Dear Reader, Happy Anniversary to websites! Today is the 35th anniversary of the first website ever being posted all the way back in 1991 by Tim Berners-Lee. It's a big day in the history of the web and also sobering to think that the web has only really been a reality for 35 years. And look at us now. In stories this week, you'll read about a new poll about how Americans really feel about whether kids should learn a foreign language in school. Spoiler alert, I'm not as supportive of it as...
12 days ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader, The big achievement this week was finally relaunching the Non-Obvious website with the full archive of 150+ past trend predictions (along with longevity ratings), book overviews, bonus downloads and everything Non-Obvious all in one place. If you have a moment, please check out the site and let me know what you think! For stories, you'll read about the new phantom drone, why being born left or right handed might be a myth, and why using employees as paid influencers might (and...
19 days ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader, I'm back from journeys through Turkey and there's lots of news to share this week. You'll find the usual non-obvious compilation of stories, of course ... including stories about the "Mississippi Miracle," the glorious second life of decommissioned buses, the plague of AI generated bird photos and a bonus story about self-destructing plastic. Beyond the stories, there's a new feature in this week's newsletter that you'll find every week moving forward: the Non-Obvious Future Word...
26 days ago • 7 min read
Dear Reader, It was a whirlwind start to the week as I made it on a last minute trip to LA to see the World Cup match between Canada and South Africa. Lots of excitement, a late goal and dancing celebrations with Canadians on the street were all part of it, as it was a chance to turn watching way too much soccer on TV over the past few weeks into a real life experience. In between the matches, I've been putting the finishing touches on Future Words as we head towards our publication deadline,...
about 2 months ago • 6 min read
Dear Reader, What's the most useless kind of story in America? That's one of the lead ideas as we take a look at some of the top Cannes Lions award winners from this week of creative celebrations and also explore an app that promises a clever solution to the global problem of media bias. These stories and a book of the week recommendation all about the rise of "algospeak" are below. Enjoy the stories and stay curious! Rohit Did you get this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here » This Week's...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader, It's a sunny day in Louisville today as I finish the last few speaking appearances of the first half of 2026 before an upcoming summer break, I'm thinking about art, tech, music, whether everyone really deserves a second chance and watching way too much World Cup soccer. All that and the usual bonus stories are on the menu for you in this week's non-obvious newsletter. Enjoy and stay curious! Rohit Did you get this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here » This Week's New Videos...
2 months ago • 6 min read
Dear Reader, The chaos and greed of the World Cup are on full display as matches start today—and it's also the lead story in this week's newsletter. You'll also read the truth about how fast fashion is really made in China and the rising problem of haunted updates and software death. In bonus stories, we explore the future of BMW design, changes to the Instagram algorithm and the latest country to introduce a ban on social media for kids under 16 years old. Enjoy the stories and stay curious!...
2 months ago • 6 min read
Dear Reader, From West African mammies to what might be the world's most powerful silent keynote, this week's stories demonstrate how advertising can be a force for good and why one social media platform is so desperate to silence the author of a whistleblower book that she was forced to take the stage at a major conference NOT to speak. Also this week, some fascinating trend research around why the world has been steadily losing its color and a few bonus stories about retro products, the...
3 months ago • 6 min read
Dear Reader, It's been a week of writing on the new book for me and I'm thrilled to share the final cover for Future Words (coming in October). Starting next week, we will be announcing our program for early readers who want to go behind the scenes and read the book before anyone else ... but as a subscriber to the Non-Obvious Newsletter, you can join early and see progress on the book over the summer. JOIN THE LAUNCH TEAM >> Outside of the work on the new book, the stories this week continue...
3 months ago • 7 min read