Tom Raftery's Weekly Tech for Good Newsletter - Issue #32

It's Wednesday once more

I've some great stories for you this week in the world of tech for good. And some great podcasts. You should definitely check out this week's Climate 21 podcast. I managed to get one of the world's foremost scientific authorities on the subject of climate change to join me for this episode. Anyway, on to the stories...

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Tech for Good stories of the week

NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover on Twitter: "I’ve seen what the #MarsHelicopter can do – and now I’ve heard it — twitter.com

Grab headphones and listen to the otherworldly hum of Ingenuity’s blades as it headed south to scout a new area on its fourth flight

‘Exceptional new normal’: IEA raises growth forecast for wind and solar by another 25% — www.carbonbrief.org

The shift to renewables is hapenning - the International Energy Agency (IEA) has raised its forecast for the global growth of wind and solar by another 25% compared to figures it published just six months ago.

California just hit 95% renewable energy. Will other states come along for the ride? — www.latimes.com

Sure, it was only for a short time, but this shows that a target of 100% from renewables is entirely doable. Sharing solar and wind power across the American West could help fight climate change

The Global Economy Is About to Become the Climate Economy — www.brinknews.com

China, the EU, and the US have all set ambitious aims around emissions reductions. No aspect of the emerging 21st century global economy is likely to escape the influence of climate — how can the world prepare for this?

Ford teases electric F150 pickup, announces 'Lightning' name and unveiling next week — electrek.co

I'm not a fan of pickup trucks, but seeing as the Ford F-150 is one of America's best selling vehicles, making an electric version seems like a very important step

Royal Mail to deliver to Scilly Isles by drone in first UK trial of its kind

This could cut time and costs of deliveries to island communities. A large aircraft will send parcels to St Mary’s airport and a smaller one will move them between islands

Scientists have taught bees to smell the coronavirus. They can identify a case within seconds. — www.businessinsider.com

Only works in the lab for now, but still interesting. Every time the bees are exposed to an infected sample, they stick out their tongues to collect a reward

Two Pfizer Covid vaccine doses give over 95% protection, shows Israel study

I've not received a vaccine shot yet (I'm refreshing the page on the local health authorities website daily to get it as soon as I can!) This news from Israel demonstrates just how effective the vaccines are...

Digital Supply Chain (DSC) podcast

On the Digital Supply Chain podcast this last week:

• we kicked off a new Industry 4.0 on Fridays mini-series - themed broadly on the importance of partnerships, and the partner ecosystem in Industry 4.0. For this inaugural episode I invited Dominik Metzger, Head of Product Management | Manufacturing and Industrial IOT at SAP, and Nils Herzberg, Global Head Strategic Partnerships & Industry 4.0, Digital Supply Chain at SAP to set some context. Check out that episode here

• SAP recently announced a new way of accessing our S4 technology for Supply Chains, without having to already have the full S4 suite for ERP. To find out more about this announcement, the advantages for supply chain professionals of this announcement, and how to access it I invited Sandy Markin to come on the podcast. You can check out that episode here

Climate 21 podcast

On the Climate 21 podcast earlier today is the world renowned scientist Prof Sir David King

• An incredibly accomplished scientist with over 500 papers to his name, he has also been Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK government, the UK Government's Special Representative for Climate Change, and in May 2020 he formed and led Independent SAGE amongst other accomplishments. You can see more about his life's work on his Wikipedia page. I was delighted that he agreed to come on the podcast. When I asked Prof Sir David King how he'd like me to address him on the podcast he said "You can call me Dave", so I did! It was an amazing episode of the podcast. You should check it out (click here)

Chart of the Week

Wednesday whimsy

The oil pipeline shutdown on the US East Coast has led to some panic buying at fuel stations. If only they owned an electric vehicle!

And finally...

Thanks for your interest and attention. If you like this newsletter, tell a friend. Heck tell all your friends!

And, if you have any comments/questions/suggestions on how to make it better, feel free to let me know :)

Have a great rest of your week