Does only win the race

The world is full of Critics and Talkers.

But Doers are the ones who actually win.

I used to be a chronic Talker.

Big plans and Google Docs.

You know the type - maybe you are one right now.

We've all been in meetings where we've come up with the perfect plans...

But then nothing actually comes from it with zero action.

I stayed in that "Talker" zone for years.

The reality is nobody cares about that potential.

They care about your proof of work.

The shift from Talker to Doer was pretyyy uncomfortable.

But it legitimately changed my career trajectory.

If you're stuck as a Talker (or even worse, a Critic!)

These are the steps I'd take:

1. Start Before You're Ready

↳ Your first attempt will be rubbish. That's the point.

↳ I posted on LinkedIn for 6 months to crickets.

2. Set "Ship Dates"

↳ Deadlines = something you can move.

↳ Ship dates = you publish regardless of perfection.

3. Build Your Proof-of-Work Portfolio

↳ Critics have opinions. Talkers have ideas.

↳ Doers have a body of work that speaks for itself.

4. Embrace Public Accountability

↳ Tell people what you're building. Publicly.

↳ The fear of looking like a Talker will push you to deliver.

5. Actions > Intentions

↳ Track what action you took this week.

↳ That could be one post, a project start, etc.

The career impact of being a Doer is mental:

Your personal brand builds itself (through actual work)

Opportunities find you (people want to work with Doers)

You develop real expertise (not theoretical knowledge)

Look at the crowds in that image again.

Critics: Enormous crowd.

Talkers: Still quite large.

Doers: Tiny group.

That scarcity is your opportunity.

Which group are you genuinely in right now?

Be honest in the comments 👇

♻️ Repost to inspire someone to start doing the thing.

source : Thomas Pearce

4,000 years before Gore-Tex, they invented... Oh my God! Then the world almost forgot

 4,000 years before Gore-Tex, they invented... Oh my God! Then the world almost forgot.

In the brutal cold of the Arctic—where a single mistake with your clothing could mean freezing to death or drowning in icy water—Indigenous communities created something modern science still marvels at: waterproof, breathable fabric.

But they didn't use petroleum products or laboratory chemistry.

They used intestines!

The Inupiat of Alaska, the Yupik of Siberia, the Inuit of Greenland and Canada—Arctic peoples across thousands of miles developed the same ingenious technology independently. They turned the intestines of seals, walruses, whales, and even bears into garments so sophisticated that when Western scientists finally studied them, they found engineering principles that wouldn't be "invented" in factories until the 1970s.

Here's the problem they were solving: Arctic hunters spent hours in kayaks on freezing water. They needed protection from rain, ocean spray, and wind. But they also needed to stay dry from the inside—because in subzero temperatures, sweat is as dangerous as seawater. If your clothes trap moisture against your skin, hypothermia kills you just as surely as falling through ice.

First, hunters would carefully harvested intestines from freshly killed seals or other marine mammals. The intestines had to be cleaned meticulously—any remaining organic matter would rot and destroy the fabric.

Then came the preparation. Seamstresses (this work was almost always done by women, and they were deeply respected for their expertise) would wash the intestines repeatedly in cold water. Then they'd inflate them like long, translucent balloons and hang them to dry in the cold Arctic air.

When fully dried, the intestines became a thin, papery material—translucent, lightweight, and remarkably strong. A single intestine might be 6-10 feet long. Seamstresses would cut them into strips and begin the painstaking work of stitching them together.

This wasn't just sewing. It was waterproof engineering.

The stitching technique was crucial. A regular seam would leak. So Arctic seamstresses developed specialized waterproof seam methods—overlapping the strips precisely, using sinew thread, sometimes coating seams with seal oil or other natural sealants. Each stitch had to be tight enough to prevent leaks but flexible enough to allow movement.

A finished parka might use intestines from dozens of animals, contain thousands of individual stitches, and take months to complete.

The result? Garments that weighed as little as 85 grams—about the weight of a smartphone but could keep a hunter dry through hours of ocean spray and Arctic storms.

These weren't just rain jackets. They were survival tools as essential as harpoons or kayaks. A hunter travelling in a kayak absolutely needed a gut parka. One wave over the bow, one miscalculation in rough seas, and wet clothing in Arctic water meant death within minutes.

source : sowmya misra

We are extensions of nature itself

We are extensions of nature itself.

Look at a lung, then look at a tree.

Both follow the same fractal blueprint branching structures designed to maximize surface area for efficient gas exchange.

A tree creates oxygen; a lung draws it in.

A tree also filters and purifies air, preparing the very breath our lungs depend on.

In essence, a lung and a tree are the same evolutionary idea, expressed in different forms: living networks trading gases to sustain life.

Spiritually, they are twin symbols of the same universal intelligence reminders that every breath links us to the planet.

Nature speaks in patterns. What does this one say to you?

The next generation of engineering particle foams from Ensinger

As performance requirements continue to increase, conventional particle foams such as polypropylene and polystyrene often reach their limits. High temperatures, long-term mechanical stress or exposure to aggressive chemicals are difficult and often uneconomical to manage with traditional materials.

As a specialist in high-performance plastics, Ensinger now offers a forward-looking alternative in the form of engineering particle foams based on thermoplastics such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyethersulphone (PESU) and polycarbonate (PC). These materials offer the structural advantages of traditional foams – such as lightweight design and energy absorption – alongside the exceptional performance characteristics of #engineeringpolymers.

