone shaped, designed as addiction aids and symbols of protest. Add in to this the growing popularity of Luddite movements across university campuses and charities, signals of democratic legislation banning phones and a proliferation of AI-powered gizmos that seem to distance themselves from the economy and interactions of social media and Radha has an idea that she’s on to something new. Maybe this does mark a new phase in our digital economies but, truly, nothing is new, and everything has happened before..LInksPRX, The Teens Are Offline: https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/478234Exploring the Social Life of Urban Spaces through AI: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2424662122The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QkJkT3M-UsAskCatGPT, Social Experiments with Methaphones: https://www.tiktok.com/@askcatgpt/video/7504849538209860906Rabbit R1: https://www.rabbit.tech/rabbit-r1?srsltid=AfmBOopyARX2j2eXeBcZttRbOb7TyeQr00XRh8hzPQKfMuguf8TRyUfkHumane Inc.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humane_Inc.Terra Compass: https://modemworks.com/projects/terra/The Luddite Club: https://www.theludditeclub.org/about Lamp Club, a Luddite Group, Has Come to Free the ‘IPad Babies’, New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/style/lamp-club-luddites.html The Gnomes are Taking Over New York City, The Blue and White: https://www.theblueandwhite.org/post/the-gnomes-are-taking-over-new-york-cityAI is Reshaping Childhood in China, Rest of World: https://restofworld.org/2025/ai-china-childhood/Fighting the smartphone ‘invasion’: the French village that voted to ban scrolling in public, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/10/fighting-the-smartphone-invasion-the-french-village-that-voted-to-ban-scrolling-in-publicAustralia approves social media ban on under-16s, BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89vjj0lxx9oSilicon Valley parents are raising their kids tech-free — and it should be a red flag, The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/tech-free-silicon-valley-parents-raising-children-red-flag-a8256166.html TikTok’s enshitification, Pluralistic: https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys ‘It’s Hurting Like Hell’: AI Companion Users Are In Crisis, Reporting Sudden Sexual Rejection, VICE: https://www.vice.com/en/article/ai-companion-replika-erotic-roleplay-updates

The future comes at you at unexpected ways. If the bullish pronouncements of tech bros are to believed it’s in the gadgets, gizmos and gimmicks dominating our feeds. Meanwhile, the future is coming fast for a tiny town in the middle of England.Flooding comes at a terrible cost but what are we willing to pay? As the water reaches up to swallow Middle England, more and more places with hundreds of years of history are going to face grim choices about what’s worth preserving and what should be taken by the waters.LinksMP's anger as flood defences cash deadline missed, BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c77zl24rm5eoThe flood-prone Worcestershire town being abandoned by insurers, Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/14/tenbury-wells-flood-prone-worcestershire-town-abandoned-by-insurersDramatic Moment North Carolina Homes COLLAPSE into Ocean from Hurricane Winds, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3qplCLqppA‘This is a wake-up call’: the villagers who could be Britain’s first climate refugees, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/18/this-is-a-wake-up-call-the-villagers-who-could-be-britains-first-climate-refugees

