Unethical brankruptcies, decreasing democracy, and flying trains.

In Part 1, I assessed the market for edible insects in the UK, and determined it has a lot of potential. In this post, Part II, I’ll look at who are the current market players. Finding the companiesThe first step is to get a list of companies. The most obvious method is to use a search engine. It’s good to use a variety of websites - Google, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia - and phrases - “edible insects uk”, “buy crickets uk”.

3D batteries, electricity from air, and Oxford Street scams.

Along with energy and transport, I’ve always been interested in agriculture; growing up on a farm no doubt influenced that. In particular, entomophagy - eating insects - has always intrigued me. Aside from the (illogical) “yuck factor”, they’re nutritious, environmentally-friendly, and ethical. Cultures across the planet and throughout history have eaten insects. So why don’t we now? Your client is considering launching an edible insect brand in the UK. What do you suggest?

Crony capitalism, Chinese automotive domination, and AI job cuts

In a previous post I investigated a few companies using Companies House and the Office for National Statistics. In particular, I looked into the ONS data for electric vehicles, primarily based on SIC code 30910 (manufacture of motorcycles). ONS provides big-picture data - overall numbers of companies by size, revenue, location, etc. In this post I search for data on Companies House, which is more small-picture - information about individual companies.

Recycling and cleaning, lightbulbs, timezones, annd the true cost of natural capital.

I’ve read a lot recently about using AI as a language learning aid, so I thought I’d give it a go. After all, it’s cheaper than a tutor, and always available. I mostly used (the free version of) ChatGPT as it seemed better than Bard and Bing. What’s the word?Quizzing on words, flash-card style, can be useful, but tends to be a bit boring (sorry Anki, Memrise, Quizlet, etc). Instead, ask ChatGPT to define a word.

ChatGPT vs jobs, USA vs China, and AI adverts

I’ve been thinking about energy storage recently, and what may affect the industry in the coming months and years. PESTLE is a framework for analysing external factors that can affect an organisation or an industry. It’s an acronym that stands for Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental. Below is a quick outline of grid-scale energy storage, followed by a PESTLE analysis of the industry. Grid-Scale Energy StorageThe transition to renewable energy sources is also a transition to intermittent ones.

Magic materials, business stratgy, and more climate disappointment.

This book is from 2013 so some examples a little dated/less relevant now. Every innovation initiative can be helped by thinking like a pirate. By being scrappy and undaunted, by improvising something from nothing, by being dogged, committed, and unconventional. More than likely you expect and plan to startle and defeat a stronger, better equipped, and far richer target. If there are rules, don’t play by them. Indeed, you should take special delight in undermining them.

Energy costs, carbon removal, incoming disorder, and menstrual income.

Last week I found a page by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) breaking down UK companies by Standard Industrial Classification and turnover. I noted it in my weekly Consumption post, and I’ve decided to dig into it further to find out what other interesting information the ONS and Companies House may provide. The data I found last week was from 2018 - a bit old. It was filed under Activity, size and location, and looking there, I found a wealth of more up-to-date publications and data.

Cars and satellites, batteries, greenwashing, and turtles.

Fazer vs e-scooterAfter my recent post on car ownership, I had a comment on LinkedIn suggesting I should do a comparison of my Yamaha Fazer (600cc petrol motorbike) against an e-scooter. Upon investigating this topic, I quickly realised a major problem: e-scooters are mostly illegal. Using a privately owned scooter is only allowed on private property - not on roads, cycle lanes, pavements, etc. Plus, you can’t carry them on public transport, so you can’t ride one to the bus or train.

Big one this week! Loads of climate/sustainability progress, plus (accidentally) flying cars and the root of creativity.

There is a lot more content in the book - these are just the bits that seemed most relevant to my life at present. Dating and kids Attraction/swipes based on height, race, jobs, similarities. But don’t affect if a relationship with be successful. Sexiest male jobs: Lawyer, cop/firefighter/military, health professional. Personality can affect how someone views physical attractiveness. In big part it’s a numbers and bravery game - ask lots of attractive (physically or otherwise) out, and 10% will say yes.

Energy security and autonomous driving; human composting and fake honey; aphantasia and an oyster thief.

Android Myopia MeasurerTl;dr: I launched an app. Get it here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myopia.measurer The original projectAbout 18 months ago (wow, time flies!) I built an Arduino-based device to measure your eyesight (read more about it here). However, it turns out taking it to the next stage - that is, PCB design and manufacturing - is prohibitively expensive (hundreds of £s). Using a breadboard-based device on a regular basis was not convenient, due to the physical size and fragility.