COULD INVISIBILITY BECOME A REALITY?
HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS MAKING OUR WORLD LESS SAFE IMPROVING DEMOCRACY WITH AI REDUCING DEMENTIA RISK
Delivering “reach and range” so that our community can be empowered and enthused
It gives me immense pleasure to edit this Autumn edition of our Lamwyk Journal This would not have been possible without the support of our brilliant Lamwyk team. Take a break from that last bit of your Summer reading list and delve into our carefully curated selection of articles to find a few more great ideas.
Lamwyk began as a series of illuminating roundtable think-tank sessions convening leaders in business, scientific and civic spaces. Our members enjoyed intriguing discussions where these experts offered solutions to some of the most daunting challenges facing us all. The reinvigorated Lamwyk Journal continues in that vein.
This Autumn edition explores interesting questions around everything from democratising investing to creating a new generation of invisibility cloaks We also explore how AI could improve the quality of political debate online, and celebrate the amazing contributions of immigrants to UK society Even the trickiest of challenges has a solution We can only reach that happy conclusion by working together and sharing our talents
Thank you all so much for your continuing support and we wish you a wonderful final few months of 2024 and an even better Christmas.
TomO’Brien
EDITOR
Even the trickiest of challenges has a solution. We can only reach that happy conclusion by working together
Investing capital should never be perceived as an exclusive privilege enjoyed by an elite club Sadly though, many people across the UK feel that investing is not for them with tens of millions of potential clients currently across the country not even seeking financial advice. These people find themselves in the ‘advice gap’, which covers those with investable assets of £150,000-£500,000 who many advisers prefer not to service. These advisers reason that the potential fees that they would make from managing these assets are so small that servicing these individuals isn’t worth their time
This isn’t a good move for advisers, potential clients or businesses Why would any business want to miss out on a plentiful supply of new clients? As already cited in our Autumn 2023 Lamwyk Journal, research from Royal London suggests that
the ‘advice gap’ equates to roughly 39 million people So many wealth management consultancies spend hours in marketing meetings that completely overlook this enormous potential market Imagine if you based your fees on time rather
than percentages. This would provide anyone with an interest in providing a better future for their family with accessible advice, priced in a manner that just made sense Time-based fees would also provide you with compensation that truly reflected
This would provide exciting businesses with the potential to power the UK economy forwards with the funds they need to ensure consistent and stable growth. your expertise and the hours that you’ve dedicated to honing your craft. The ‘advice gap’ would begin to close and advisers would both deliver and generate even greater value than they do currently.
However, it can be so easy to panic and choose the first bridging finance provider who pops up in your online search Instead of finding lenders, these searches will often give you a list of brokers interested in connecting you with the funding provider who will give them the biggest fee.
Smaller businesses would benefit hugely too. Much funding tends to circulate around very large, multinational companies This is because larger minimum investment criteria from advisers often divert funds away from smaller businesses which might be perceived as less lucrative or riskier bets. If advisers instead adopted smaller minimum investment criteria from a wider range of clients, they could distribute capital more effectively around a whole host of innovative small businesses whilst efficiently managing risk 6
Meanwhile, a new generation of clients would not only enjoy consistent returns on their investment but would also know that they were supporting smaller businesses creating quality longterm careers throughout their regions. More importantly still, they would increase their faith in financial institutions and create crucial financial safety nets and protections for themselves and their families in later life As our life expectancy increases and social care costs remain rigidly high, many people risk facing significant hardship in later life if they don’t benefit from professional financial advice and planning now.
Democratising investing by closing the ‘advice gap’ should be an urgent priority for all financial advisers.
Investing capital should never be perceived as an exclusive privilege enjoyed by an elite club.
Meat production also releases huge quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere: Beef alone contributes 70kg of emissions per kilo.
The world consumes 350 million tonnes of meat every year Society’s love of meateating takes a vast toll on the natural world Colossal deforestation to create land for grazing cattle is one of meat consumption’s more destructive consequences The wastage of enormous amounts of water used in producing the meat dishes that many enjoy is another Meat production also releases huge quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere: Beef alone contributes 70kg of emissions per kilo Attempts to make meat substitutes from alternatives such as soybeans are also hugely resource intensive Researchers are therefore looking under the sea for organisms that taste like meat, spare our planet from significant damage and provide animal populations with essential protections from harm.
Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) could prove to be the answer. Researchers in Copenhagen successfully demonstrated that when inserting foreign genes into a cyanobacterium, they could engineer this algae to produce protein that resembles meat fibres. While significant research and regulatory approval processes await, researchers hope that these fibres could be crafted into burger patties and other meatlike dishes with minimal processing. That would give consumers the tastes they’ve always loved, with far fewer negative side-effects
It’s also possible that microbes could reduce and eventually even replace the vast quantities of grain eaten by animals, giving them nutritious diets while conserving both land and water
Algae burgers may not seem the most appetising dish you’ve ever come across, but if they taste like meat and keep our planet healthier for longer, would you be prepared to give them a go?
