Their home is a charmer, and you should talk to it soon
- How was your weekend in the mountains?
- It was a bit of a surprise at first. Our friends got stuck in traffic, so we arrived three hours early. But it turned out to be a great weekend.
- What did you do for three hours in the middle of nowhere?
- The cabin welcomed us and let us in. Their home is a charmer, and you should talk to it soon.
He cautiously places the oval cast iron casserole at the centre of the dinner table, making everyone lean towards it.
- Oh wow, what is that thing?
He smiles proudly, cutting three thick slices.
- This is beef Wellington, but this tenderloin was never a part of a live animal. I never cooked lab-grown meat, so we had an active free cancellation takeout backup in case it didn’t work.
- She swirls the wine in her glass with a provocative smile.
- Would you like to try it?
- Come on, you know I’m vegetarian.
- But this is as vegetarian as ricotta or butter you had for breakfast.
- I understand that no animal loses their life for my pleasure, but this is still too new for me to have a firm opinion about.
- Holy guacamole, it is phenomenal.
- We won’t tell anyone.
Everyone laughs.
- Not that joke again.
- How can you tell that this is not a real animal?
- How can you tell that the egg is free-range? You need to trust the packaging.
- This is precisely the question I had. How would they differentiate one raw ingredient from another?
- Some producers turned this concern into their value proposition, which is why it comes in all these strange shapes. A T-bone is a Z-bone.
- You can also buy square steaks or go wild with meat that resembles cuts from extinct species.
He points his fork at him.
- Next time, let’s treat ourselves to a dino steak, but let’s get back to your weekend.
- Their home knew when we would be arriving.
- So it just opened the gate?
- It asked a security question related to our friendship.
- Probably, it was just a voice sampling run against their videos with us.
- When we entered, it was warm, nicely lit, and with gentle music playing in the background.
- Their home introduced itself, used lighting to show us the bathroom, and asked if we wanted something hot to drink.
- It sounds like entering a haunted house. Brrr.
She shudders.
- I felt uncomfortable only at the very beginning.
- It showed us our room, and once we left our bags, it invited us to the kitchen.
- It warmed the coffee machine, asked us to pick our mugs from a cupboard that lit up with a contrasting colour and treated us to a snack selection in another—all with this gentle, deep voice that sounded like a warm hug.
- We spent time on the couch under a blanket, watching old pictures and videos of all four of us together that their home had access to, and then we watched an episode of the show they recently enjoyed.
- It sounds like a nice place, but the experience must have been surreal.
- Oh, we’re just not used to it.
- The funny thing is that it all got awkward again when they finally arrived. When they welcomed us, saying feel free to make yourself at home, their home replied:
I hope they already have.
Hello Practical Futurists,
Welcome back from the future, where any place can make you feel at home.
Let's jump into our weekly practice, where we use futures thinking and product sci-fi to enhance your strategic imagination and prepare your leadership for the future.
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Start here to make the most of your time if this is your first
rodeoedition.
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Weekly Self-Reflection Prompts
Let's start by making products and services mentioned in the story more relatable by grounding them in your personal life.
Start with this quote for extra inspiration.
“Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming.”
David Bowie
Personal life reflection prompts
When did you last make a backup copy of your most cherished photos and videos?
Which 3 smart home features that are not available today would you prioritise developing to enhance your personal comfort and convenience?
In your everyday life, are backup plans more of an obvious necessity or unnecessary overthinking?
When trying to learn something new, do you prioritise taking action or careful planning?
Would your home assistant have a name, or would you just refer to it as ‘home’?
On the axis from efficiency to spontaneity, which areas of your everyday life are closer to the left and which are closer to the right?
If you’re a carnivore, steak of which two extinct species would make you drool?
What is the main factor that encourages spontaneity in your everyday life, and what is the one that supports more structured planning?
Nice work!
Let’s move on to the context of the industry, organisation, team, service, or product you are working with.
Professional life reflection prompts
In what two ways could your organisation de-risk the purchase to attract more customers?
How can automation and smart homes change your business's consumer behaviour in the long term? What two strategies should your industry consider to stay ahead in a rapidly automating world?
In what 3 ways could product differentiation through unique design create new market opportunities in your industry?
Which of your work-related events require backup plans, and which do you approach spontaneously?
What are your business's two biggest challenges when introducing a novel product to institutional customers?
Which 3 customer touchpoints would be the most effective for consumer education in the rollout of advanced technologies and novel products for your organisation?
If you work daily or occasionally in an office building, what 3 smart office automation features not available today would you prioritise developing to enhance your team’s productivity in a way that fits your leadership style?
What two strategies can help traditional markets integrate new technologies without losing their core values and customer base?
How can your organisation improve transparency and build consumer trust further, especially when dealing with products that require consumer education?
Which 3 business partners would you treat to a T-Rex steak?
You did great!
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Pawel Halicki
Join strategic thinkers preparing to lead in the age of AI. Ten minutes a week is all it takes to start.
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