Weak Signals blog

      …are ideas, trends, technologies or behaviour changes that are as yet unrecognised by mainstream society. They might have a big impact or they might disappear. We monitor them to help our partners challenge their assumptions about the future, navigate risk and seize new opportunities.

Electronics 'missing link' brings neural computing closer

Clare Jenkinson, March 15th 2010, ICT, Innovation

A US military-funded project is using 'memristors' to try to build brain-like computers. A memristor is an electrical device, like a resistor or capacitor, that was predicted to exist in...

Read more

Requiem for Detroit

Hugh Knowles, March 15th 2010, Built environment, Business, Cities, Farming, Health, Innovation, Transport

If you have not already seen it then I really recommend watching the BBC 2 documentary 'Requiem for Detroit'. Whilst it paints a pretty grim...

Read more

A breath of fresh air (in a jar) for city workers!

Dan Crossley, March 12th 2010, Business, Cities, Health

With the trend towards urbanisation continuing apace, city dwellers are likely to get ever more desparate for escapism, you might imagine. Well, the National Trust certainly thinks so. It's...

Read more

Citizen science

Hugh Knowles, March 11th 2010, Cities, Climate change, ICT, Travel and tourism

For a while now 'citizens' have been able to devote the spare processing capacity of their home computers to search for aliens...

Read more

Train from Kings Cross to Beijing in two days

Hugh Knowles, March 9th 2010, Built environment, Business, Cities, Climate change, Finance, Transport, Travel and tourism

Apparently "China is in negotiations to build a high-speed rail network to India and Europe with trains that is capable of running at over 200mph within the next ten years." "A...

Read more

Tesco brings back free eye tests

Clare Jenkinson, March 8th 2010, Business, Health, Retail

"Tesco is set to heap pressure on high street opticians by offering universal free eye tests. The supermarket giant will offer tests to all customers at the 131 stores in which it operates...

Read more

Next >