What’s In This Issue?
This Week’s Main Stories
Story 01How To Talk About Hurricanes To Climate Change Deniers
Story 02Want To Live Cheaply In London? Try An Abandoned Building ...
Story 03Singapore Changi Aims To Become The World's Fastest Airport
Story 04Uno Finally Creates A Version For The Color-Blind
Story 05Peercel Lets You Ship Packages By Sending Them With StrangersHow To Talk About Hurricanes To Climate Change Deniers
As multiple hurricanes swirl around the Atlantic, this article about how to talk with climate change deniers is particularly relevant. Aside from the timeliness, it struck me that this is exactly the type of step by step guide that probably would be useful for a wide variety of other topics too. The point is, how do you speak with someone who doesn't think like you without treating them like a complete idiot? Maybe these hurricanes are the perfect chance for each of us to practice.
Want To Live Cheaply In London? Try An Abandoned Building ...
London-based property management company Lowe Guardians has a unique business proposition for landlords of abandoned buildings: rent them out. The company has pioneered the brilliant strategy of offering young people a chance to become "guardians" of an abandoned building, living in fabricated housing often in prime locations for an unusually affordable price. If there was ever a perfect example of non-obvious thinking, this has to be it.
Singapore Changi Aims To Become The World's Fastest Airport
In their bid to improve upon being named the best airport in the world, Singapore's Changi Airport is using technology to get even better. From robot chefs to smart wheelchairs, travelers are well taken care of. I find it more interesting how much of Changi's innovation is behind the scenes. For example, giving their 600 baggage handlers augmented reality glasses to cut loading time by 25% or using a smart watch to help ground staff ensure timely take-offs. It is a reminder that being the best isn't just about improving what people will notice. It's also about focusing on the details they don't.
Uno Finally Creates A Version For The Color-Blind
Inclusiveness is certainly a hot topic right now and so Uno and Mattel are well on trend with this announcement that they now have a version of the game for people who are colorblind. While there probably weren't large groups of people with colorblindness clamoring for this, it's a good example of a longstanding simple brand finding a way to innovate by asking a question most brands don't: who will never use our product and how can we change that?
Peercel Lets You Ship Packages By Sending Them With Strangers
What if you could have a stranger hand deliver your package internationally? While intriguing on paper this idea has many challenges given security concerns and the relative inconvenience of actually delivering. With all the potential pitfalls, what would it take for an idea like this to succeed? Adding a social community could be the key. Like Venmo, if there were a community where users could share their journeys, it would make this more of an experience. This would bring the beautiful serendipity of who you might meet front and center, and better illustrate that the inconvenience is worth it.
