ThinkerTank

If you can believe it, Christmas is almost here - and you're probably starting to see trees and decorations around already. This is known as Christmas creep, where people start to get on board with Christmas and the shops stocking merch earlier and earlier every year.

So for the last episode of the ThinkerTank podcast of the year, join Dr Ben Hamer as he dives into what the future of Christmas could look like.

Recommendations:

• My favourite movie of all time, Love Actually
• Jamie Oliver’s boozy eggnog recipe, because why the hell not?

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COVID-19 sucked for a whole heap of reasons, one of which were border closures. But we’re making up for lost time as we head abroad in record numbers

So with so many people travelling overseas, what does the future of tourism have in store for us? Join Dr Ben Hamer on today's episode to find out.

Listen to our episode on the The Future Of Space

Recommendations:

• A link to CopenPay website, which is branded as “free attractions for climate actions”
• For those that don’t want to pay tourist tax, a video of a guided 360 degree tour of Venice
• Dark Tourist on Netflix where documentarian David Farrier travels to unusual destinations like Chernobyl

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Around half the world’s population is voting in an election this year. And the one we’re all talking about is Trump vs Harris in the US. And already, we've heard multiple examples of electoral fraud and disinformation.

So how are elections being interfered with, and will it be something that will ever go away? Find out on this episode of the ThinkerTank podcast where Dr Ben Hamer breaks down the future of electoral fraud.

Recommendations:

• A link to our related podcast episode on the future of misinformation
• An article from Politico on how the US Department of Justice is cracking down on foreign mis and disinformation in the 2024 election

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These days, it feels like almost every day there’s a story that is either directly or indirectly about China. Most people get that China is a powerful country, but exactly how did they get that way, and how might this play out in the future?

Join Dr Ben Hamer for this episode of the ThinkerTank to learn all the ins and outs about the future of China.

Recommendations:

• An episode of History 101 on Netflix all about rise of China
• A BBC article that goes into the deets on BRICS alliance

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While we got to see sports like rock climbing and breaking at the Paris 2024 Olympics, 2025 has something different in store all together, with the International Olympic Committee announcing it will host eSports at the next Olympics.

Join Dr Ben Hamer on this episode of ThinkerTank to talk about the future of eSports, and the unexpected way it's taking over the sporting world.

Recommendations:

• IOC esports section - Watch some highlight packages from 2023 Olympics esports week to get a taste 
• Australian esports league - A grassroots esports organisation in Australia, offering competitive opportunities for primary, high school, and university students.

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Imagine if you were having a baby and, before they were born, you could pick whether you wanted them to be a marathon runner or a gifted swimmer. Or perhaps likely to be good at maths. Well, it's not as far fetched as you might think.

This week, Dr Ben Hamer breaks down the world of genetic modifications, and what it could mean for us.

Recommendations:

• A blog that highlights different movies and TV shows that feature CRISPR technology, including that episode of The Simpsons that I spoke about
• An article from MIT about He Jiankui and the genetically modified babies
• A movie that recently dropped on Netflix called Uglies, which is all about in future, turn 16 and through tech can change their entire appearance to be picture perfect pretty, but then what becomes of that..?

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You might have heard our last episode, which was the 101 on climate change - how we’ve gotten to where we’re at and where we’re heading.

There’s a lot to cover, so this is part two, and this one looks at the specific impacts - how it will affect sea levels, displace populations, change the hours we work, and alter the foods we eat.

Join Dr Ben Hamer as he covers the stuff that’s happening to get ahead of the curve so we can reduce global warming and its impact on the environment.

Recommendations:

• Article from The Guardian about Fiji’s plan to relocate communities to escape rising sea levels
• Article from Washington Post about the successful climate trial in Montana
• Our podcast episode on future of food on Apple and Spotify

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We’re talking more and more about climate change, and yesterday, September 25, was the International Day of Climate Action. So to mark the occasion, Dr Ben Hamer is jumping into the future of our climate, and while it’s not all doom and gloom it is a big one, so we’ve split this one in two parts.

Join us for part one now which will get you across the headlines and everything you need to know about the future of climate change.

Recommendations:

• A blog from the UN around actions you can do for a healthier planet
• A link to Climate Action Australia and some of their organisations taking action in case you want to get involved

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Currently there are some crazy things going on with our population outlook, and in many Western countries, like Australia, there will be a point where we see more grandparents than grandchildren. Not to mention the fact that kids born today are more than likely going to live into the next century, and that we're currently in a “baby recession”.

On this episode of ThinkerTank, Dr Ben Hamer breaks down exactly why and how population will play a massive part in shaping what our future looks like.

Recommendations:

• A short video from 7:30 Report on Australia’s baby recession.
• This article from advocacy group, Age International, on the advantages of ageing population to bring more balance to convo.

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Have you heard of the circular economy? Well, it could help solve critical resource shortages in the future, but also help with reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

In this episode of ThinkerTank Dr Ben Hamer explains why it’s important we find out what it is, why it matters and what it could look like in future.

Recommendations:

• A link to influencer Jools Lebron’s TikTok so you can see where this 'demure' stuff all began
• A link to all the cool case studies and articles from WEF where you can go down whole heap of different rabbit holes on all things circular economy

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