Fine cell structure and tailored density:

Manufacturing is carried out using an energy-efficient, newly developed process that enables a fine and homogeneous cell structure. The density and material properties can be precisely adjusted to meet specific customer requirements ranging from ultra-lightweight components to load-bearing structural parts.

Broad range of applications:

#Ensinger’s particle foams are lightweight, robust and impact-resistant. Depending on the base polymer, they can withstand temperatures of up to 300 °C (#PEEK) and are highly resistant to oils, greases, cleaning agents and solvents. These properties open up new possibilities for challenging applications in sectors such as #aerospace, #electronics, medical technology and mobility.

Product formats in the pilot phase

The product line is currently in the pilot phase. Ensinger supports customers from an early stage in the development process. Project partners benefit from bespoke advice, adjustable material properties and strong engineering support. The aim is to develop high-performance particle foam solutions that offer both functional and economic advantages. Beads in various densities and foam sheets in sample sizes are currently available for development and testing. Custom-molded parts can also be developed on a project basis. 

source : Ensinger

EU Bioeconomy Strategy: Ambitious, but delivery gaps remain

The recently published EU Bioeconomy Strategy signals Europe’s intent to lead in sustainable growth and innovation. While the vision is clear, concrete delivery mechanisms and binding commitments are still missing.

The chemical industry is at the heart of the bioeconomy, and the bioeconomy is core to our industrial transition. 

The Strategy recognises that the chemical industry will play a central role in enabling Europe’s transition to a sustainable, circular bioeconomy.

It also reflects key industry priorities by focusing on five pillars: scaling innovation and investments, building lead markets for bio-based materials and technologies, ensuring sustainable biomass supply and circularity, harnessing global opportunities, and fostering collaboration and delivery.

Positive steps include:

Stimulate demand for bio-based chemicals by introducing bio-based content requirements for products placed in the EU single market

Removing barriers to investment and innovation, including new financial tools for start-ups and scale-ups.

Supporting public procurement of bio-based solutions with clear criteria.

Promoting the cascading use of biomass, prioritising sectors where bio-based solutions add the most value.

Strengthening circularity by encouraging the use of secondary feedstocks and improving data on biomass availability.

Expanding global partnerships and market access for European bio-based products.

However, the strategy still falls short in several key areas:

There is still no legislative instrument to create a true Single Market for bio-based products, risking market fragmentation and deterring investment.

Most actions remain voluntary or reiterate existing policies, with few new incentives to accelerate innovation and deployment.

The strategy lacks a comprehensive plan to reinforce Europe’s industrial base and ensure supply chain resilience for sustainable biomass.

To achieve a true bioeconomy in Europe, the Strategy must move from ambition to action. Cefic is ready to work with policymakers to create a single market for the bioeconomy.

source: Cefic

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : German scientists plan natural-fiber blades to tackle wind turbine waste

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

German scientists plan natural-fiber blades to tackle wind turbine waste

A new initiative led by Kiel University of Applied Sciences (HAW Kiel) and boatbuilder Nuebold Yachtbau GmbH aims to build rotor blades made entirely from renewable materials—flax, balsa wood, and paulownia—in a bid to replace fiberglass and shrink the industry’s mounting waste footprint.

Backed by roughly €175,000 from the Schleswig-Holstein Energy and Climate Protection Agency (EKSH), the team plans to develop a prototype for small wind turbines (with rotor areas under 200 square meters) by 2027.

“We want to demonstrate that sustainable rotor blades made from #flaxfibers and other renewable raw materials can meet all technical requirements and thus make a real contribution to a more sustainable wind energy sector,” said Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sten Böhme, project manager from Kiel University of Applied Sciences.

Engineering a circular blade lifecycle

Despite the expansion in wind energy, major challenges remain primarily related to the design and manufacture of wind turbine blades.

Wind turbines use durable, long fiberglass blades (made of fiberglass bound with strong epoxy resin) to withstand the harshest elements.

However, this strength makes both the production and disposal of the blades costly and energy-intensive.

As a result, the wind turbines generate tens of thousands of tons of annual waste. Estimates suggest that blade waste could reach 2.2 million tons in the US by 2050.

It presents a major disposal challenge because the blades themselves are difficult to recycle.

In the past, some efforts have already been made to recycle glass fiber.

For instance, researchers at Washington State University (WSU) developed an environmentally friendly recycling method for wind turbine blades in April. The method recovers high-strength glass fibers and resins, which can then be repurposed to create durable plastics.

In this new work, the team turned to a natural approach to make the process of developing wind turbines more sustainable.

Researchers will first test the load-bearing capacity of suitable #naturalfibers (flax, balsa wood, paulownia).

Computer simulations will be used to design the optimal shape and ensure the structural integrity of the natural fiber rotor blades. Initial models will be created and tested for stability and performance in the wind tunnel at Kiel University of Applied Sciences in Kiel, Germany.

Upon successful initial tests, the project will move to full-scale manufacturing, subjecting the rotor blade prototypes to the required bending load tests.

Testing strength in nature

Preliminary work by HAW Kiel and Nuebold Yachtbau has already investigated replacing fiberglass composites with sustainable natural fiber materials, such as flax fibers.

Experts view the project as a key step in the energy transition, suggesting that planning for dismantling and recycling should begin at the construction stage.

source : Interesting Engineering