Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #365

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Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (Solve for InterestingTilt the WindmillHBS; chair of StrataStartupfestPandemonio, and ResolveTO; Author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist’s Manifesto) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person “must see”.

Check out these six links that we’re recommending to one another: 

  • Not even wrong – ways to dismiss technology – Benedict Evans. Benedict Evans is fast becoming one of my favorite writers and thinkers. He starts with a quote by Pauli, who, asked to review a paper of doubtable merit, opined, ‘it’s not even wrong.’ By which he meant it lacks testability and provability entirely. He uses the quote in the context of predicting what will be a successful product in the future, applying two tests: Is there a roadmap to greatness and whether you’re looking at the application that this technology is proposed to provide, and not the actual capability that has been created. I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking and working on discontinuous innovation, and Evans has added good stuff to the conversation here.” (Alistair for Hugh).
  • If Google Teaches an AI to Draw, Will That Help It Think? – The Atlantic. Alexis Madrigal is one of my favorite tech writers; he doesn’t jump into the fray early, but often waits until the real story unfolds. So, this is his first real dive into the realm of AI. And it comes with a familiar face: Douglas Eck, one of the subjects of his interview, spent time in Montreal and helped design the machine learning algorithms at Coradiant, a company I helped found, which pinpointed where problems were happening. This was back in 2007; if only I’d known to call it AI at the time.” (Alistair for Mitch).
  • The Origin of HyperCard in the Breakdown of the Bicycle for the Mind – Justin Falcone - CSS Conference Australia – YouTube. “A postmodern sort of thing: a 2016 presentation on ‘hypermedia’ from the perspective of 1990. Or vice versa?” (Hugh for Alistair).
  • These Cities Are Replacing The Worst Kind Of Infrastructure With The Best – Fast Company – Co. Design. “What if we designed cities for people, not cars. Imagine if that were happening in… Dallas?” (Hugh for Mitch).
  • Why Your Brain Hates Other People – Nautilus. “I consider my self a fairly open, honest, empathetic and caring human being. It bothers me (always) how quick I am to judge other people. I don’t necessarily ‘hate’ other people, but my mind does try to decipher what makes us different over what might bring us closer together first. Is this who I really am? Apparently, it’s not a nurture thing?…” (Mitch for Alistair).
  • When pop stars have Instagram, they no longer need record labels – Quartz. “This is a compelling but not sustainable look at the music industry. And, in return, a smart read for any brand trying to create something that connects with an audience that is sustainable. How will brands build relationships with consumers? There’s just too much going on now, and the duopoly of Google and Facebook continues to grow. I’m dying to see how this will all pan out!” (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.