The prospect of invisibility has captured our imaginations for decades More recently, the adventures of a fictional boy wizard who dashed around school causing mischief (thanks to a trusty invisibility cloak) captured the hearts of many Imagine if we could achieve invisibility in real-life. Cutting-edge research from Zhejiang University in China has shown that invisibility may no longer be exclusively the stuff of novels.
Researchers from the University have succeeded in making objects appear invisible in kaleidoscopic (unpredictable) backgrounds on land, sea and in the air Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces make this possible These metasurfaces are filled with highly intelligent sensors capable of interacting with satellites and other media in order to scatter objects’ electromagnetic fields Algorithms embedded within the metasurfaces cause light to refract differently as it passes through objects and provide an appearance of invisibility. This technology remains in the highly early stages of development but could have vast ramifications for the defence industry in years to come.
Cutting-edge research from Zhejiang University in China has shown that invisibility may no longer be exclusively the stuff of novels.
The ability to hide vital equipment in plain sight could save countless lives and give critical infrastructure extraordinary additional security.
This security would only increase if the technology reaches its full potential and researchers are able to camouflage objects and infrastructure as animals such as: rabbits, birds and dolphins Humanity must work together to ensure that as research into reconfigurable intelligent surfaces develops, invisibility is only used in critical situations to save lives
While, like every emerging technology, these surfaces carry risks, they also bring immense opportunities to make our world a safer place. We have seen the horrific damage which Russia has inflicted on facilities supplying Ukraine’s homes with water.
According to the UK government, 500 of these water facilities have been damaged or destroyed by the Russian military so far. Invisibility provided by responsible use of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces could reduce or even prevent damage of this scale in future conflicts.
Climate change is not tomorrow’s problem It is damaging security and livelihoods around the world right now: nowhere more so than in the Horn of Africa Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Djibouti all share this pivotal global region with Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya. The consequences of the extreme weather events with which these countries must contend are hugely exacerbated by human-induced climate change It’s important to note that their populations largely did not contribute to this climate change at all
A leading study by World Weather Attribution measured rainfall levels across the region over 24 consecutive months from 1st January 2021-31st December 2022
Shockingly, the study found that all five rainy seasons scheduled since October 2020 had failed, leaving populations suffering horrific shortages of both water and food. Worse still, World Weather Attribution found that climate-change driven evapotranspiration had made the drought 100x more likely to occur Their researchers concluded that the challenging weather conditions the region
endured over those 24 months “would not have led to drought at all in a 1 2°C cooler world” Evapotranspiration refers to water evaporation from soil and crops crucial for feeding local communities and bolstering farmers’ profits. This process is perhaps the cruellest aspect of any drought. The results of this most recent period of drought were: starvation, wasted human potential, colossal livestock losses and mass emigration Additionally, more than 4 million people were left in perilous insecurity and in urgent need of
humanitarian assistance throughout the region
Citizens of countries across the Horn of Africa are demanding that their governments do more to tackle climate change. Leading data analysts of countries across the African continent, Afrobarometer, report that 68% of Sudanese who are aware of climate change feel that their government should act now to confront these extreme weather phenomena
The consequences of extreme weather events are not just limited to damaging living standards
and household incomes Climate change is driving regional conflict too. A conflict thousands of miles away matters wherever you live, because security crises very rarely stay isolated. Violence can spread abroad, forcing millions of refugees to leave their countries and struggle to rebuild their lives elsewhere. Meanwhile, heinous terrorist groups are ready and waiting to exploit people who are in their hour of deepest need They lure unfortunate individuals in with offers of money and status before devastating their lives, their families lives and lives around the world The global battle against terrorism must cover more than exclusively military responses to conflicts. Fighting climate change is vital to improving people’s quality of life and trust in their governments and institutions. These improvements then create stable communities and significantly contribute to erasing local support for terrorists.
Governments around the world should build broad partnerships with nations across the Horn of Africa to manage climate risk and increase the life chances of millions of people.
