Your Curated Morning (#134) for April 11th, 2024 is Here!
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The Main Thing: They say all the cool kids are doing it. "It" being AI. This technology has been around for a while but has taken the world by storm in the past year with the release of many AI platforms for general use. It excites many people but scares some, too. So, how can you use AI in a way that makes sense, improves your team performance, and enhances your organization's efforts? Applying simple rules to AI and anything else you do works best. I write about my experience in the mid-eighties working to spec out a computer "system," that's what we called them back then, for a new city hall. The internet and distributed systems came along at some point, and today, our use of computing is democratized (or is not, depending upon who you ask). Check out my six steps to prepare your team and organization for the AI revolution that is upon us. It pays to adopt, albeit slowly. Understanding how to take the work you are already doing to the next level, the AI level, is crucial. Green Economy Networked geothermal is catching on in Minnesota. New legislation aims to push the technology further by Frank Jossi | Energy News Network Central heating and cooling are decades old. Many old downtowns had systems that produced steam heat for many blocks from one central location. The State of Minnesota is looking at making central heating and cooling geothermal networks viable. Legislation is proposed to develop geothermal networks and provide rebates and other economic incentives for Minnesota cities to promote geothermal central systems. Downtown Buildings are a significant source of carbon emissions. Heating and cooling them require large amounts of fossil fuel, and geothermal heating and cooling have proven to be an efficient and effective way to heat and cool single buildings. The goal of this legislation is the potential for developing them for more giant footprints, such as city blocks. Developing these strategies could allow economic developers to create geothermal systems that provide lower-cost utilities for manufacturing and office clients. Ford will delay the production of new electric pickups and large SUVs as US EV sales growth slows- AP News. It's looking like electric vehicle (EV) sales are slowing. This has automakers shifting production and curtailing some new investments in EV production. Sales of EVs have decreased from 7.6% of market share in 2022 to 7.15 % currently. This small change has caused Ford and other companies to shift to hybrid models to bridge the entire EV production schedule. Ford has recently announced a delay in their plan to build an EV in a new plant in Tennessee. Similarly, Rivian, a maker of SUVs and trucks with a plant in Normal, Illinois, has halted construction on a new facility in Georgia. These developments raise important questions: have mainstream purchasers stopped adopting EVs? And more importantly, how will these decisions impact your community? If you have projects like this or are related to EVs in your community, it's crucial to stay informed and engaged. How will this impact your community? Do you have projects like this or related to EVs in your community? Hydrogen is another fuel source touted as a way to reduce emissions. According to advocates, hydrogen is the most abundant element on earth, and its only emission when used as fuel is water. The problem with hydrogen is that it is expensive to separate it from oxygen. Hydrogen produced through electrolysis requires a lot of electricity, often from natural gas or other fossil fuels. For example, EV hydrogen cars need infrastructure to allow drivers to obtain fuel. In California, efforts and legislation were passed to increase the use and sales of hydrogen-powered cars. However, the effort has fallen short. Many of the stations first opened by the private sector have now closed. Hydrogen fill-ups are costly, too. The average cost of a fill-up equals about $14.60 a "gallon." Even though the technology works well, it will be some time until the marketplace can deliver a product that works for the general public. California's recent history is proof of that. Polestar’s Head of Sustainability Has a Plan to Make EVs Even Cleaner by Kyle Stock While driving an EV can reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and thereby reduce one’s carbon emissions, tons of emissions are produced when making the vehicle. From materials needed to build the car to deliver to the marketplace, tons of carbon are emitted into the air. Fredrika Klaren’s job at Polestar, a sister company and owner of Volvo, is to find ways to reduce that number, and she does it with great intensity, according to this article. She even limits her business travel to one flight a year, taking the train instead. One example from the article is: “Klaren hunted down aluminum smelters hooked up to zero-carbon hydropower plants in China’s Yunnan province, then leaned on parts makers, convincing them to switch suppliers to get cleaner metal. In part because of the smelter switch, Polestar was able to cut about 4 tons of emissions — roughly 8% of the total emissions — from materials production per car from the time between its second model and its fourth. The change also incidentally lowered costs, creating a true win-win.” Other Articles of Interest this week: Economic Development - Perspectives on Place-Based Policy: Strategies for Workforce and Economic Development by By Stan Veuger, Anthony F. Pipa, and A. J. Rodriguez | AEI City/Rural -- A Canceled Order From Tesla Puts a Small Bakery in the Viral Spotlight | Inc.com By Bruce Crumley | INC. Leadership -- Author Talks: Actor Terry Crews wants you to open up