1) 4D printing can help objects transform based on
external stimuli
3D printing has
helped companies use that data and information to address some of these
demands, allowing them to customize product designs in ways that are difficult,
if not impossible, to replicate with conventional manufacturing. Considered an
extension of 3D printing, 4D printing has the potential to take customization a step further by enabling 3D-printed parts to transform their shape in response
to external stimuli such as heat, light, pressure, and humidity. In practical
terms, this means 4D-printed objects can theoretically react much more
dynamically, rather than remaining as rigid, solid structures. In the future,
it may be possible to envision a time when products created with 4D printing
can adapt and adjust to their surroundings, in addition to being customized to
fulfil user needs.
2) Utilizing a margin of safety can serve you well in
nearly any area of life
All information—no
matter how bulletproof it may seem—comes with some degree of error. The future
is uncertain and life always seems to get more complicated. A margin of
safety acts as a buffer against the unknown, the random, and the unseen.
The world is more
uncertain now than ever before. There is too much information for one person to
handle, too many moving pieces for one person to manage. This is why the
greatest benefit that a margin of safety provides might be reduced stress and
overwhelm. Nobody can predict the future, but there is a sense of quiet
confidence that comes over you when you know you are capable of handling the
uncertainties of life.
If your life is
designed only to handle the expected challenges, then it will fall apart as
soon as something unexpected happens to you. Always be stronger than you need
to be. Always leave room for the unexpected.
3) US-China Trade war can escalate and lead to long
term changes in supply chains
U.S. trade policies
that are not rooted in economic considerations but are driven by political
postures could prove costly for U.S. businesses and consumers, in addition to
eroding the country’s leverage in global trade.
If people start to
think this [trade war with China] is a lasting phenomenon, you could see
significant dislocations,” he added. “You could see companies relocating their
supply chains; in some cases, that’s going to be moving production into China
to avoid tariffs on goods exported from the U.S., and in some cases [it could
mean] moving sources out of China to countries that don’t face the tariffs that
China does – all that could be very disruptive.”
4) How Amazon Prime came to be one of the greatest
retail innovations ever
Amazon Prime
launched in February of 2005, was a first of its kind: For an upfront payment
of $79, customers were rewarded with all-you-can-eat two-day delivery on their
orders. At the time, Amazon charged customers $9.48 for two-day delivery,
meaning if you placed just nine of these orders in a year, Prime would pay for
itself.
With it, Amazon
single-handedly — and permanently — raised the bar for convenience in online
shopping. That, in turn, forever changed the types of products shoppers were
willing to buy online. Need a last-minute gift or nearing the end of a pack of
diapers? Amazon was now an alternative to the immediacy of brick-and-mortar
stores.
This is the story of
how the greatest retail innovation of the internet age was created, in the face
of sound logic and reason that suggested it might very well be disastrous. It’s
also a story of how a frankly bland idea — fast shipping — was powerful enough
to alter consumer psychology forever.
5) How experts make mistakes and how only some learn
from it
In Tetlock’s 20-year
study, both the broad foxes and the narrow hedgehogs were quick to let a
successful prediction reinforce their beliefs. But when an outcome took them by
surprise, foxes were much more likely to adjust their ideas. Hedgehogs barely
budged. (Hedgehogs knew “one big thing,” while the integrator foxes knew “many
little things.”) Some made authoritative predictions that turned out to be
wildly wrong—then updated their theories in the wrong direction. They
became even more convinced of the original beliefs that had led them astray.
The best forecasters, by contrast, view their own ideas as hypotheses in need
of testing. If they make a bet and lose, they embrace the logic of a loss just
as they would the reinforcement of a win. This is called, in a
word, learning.
