Futures Thinking
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I watched the Civil War (2024) movie and it was unsettling
The plot of the Civil War movie was captivating, like how I enjoyed other Alex Garland movies, but in a different way. I felt like I was on the ground with the characters, and sometimes, I found myself clenching my teeth. But it was more like a mental exercise throughout the movie because I can hear myself wondering Read more
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Are you ready for a world in which scrolling your phone in public spaces is banned?
Seine-Port, in the Seine-et-Marne area south of Paris, with a population of fewer than 2,000 people, last weekend voted yes in a referendum to restrict smartphone use in public, banning adults and children from scrolling on their devices while walking down the street, while sitting with others on a park bench, while in shops, cafes or eating Read more
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What would the Philippines look like after a 30-meter sea level rise?
Can you imagine a world where the place you live today would be underwater? From the Sea Level Rise explainer by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Sea levels around the world are rising because of climate change. As humans burn fossil fuels, we release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, which warm the Earth and the Read more
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Desalinating water, present stories, and the future climate
While reading this ecological narrative about future climate landscapes, the writing about how to desalinate water reminded me of a documentary I watched this week. The documentary is about a group of people living on an island without potable water. I am troubled by what I have seen and wonder how much I don’t know Read more
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Meet TARS, my AI assistant
I used to start my days with our Google Nest Mini. Hey Google, news today. Hey Google, feels like temperature today. Hey Google, what’s the weather today? Sometimes, I get frustrated when it can’t record a reminder correctly. Most days, it’s unplugged because we don’t have other smart devices to make the most of its features. Isn’t it nice to have Read more
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Letter no. 40
Dear reader from the future, Can you remember a world where it is still bearable to go outside on a sunny day? I can only look back to how cool afternoons were when I was five, the trees shading our house from the tolerable outdoor heat. I can recall the memories in tinted blues and Read more
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Stepping back
These days, I’ve been watching documentaries about various topics, such as geopolitics, economics, healthcare, education, energy, and the environment. Some of them were aired a decade ago or even more. And what interests me is how current events make more sense the farther you step back in time. Indeed, the signals of change indicate what Read more
jessa 