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 Interesting, Tilt the Windmill, Interesting Bits, HBS, chair of Strata, Startupfest, FWD50, and Scaletechconf; author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (Rebus Foundation, PressBooks, LibriVox) 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: 

• How To Take Over The Universe (In Three Easy Steps) – Rational Animations – YouTube. “Watch the video in the next link and then decide if we should just become a ‘grabby civilization’ and colonize the universe. I found this a fascinating thought experiment; except it’s not, because the physics and tech on which such a plan relies are only a few decades off. Which begs the question: If there are aliens out there, some of them must be expansionist, and therefore already scheming to colonize the universe in this way. When I mentioned this, my partner pointed out that if there’s some Galactic Council, then being a ‘grabby civilization’ is probably the first thing that gets you in trouble. So, maybe I shouldn’t be amplifying this video?” (Alistair for Hugh).
• I Wasn’t Worried About Climate Change. Now I Am – Sabine Hossenfelder – YouTube. “Sabine Hossenfelder continues to be the bearer of sobering news. Turns out that the consequences of most climate models hinge on one number: How much impact carbon has on temperature. There are plenty of models, so the predictions we see are an aggregate, with each model given weight based on how likely it is to be right. But the impact of clouds – specifically, sub-zero water in them – is notoriously hard to model. If there’s even a 5% chance we’ve misunderstood the math, we should be acting much more radically and quickly. Also, the first time I’ve seen Sabine do an unscripted ‘fuck’ in her videos. At our next lunch I want to talk about how we make people pay attention to this or elect leaders that do.” (Alistair for Mitch).
• Why Is Music Journalism Collapsing? – The Honest Broker. “The answer isn’t just the same problems facing all journalism. It’s worse, at least in Ted Gioia‘s telling. Streaming services don’t need or want you to find new music, they want you to keep listening to old music. And if we aren’t listening to new music, what do we need music journalists for.” (Hugh for Alistair).
• A Low Moment In Higher Education – Freakonomics Radio Episode #574. “We live in very complicated times. I found this Freakonomics interview with Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University to be a breath of fresh air. He tackles the complexity of life on campuses right now – in the midst of turmoil brought on by the war in Gaza/Israel – with what seems like just the right approach of clarity and openness. I wish every leaders spoke like this, and with such good humour.” (Hugh for Mitch).
• Why Not? – Dan Pink – The Washington Post. “One of my favorite thinkers and business book authors, Dan Pink, is back. New book? Nope. A new video series on TikTok? Nope again. Dan has been hyping this new project and it’s on display for all to see. According to Dan: ‘Over the next year, in a column for Post Opinions we’re calling ‘Why Not?’, I will try to do just that. In each installment, I’ll offer a single idea – bold, surprising, maybe a bit jarring – for improving our country, our organizations or our lives… For example, why not pay public school teachers a minimum salary of $100,000? Why not relocate the U.S. House and Senate to a different city every few years? In our companies, why not create a new job category for people over 65 as mentors to young employees to ease the transition to retirement and prepare the next generation of workers? In our families, why not give presents on our birthdays rather than receive them?’ Whatever this is… and could be… I’m all in, because Dan looks at things with interest and possibility. We can all use a little bit more of that.” (Mitch for Alistair).
• Libraries For The Future: Europe’s New Wave Of ‘Meeting Places For The Mind’ – The Guardian. “Whenever someone asks where they can get something – in relation to content, work or even a place to meet, my go to answer is: The library. I’ve written (and linked) about this on countless occasions. Yes, there are books… and magazines… newspapers… physical media and… oh, did I mention… many public libraries now give you free digital access to everything from streaming services to publications that are often behind a pay wall? And, a lot more… events, concerts, conversations… oh, did I mention that many of them have rooms for podcasting or 3D printing? From the article: ‘… recent civic constructions have shared a vision of the library as a living room for the modern city.’ I couldn’t love that line any more. And who amoung us couldnt use more contructive time in a massive living room?” (Mitch for Hugh).

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

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