The next time you’re desperately casting heal on your paladin, spare a moment to think about the young revolutionaries using your dress-up-and-pretend world to overthrow their governments. Reddit threads, discord servers and game worlds are increasingly taking on the shape of unions, guilds and cadres as these relatively flexible, heterogenous structures feature more and more heavily in the political organising of the day. Whether it’s K-Pop stans driving consumer shocks, reddit communities playing the market or discord servers electing leaders it’s increasingly likely that these things become the new political institutions and we’re here to talk about what that means.LinksBTS's Jungkook Runs Into Unexpected Consequence From Mention Of Fabric Softener, Soompi: https://www.soompi.com/article/1296197wpp/btss-jungkook-runs-unexpected-consequence-mention-fabric-softenerBTS’s Endorsement Was So Powerful That Hyundai Is Literally Struggling To Keep Up With Demand, Koreaboo: https://www.koreaboo.com/news/bts-hyundai-palisades-demand-struggle/Kpop Stans Trump Prank Rachets p the Internet Wars, Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-23/k-pop-stans-trump-prank-ratchets-up-the-internet-wars-kbrsyl17Black Lives Matter meets Animal Crossing: how protesters take their activism into video games, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/aug/07/black-lives-matter-meets-animal-crossing-how-protesters-take-their-activism-into-video-gamesKids are attending pro-Palestinian protests on Roblox, CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/26/kids-are-attending-pro-palestinian-protests-on-roblox.htmlStop playing politics or face a ban, Nintendo warns Animal Crossing gamers, HKFP: https://hongkongfp.com/2020/11/21/stop-playing-politics-or-face-a-wan-nintendo-warns-animal-crossing-gamers/A Staggering Number Of People Saw Fortnite’s Travis Scott ‘Astronomical’ Event, Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2020/04/28/a-staggering-number-of-people-saw-fortnites-travis-scott-astronomical-event/Fortnite's Travis Scott virtual concert watched by millions, BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52410647Joe Biden’s campaign made a custom Fortnite map, Polygon: https://www.polygon.com/2020/11/2/21545771/joe-biden-fortnite-campaign-creative-map/Joe Biden has his own island on ‘Animal Crossing’ where you can learn about his campaign, CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/18/business/biden-animal-crossing-island-trndYouths Against Corruption: https://youthagainstcorruption.com/Nepal’s Social Media Ban Backfires as Politics Moves to a Chat Room, The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/world/asia/nepal-protest-genz-discord.htmlSushila Karki: How Gen Z protestors chose Nepal’s first woman prime minister on Discord, The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/nepal-sushila-karki-new-prime-minister-discord-protests-b2826473.htmlGameStop’s wild ride: how Reddit traders sparked a ‘short squeeze’, The Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/47e3eaad-e087-4250-97fd-e428bac4b5e9Taiwan's digital revolution: Healing polarization and strengthening democracy, Harvard Business School: https://www.hbs.edu/bigs/taiwans-digital-revolution-audrey-tang

Truly, nothing is new and everything has happened before and so we find ourselves, amidst a collapsing geopolitical order with some very fancy gadgets (an expensive plane and some chips) going wanting and going missing. What connects them? A rumour that, coincidentally, started about the same time that JD Vance turned up in Munich to shake the NATO tree. To some it might be conspiracy, but never mistake for malice what is better attributed to complacency. Instead what we have here is a great example of one of the most interesting phenomena in futures and the fact that truly, nothing is new, and everything has happened before. Links:The End of History and the Last Man, Francis Fukuyama: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_History_and_the_Last_ManSpain, Switzerland Cancel F35 Jet Order Over Trump’s Europe Policy, Defense Mirror: https://www.defensemirror.com/news/40014Three reasons Canada and Portugal may cancel order for US-made fighter jets. The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/europe-canada-portugal-f35-fighter-jets-trump-eurofighter-b2718770.htmlIndia rules out F-35s as defense ties with US face new turbulence. AeroTime: https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/india-rules-out-f-35s-as-defense-ties-with-us-face-new-turbulenceThe F-35 ‘Kill Switch’: Separating Myth from Reality, The Aviationist: https://theaviationist.com/2025/03/10/f-35-kill-switch-myth/DIY Tractor Repair Runs Afoul Of Copyright Law, NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/08/17/432601480/diy-tractor-repair-runs-afoul-of-copyright-lawUS farmers win right to repair John Deere equipment, BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64206913Inside the Biden Administration's Gamble to Freeze China’s AI Future, WIRED: https://www.wired.com/story/chips-china-artificial-intelligence-controlsCotton Introduces Bill to Prevent Diversion of Advanced Chips to America’s Adversaries and Protect U.S. Product Integrity, Tom Cotton: https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-introduces-bill-to-prevent-diversion-of-advanced-chips-to-americas-adversaries-and-protect-us-product-integrityCan “Location Verification” Stop AI Chip Smuggling?, AI Frontiers: https://ai-frontiers.org/articles/location-verification-ai-chipsKilling machines: how Russia and Ukraine’s race to perfect deadly pilotless drones could harm us all, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/25/ukraine-russia-autonomous-drones-aiU.S. Army Tests Robotic Vehicle near Russia, Defense Blog: https://defence-blog.com/u-s-army-tests-robotic-vehicle-near-russia/1966: Children Imagine Life in the Year 2000, BBC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS8xX3usi4c Ghosts of My Life, Mark Fisher: https://burleyfisherbooks.com/products/9781780992266