by Roberta Fusaro (interview) | McKinsey Technology -- Get Ready for the Robotic Fish Revolution by Annie Roth | Hakai Magazine A Blog Post You Should Read: Did you know that the American Whaling fleet at its peak consisted of 700 ships? The ships were needed to slaughter whales nearly to extinction for a straightforward reason: artificial light. We see wonderfully illuminated rooms and places when we watch a period movie about life before the 1900s. We don’t think about what it took to keep those places lit up so that kings, Queens, Generals, and future Presidents could make world-changing decisions. How about the peasants and serfs who served those people? What about those Europeans who populated the American West? How did they illuminate their cabins and shacks? The answer is not very good. This post in Big Think describes in great detail how we take for granted the revolutionary changes that light has made to our world. And as the years go by, lighting our world after the sun goes down has become cheaper. From candles to whale oil to kerosene, to the incandescent bulb to the LED light, the cost of illuminating a room is pennies compared to our ancestors. Read this fascinating post about the revolution artificial light has bestowed upon humanity in Genius and Blood: How cheap light transformed civilization by Toney Morley in Big Think. Overheard : Listen, Eat, DRINK, Watch, Read, View The highlighted article looks at what they call underrated beers. I like beer and the impact of the microbrew and independent brewing industry. Beer is as old as civilization. History records that Egyptians brewed and drank beer and paid workers who built the pyramids up to 10 pints a day in beer. It is a wonder that theft was even able to build something like the pyramids when you were consuming 10 pints of beer a day. A reliable source told me that a major independent brewer pays its employees a bonus six-pack of beer of their choice each week. That is the right perk for that type of work. Look at this list and let me know if you have had any obscure beers. Are there any beers you have consumed that are not on this list that you think are underrated or overrated? Let me know. Read this fascinating post about the revolution artificial light has bestowed upon humanity in Genius and Blood: How cheap light transformed civilization by Toney Morley in Big Think. Listen, Eat, Drink, WATCH, Read, View People love watching True Crime television. The podcast Serial popularized the genre. Many of these shows, like ABC’s 20/20, NBC’s Dateline, and First 48, are the progeny of what is considered one of the first true crime documentaries, “The Thin Blue Line.” Thin Blue Line and fourteen other documentaries are listed in this video called the “Fifteen Greatest Documentaries,” which can be found on the Cinema Cartography YouTube channel. Other documentaries I have heard of included in this list include Grizzly and Hoop Dreams, both of which I have not seen. Sitting through the entire video may consume more time than you are willing to give, so there are timestamps that let you jump from one part of the list to another. The commentary is also a bit heady, so take a peek at the ones you might like and find them on the internet or your favorite streaming channel. You can watch the video here. Listen, EAT, Drink, Watch READ, View Growing up, my favorite sandwich was one my mother made for me when I went fishing or hunting with my father. It soon became the go-to sandwich: Oscar-Meyer Salami, sliced pickles, and American Cheese with yellow mustard on white bread. I know it’s not quite up to gourmet standards, nor will it make the healthiest lunch list, but as a kid growing up in the seventies and sixties of a middle-class family, I know it represented comfort. Later, as employees of a local hardware store, we would often grab lunch at a deli called Pete’s Meats. They would pile ham, turkey, or beef three inches high on a hoagie bun with whatever condiments you desired. Today, sandwiches are an art form, and in this article, the authors list what they believe are the best sandwiches in America. Some of my favorites on this list include the Pastrami on Rye, the Grilled Cheese, the Cubano, and one that I have always wanted to try, the Primanti Brothers sandwich in Pittsburgh. Check out the article here and tell me your favorite sandwich. Thanks for Reading If you liked this email, pay it forward. Share it with someone you think might benefit. Did someone share with you? Sign up here. For previous editions, click here. Whenever you’re ready, there are several ways I can help you: 1. Economic Development: If you are looking to supercharge your economic development organization, I can help by strategizing and developing a roadmap to success. Set up a time to talk to me here. 2. Culture Change; Is your organization changing? Would you like to create an asset out of your culture? Do you know how to assess team strengths? Let me help you. I'm a certified culture change practitioner. Set up a time to talk to me here. 3. The Green Economy; The world is changing. Some of it is positive, and some of the change is not. Let me help you develop green economy opportunities for your community. Set up some time to talk about here. 4. Mentoring Programs: Circles of Seven (C7) is a proven and award-winning model for mentoring. Whether it is for business or your community leadership program, I can develop a mentoring program for you. Let's talk about your situation. Set up a time here. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding any articles in this newsletter please feel free to contact me through email at martin@martinkarlconsulting.com. You can review my services and offerings at www.martinkarlconsulting.com |