All entrepreneurs face difficult moments, sometimes daily. How they respond to these difficulties defines whether bumps in the road steer businesses completely off-course or become opportunities to generate new revenue. Responses to these problems should always focus on finding solutions rather than methodically plodding in circles around the same issue without getting anything done Here are some easy ways to make those difficult situations feel much more do-able
Doing something is always, always better than doing nothing Mountains of tasks to complete don’t get any smaller by themselves and it’s best to just start with one task and then progressively work through the lot of them Try to finish each day with the knowledge that you’ve taken a step (however small) to bring one of your goals closer to fruition
If you put all of your eggs in one basket, then you’re constantly relying on one thing to be successful. However, by spreading your risk and pursuing multiple different projects simultaneously, one project’s success can compensate for or even outweigh another disappointment. The wider the range of ventures you launch, the greater your odds of success
If something is making you feel a certain way, it’s probably also giving another entrepreneur similar thoughts. By sharing your reflections on LinkedIn, you can grow meaningful connections with a group of genuinely supportive entrepreneurs
They ‘get’ what you’re going through because they went through it last week You never know where these interactions could lead either Someone might come to you for some advice and eventually become one of your most regular clients If you don’t post on LinkedIn or online, give it a go You’ll never know what you can achieve until you try something new
Despite the ubiquitous popularity of mobile apps, increasingly fewer people are using their phone for its original purpose: making calls Sometimes you just can’t say everything you need to in a message. If, for example, you’ve accidentally missed a meeting, then an apology text won’t cut it. Get on the phone and apologise or if it’s too late (or early) to call, ask if you can call your counterpart in the morning. This demonstrates a genuine desire to move on and put things right. In a world where people can communicate in seconds, investing extra effort pays dividends.
In today’s busy world, avoiding consecutive meetings and taking time to weigh up your options helps to transform confusion into shrewd decisions. Some people might reflect most productively on a walk. If you’re working from home, you might find that doing some gardening helps you to clarify your thinking. Do whatever works for you. There’s nothing wrong with considering your next move carefully. In fact, this is eminently preferable as it reduces your risk of making a stress-induced mistake
Every problem has a solution If an issue is bothering you, make sure that you’re spending your time searching for its solution rather than stressing about the problem itself Then you’ll accomplish more each day and move closer to your goals
Some people enjoy jogging, others prefer lifting weights and a few brave individuals even swim in local lakes and rivers However you choose to exercise, just make sure that you slot some time for it into your daily schedule Exercise helps to release feel good chemicals that will relax you and help to ease any tension that you might be feeling after another demanding day of business-building. Exercising also helps you to meet new people and take your mind off work completely before returning refreshed and reinvigorated. Besides, responding to even the most complex of emails can’t be more difficult than trying to bench press a new personal best.
Every problem has a solution. If an issue is bothering you, make sure that you’re spending your time searching for its solution rather than stressing about the problem itself. Then you’ll accomplish more each day and move closer to your goals.
Reviews are supposed to give an accurate reflection of the quality of a company’s services, for better or worse. Platforms promoting reviews should share the best feedback at the top of their home pages, actively celebrating highly recommended businesses. Sadly, a number of feedback platforms do the opposite and charge businesses for premium listings. The disgraceful result of this practice is that customers may be enticed to work with a business which has not earned numerous excellent reviews but has paid a fairly hefty sum to create a façade of quality feedback
Platforms should charge businesses one unique fee for listing on their platform This would allow all of those businesses to promote themselves on an equal footing Furthermore, they should only invite businesses to pay that fee if they can demonstrate a long history of genuine 5* reviews This approach gives consumers the confidence that every review they see is a real recommendation for a real business. When people consider who to appoint to advise on sensitive legal matters or manage their pensions, platforms have a moral responsibility to offer them a credible selection of verified options. Imagine knowing that someone got awful advice because you preferred to take a commission for ‘lead gen’ over providing consumers with proper access to proper feedback. How would you feel?
By violating potential customers’ trust and connecting them with mediocre business instead of exceptional ones, platforms disadvantage all of their users purely for their own gain This practice is completely unacceptable
Great reviews speak for themselves Businesses that know how great their services are don’t need to pay a platform to deliver them leads. If you have a reputation for excellence then customers will actively search for your listing on a platform even if you don’t appear at the top of that platform’s home page.
You also have a right to be able to communicate with your own clients and potential clients, without needing to navigate the whims of a third-party. Disappointingly, many platforms replace client contact details with their own, forcing potential clients to seek an introduction from them to a business which could help them to overcome some of life’s most challenging obstacles. This simply creates unnecessary barriers between clients and excellent advisers.
Let’s stand up for impartial reviews, honest feedback and exceptional levels of trust between platforms, businesses and the public
Social media platforms are regularly criticised for profiting from division. Users only view information they agree with and are frequently drawn into arguments when a ‘friend’, ‘connection’ or ‘follower’ on a platform posts a contrary opinion to their own The digital world can change though. A highly innovative platform in Taiwan offers a future where social media can host constructive and influential debate rather than profiting from driving people further and further down rabbit holes
vTaiwan uses AI to highlight issues that build consensus rather than divide This Taiwanese digital forum for debate uses a platform provided by the Seattle-based Pol.is to group individuals responding to issues under debate into clusters.