We’ve all wanted our own patch of land to do what we want, right? Little bit of crypto? Pharmaceutical experiments? Human cloning? Well the manifest destiny trolley has come back around again and they’re serving up ‘freedom cities.’ Now your little slice of paradise comes with a big helping of deregulation fantasies and a promise to build, build, build! If you can even get it off the ground, that is. This isn’t the first, second or third time that starry-eyed men have grabbed an island, called it home and installed a server farm and a crypto conference to the chagrin of the state that actually claims dominion. Will this time be any different for these plucky micronations? Links:Prospera: https://www.prospera.co/en‘Startup City’ Groups Say They’re Meeting Trump Officials to Push for Deregulated ‘Freedom Cities,’ WIRED: https://www.wired.com/story/startup-cities-donald-trump-legislation/California Forever: https://californiaforever.com/Trump’s “Freedom Cities” Are a Devious Scam, The New Republic: https://newrepublic.com/article/192741/trump-freedom-cities-company-towns Let’s Buy An Island: https://letsbuyanisland.com/The Principality of Sealand: https://sealandgov.org/Seeing Like A State, James C. Scott: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seeing_Like_a_StateCareless People, Sarah Wynne-Williams: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Careless_PeoplePeckham Outer-Space Initiative: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/peckham-outer-space-initiativeThe Dawn of Everything. David Graeber & David Wengrow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dawn_of_Everything

While you're being relentlessly bombarded with multi-trillion dollar projections, promises and prognostications for the latest gizmo a quiet giant has been gobbling up a market share that in real, right-now life is three times the size of the entirety of AR and VR. And it's right at your feet. This mundane product doesn't usually get a look-in with futurists and our first guest, luminary designer Nick Foster, reckons that's a reflection of the subpar quality of the profession. Hey but don't sweat it, because Nick's new book 'Could, Should, Might, Don't; How We Think About the Future' is here to help you pay attention to what's important. Pull focus form the foolishness and chicanery of performing futurists and look at what really matters, the future that's all around us, quietly going about its business shaping the real experience of people's lives.LinksCould Should Might Don’t, Nick Foster: https://canongate.co.uk/books/5387-could-should-might-dont-how-we-think-about-the-future/ You’re Probably Thinking About The Future Wrong, Nick Foster: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/business/dealbook/future-nick-foster.htmlThe Future Mundane, Nick Foster: https://www.core77.com/posts/25678/the-future-mundane-25678AR and VR Headsets Market Size, Share, and Trends 2025 to 2034, Precedence Research: https://www.precedenceresearch.com/ar-and-vr-headsets-marketSocks Market Size, Share, and Trends 2025 to 2034, Precedence Research: https://www.precedenceresearch.com/socks-marketValue Creation in the Metaverse, McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/value-creation-in-the-metaverse

If the apocalypse was around the corner, would you want to know? Well good news for you, we may already be in it, but because it's hard to pin things down or look beyond the present it's hard to really know for sure. In the 1960s, states were sending things into space with reckless abandon and now it might be coming back round to bite them. Almost literally. And it doesn't help that billionaires are now rolling the dice with a bet on global communications infrastructure. So what exactly is going on? And, is it even actually going on? And does it mean anything other than resigned acceptance of inevitable collapse at the hubristic hands of billionaires?Links:Collision frequency of artificial satellites: The creation of a debris belt, Journal of Geophysical Research: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/JA083iA06p02637

You haven't seen everything they could do with mushrooms until you've seen a disaster rescue robot powered by a mycelium brain. Of course, mycelium's been the fêted darling of futurists, designers and technologists for the last few years and maybe you thought you'd had enough but, what if this cute little fellow is the route out of the computational cul-de-sac we might have driven ourselves into?

Sometime in 2028, the world's largest private yacht sets sail. Forever. Getting yourself a berth will set you back 10 million bucks but you'll be guarded by the world's most elite ex-military, have a pretty sweet gym and hey, if you fancy it, the ship can dock so you can experience how real people live. Maritime apocalyptic escapes are hardly new but... there's quite a lot of them around at the moment and they appear to be a last resort for a generation of people staring down the barrel of a pretty bleak future. What does it all mean for now and the future?

Introducing Futur-ish