Discussion topics

Forbes Coaches Council contends that boredom at work, far from being a terrible thing, offers a chance “to reflect, strategize and create”.

Here are some of the more constructive aspects of boredom, in their opinion:

1. Boredom Inspires Us To Expand Horizons 
Boredom provides a great opportunity for us to examine ourselves and seek new ways to expand our world and thinking, so go and learn something new. Get out of the rut that is creating the boredom. Do more. Be more. Live more.

2. Creativity Stems From Boredom 
Boredom leads to awareness. It signals to the brain that it needs different ideas, thoughts or things to do. Humdrum activities like taking a shower or driving have been times when great ideas and thoughts have occurred in the history of mankind.

3. Plan To Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone 
Boredom is an important message from our internal guidance systems to wake up. When you're feeling bored, it's a signal that you've lapsed into a comfort zone, and it's time for you to get "uncomfortable" if you want to continue to grow and develop.

4. Boredom Replenishes Energy 
Saying we're bored is our unimaginative way of labeling a lack of stimulation. The fast pace of our world today means we've gotten addicted to being entertained or busy 24/7 year-round. "Boredom" allows time to quiet the mind and body and allows the replenishment of your physical and mental energy.

The Japanese government is urging steelmaker Kobe Steel to clarify the extent of manipulation of data on steel, aluminum and other metals used in a wide range of products, reportedly including rockets, aircraft and cars.

A government spokesman on Wednesday criticized the apparently widespread falsification of data as "inappropriate," saying it could undermine product safety.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kotaro Nogami told reporters that about 200 of Kobe Steel's customers were affected.

Kobe Steel, Japan's third-largest steel maker, announced Sunday that between Sept. 1, 2016 and Aug. 31 of this year it had sold aluminum and copper materials using falsified data on such things as the products' strength.

The company said the materials included aluminum flat-rolled products, aluminum extrusions, copper strips, copper tubes and aluminum castings and forgings.

What happens when the oil runs out?

We cannot go on using oil forever. We can do so for a few more decades - perhaps until 2070, then it will run out - or at least, there will be hardly any left.

At present, there is still plenty of oil under the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Engineers keep finding new sources of oil, but there are some unavoidable issues with fossil fuels which cannot be ignored.

Scientists are making new forms of oil, using plants, and most of the oil that we eat comes from plants. It is sometimes possible to make petrol from this oil, like some types of diesel-fuel. But even this form of energy presents certain problems.

Alternative energy is still relatively new and cannot meet our needs yet.

Oil is still vital, but the world is nearing a critical point.

You’re probably going to be driving an electric car soon.

Volkswagen Group, the company behind VW, Audi, and Porsche, pledged to commit $1.7 billion to electrify heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses at an event in Germany on Wednesday. (Yes, this is the same company that got tangled up in not one, but two emissions-cheating scandals in the span of about a year.)

The release is one of multiple similar announcements made by big automakers this month:

• Jaguar Land Rover revealed a new plug-in hybrid option Range Rover on Monday, available for purchase in 2019.
• Last week, General Motors, America’s largest automaker, announced plans to release 20 all-electric vehicles by 2023. Two of those models will be unveiled in the next 18 months.
• Not to be outdone, Ford Motor announced plans to release 13 electric models by 2020, and the company will electrify 40 percent of its cars worldwide by the end of the decade.

All these announcements come as big countries lay plans to start phasing out gas and diesel powered cars: France and the U.K. will ban fossil-fueled vehicles by 2040, Sweden and Scotland plan to ban them by 2032, Norway is on track to stop sales by 2025, and India will go gas-free by 2030. Even China, the world’s largest market for automobiles, is working on a timeline for phasing out production of gas-powered cars.

The world will need "carbon sucking" technology by 2030s, scientists warn.

As efforts to cut planet-warming emissions fall short, large-scale projects to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere will be needed by the 2030s to hold the line against climate change, scientists have said.

“If you’re really concerned about coral reefs, biodiversity [and] food production in very poor regions, we’re going to have to deploy negative emission technology at scale,” said Bill Hare of Climate Analytics, a science and policy institute.

World leaders agreed in 2015 an aim of holding global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial times in order to protect small island nations from sea level rises, shore up food production and prevent extreme weather.

But the world is already halfway towards the point that could result in dangerous climate change, scientists have warned, after revealing that average global temperatures have recorded a rise of one degree Celsius for the first time.

On Wednesday, Melinda Gates joined LinkedIn (now owned by Microsoft) and penned her first column about changing the high-pressure culture.

She writes that in fact technology has made it harder to pull away from our jobs, and easier to wonder whether a night off or a long weekend is damaging our careers.

The result is a work ethic that hurts everyone. When companies demand that employees work themselves into the ground, those that want to balance career with family life lean out. Some of them leave the corporate world altogether, which limits diversity.

And those who stay are less productive. They have to dedicate so much energy to simply keeping their heads above water, instead of thinking of ways to create more value.

Japan's push to attract innovative financial technology (fintech) startups to the country could spell trouble for the US.

On Wednesday at the New York Stock Exchange, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government was moving forward with a plan to roll back regulations on some fintech startups to help spur the development of emerging technology and drive growth in the country.

As such, Abe is pushing for a regulatory sandbox program that would allow fintechs, startups looking to automate or digitize aspects of financial services, to operate and scale without meeting existing regulations.

"We will make a sandbox in which it is possible for certain participants to conduct trial and error freely on new business for a certain period of time without conforming to existing regulations," Abe said.

In America, on a unanimous voice vote, a Senate committee approved legislation that authorizes self-driving car makers to sell as many as 80,000 vehicles a year within three years that would be exempt from current safety standards as manufacturers develop technology for autonomous vehicles.

The legislation only allows for the exemption—which gives car makers the chance to test and design new technology while potentially foregoing traditional standards for items such as the placement of controls and displays, rear-view mirrors or protection from the impact of steering wheels in a crash—in cases where manufacturers can show the exempted car or component is as safe as that already on the road.

 “This is cutting-edge technology that is advancing extremely fast,” said U.S. Sen. Gary Peters. “It’s going to happen a lot sooner than people realize. This is not decades—it’s a matter of a few years.”

A number of Japanese banks are set to launch a new national digital currency in a bid to wean citizens off cash, the Financial Times reports.

The FT says that a consortium led by Mizuho Financial Group and Japan Post Bank plan to launch the new digital currency in time for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The new project, which has the support of Japan's central bank and regulators, aims to develop technology to allow Japanese people to pay for goods and services with their smartphone.

Cash currently represents 70% of all transactions by value in Japan but such a heavy cash dependency incurs costs for banks and governments. Banks must pay to handle, transport, and audit large amounts of cash, while governments risk losing tax revenue to undocumented cash-in-hand work or black market transactions.

The consortium of banks estimate that the adoption of a new digital currency could add ¥‎10 billion ($90 million; £67 million) to the economy, the FT reports. J-Coin will be exchanged at a one-to-one rate with the Yen.