Here’s the genius part - in order for people’s opinions to be displayed, they must be upvoted by fellow users from that cluster
Users will often therefore need to redraft their comments on issues, moderating their views in order to gain a platform on vTaiwan. There’s no reply button to discourage trolling. Users share views rather than descending into petty and offensive arguments that contribute nothing to policy development. This encourages users to think carefully and constructively about the most viable ways of transforming their views into workable policy solutions
When the most popular comments in each cluster have emerged, Pol.is’ innovative software then kicks in
again to find consensus between those views and the most popular views from other clusters. Users then vote on the statements produced At the same time, their Avatar which had been placed in a section of one cluster gradually moves around as their views change
In Taiwan, one of the biggest successes on the Pol.is powered vTaiwan was in regulating Uber’s activities across the island in 2015. Since then, vTaiwan has hosted constructive and influential discussions around a range of contentious issues, including online sales of alcohol
The most interesting aspect of vTaiwan is that it is owned by the Taiwanese government. Public AI doesn’t need to make a profit, so can promote discussion and
debate over algorithms that drive advertising revenue by keeping our eyes glued to stuff we like.
If innovative social platforms remain the preserve of huge companies then the interests of their shareholders will always override the public interest Only government support for neutral, innovative platforms can reverse this trend of social media giants transforming our fears into advertising space that delivers massive revenue.
Only time will tell whether countries adopt systems similar to vTaiwan in order to resolve so-called ‘wedge issues’ that keep people divided across political lines Nonetheless, refusing to explore this technology would represent a generational missed opportunity. Without public AI, the discord which defines so much of our digital world will remain its main profit centre.
What do graphic designers and nuclear chemists have in common? Well, there aren’t anywhere near enough of them in the UK. Both occupations currently sit on the UK government’s Immigration Salary List (ISL) which replaced the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) as a measure of those roles in which businesses across the UK were suffering greatest skills shortages Then there’s health and social care.
Research published earlier this year by the global recruitment firm, Hays, found that 97% of employers across the health and social care sector struggled to find UK employees who had all the skills required for the roles they applied for 59% of these employers attributed these struggles
to people simply lacking the interest to apply for vacancies in the sector.
At the same time, the most recent UK census asked the country’s rapidly ageing population to assess the quality of their health. Fewer than 30% of those aged between 65 and 69 felt that they were in ‘very good health’ There is a very real risk of people needing care in the future and there simply not being a talented care team on hand to look after them. The continued work of sensitive, diligent and compassionate healthcare professionals from around the world will be essential to providing these people with the care they need across the UK
Over recent decades, millions of people from around the world have made the UK their home and raised their families
here while contributing hugely to wider society The UK would simply grind to a halt without them, today and in the future It is profoundly saddening that these wonderful people do not always receive the immense respect and appreciation they deserve. As a society, we must do far better to celebrate the diversity at the heart of the UK’s success.
According to the Alzheimer’s Society: “Dementia describes a set of symptoms that over time can affect memory, problem-solving, language and behaviour ” This does not mean that dementia diagnoses render individuals suddenly unable to function socially or professionally Each individual diagnosed with a form of dementia will experience different symptoms which can include memory loss (repeatedly forgetting things that a colleague just said) and difficulty concentrating, planning or organising (struggling to follow meetings, set and keep appointments or follow a series of steps)
If, for example, you see a colleague at work suddenly and repeatedly struggling to make themselves a hot drink, you may become concerned about their health Before you react, remember that confusion can have a wide range of causes that are not necessarily linked to dementia Then choose a non-threatening location to talk to your colleague privately about what you’ve seen. Be positive and non-judgemental at all times. You’re trying to help them as their friend, not attempting to make them feel even more upset about something that may already be making them self-conscious It may be that they react negatively and/or
attribute the symptoms to something else initially, but then, after some reflection they do decide to visit the GP.
People can still complete excellent work after a dementia diagnosis Encourage a workplace that supports colleagues through distressing moments and helps them to manage medical hurdles. Avoid using words like ‘senile’ which immediately dismiss the idea that anybody suffering from one of these complex illnesses has anything further to offer society. Over 70,000 people across the UK are currently living with young onset dementia, meaning that they have developed dementia
before reaching 65 years of age (traditionally considered retirement age). It may be that someone can still do the work they normally would, but needs some more support with managing their diary and admin Always ask people what they feel they need, and never make assumptions about what they can and can’t do
Creating a more empathetic culture around dementia (and particularly young onset dementia) in the workplace is key to removing stigma and encouraging people to see their GP about symptoms of concern As with all other health issues, early diagnosis of dementia will help them to keep doing the things they love for as long as possible
The views expressed in this document are not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any investment or financial instrument. Information contained within this document has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable but have not been independently verified; no representation is made for accuracy or completeness, no reliance should be placed on it and no liability is accepted for any loss arising from reliance on it.
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