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, 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:
- Humanity is OP – Imgur. “That brain/AI piece from a recent week was exactly what I’d been thinking about for the last few days. Bear with me here, because this is a bit of a ride. But the payoff, if you’re a particular kind of nerd, is spectacular. First off—I think that everything is part of a greater whole. Atoms to molecules, molecules to tissues, tissues to organs, organs to humans. Letters to words to sentences to paragraphs to chapters to books. So it’s the height of arrogance to think that we humans are the apex of some hierarchy. Maybe the function of all intelligent life is to build the resulting hive mind. At least, that’s what your post made me think. But then again: Maybe the species that manages to keep itself individual is so wacky, that they figure out completely ridiculous strategies that bemuse the rational beings. At least, that’s what this ridiculous chat thread ponders within Star Trek. If you’re a particular kind of nerd, this is the funniest thing in years.” (Alistair for Hugh).
- The mysterious origins of an uncrackable video game – BBC. “Mostly, I love that video game archeology is a thing. A few weeks ago, I shared a piece about Steve Wozniak‘s genius as an unthinkably efficient programmer, squeezing a torrent of functionality from a dewpoint of computer memory (okay, maybe that’s a bit too poetic). Once, all games were made that way. And as some researchers found out, the core of one game – boiled down to an oddly specific table of numbers that one of the developers dreamed up and was completely forgotten. What else are we losing as we build our digital selves (there’s that poetry again).” (Alistair for Mitch).
- The Global Legacy of Quebec’s Subsidized Child Daycare – CityLab. “I know I have posted about Quebec’s subsidized daycare program before; I hope it wasn’t this article from 2018! In any case, for those who don’t know, Quebec has subsidized daycare ($7/day). I know from my family, this did three important things: 1. Made sure my partner and I could keep working before our kids got into school. 2. Helped our kids be happy social beings. 3. Made our family happier and more relaxed. For #3, in particular, I think spending a few hours away from your kids in the day makes it easier for time together to be positive. Aka: Less exhaustion/crankiness. Another interesting thing about Quebec’s program: it has resulted in a dramatic rise in workforce participation among women with young children, and according to this study, the result has been (among other things) tax revenues that offset the cost of the program.” (Hugh for Alistair).
- Wearable Face Projector – Jing-Cai Liu. “An art project that we might all want, once ubiquitous cameras and facial recognition means that we can never be unwatched and unmonitored.” (Hugh for Mitch).
- The Self-Confidence Tipping Point – The Atlantic. “Social media has been very depressing to me, lately. All of this chest thumping and inflating of our own tires… to what benefit? More likes, followers, clicks, sales? It’s been written about before. How we’ve suddenly turned our social network into something that looks more like an Avon party – always selling ’stuff’ to our network of friends (including our own, beautiful and perfect lives). So… is it self-esteem, narcissism or both? It turns out, there’s a difference between the two. Still, can we all try to not be such blow-hards on social media… it’s getting exhausting!” (Mitch for Alistair).
- A Sacred Space – Steven Pressfield. “From the author of one of my favorite books ever written, The War of Art, comes a great little piece about how we can respect our work just a little bit more. It’s not what you think. It’s actually about the space that you do your work in. What if you respected it more… maybe even feared it (in a good way). What creativity might come from respecting where we work just a little bit more. If the work is sacred, why shouldn’t the location of its creation be sacred as well? Steven Pressfield is on to something (he always is).” (Mitch for Hugh).
Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.
Mitch Joel Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.