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: 

• The Danger of Intimate Algorithms – Public Books. “We talk a lot about the ethics of AI, but it’s hard to create a real picture of what being beholden to the whims of an algorithm is like, particularly when facing unavoidable life-or-death choices. We’re going to be dealing with many more of these shortly, as we tackle tough decisions around contact tracing, testing, and immunity ‘passports.’ This heartbreaking piece is a more personal tale—of well-intentioned algorithms wreaking havoc in the life of a diabetic, all under the guise of progress.” (Alistair for Hugh).
• Aha! + Aaaah: Creative insight triggers a neural reward signal – Science Daily. “I have a hard time understanding the motivations of people who don’t derive pleasure from learning. I am also convinced that much of humour is based on challenging an assumption. For example, the joke, ‘what time does Sean Connery go to Wimbledon?’ is a good setup. Because your brain tries, and fails, to find a thing that will tie together the Wimbledon tennis tournament with the uniquely-James Bond accent of Mr. Connery. So, when I tell you the answer—‘tennish’—there is a moment of insight. A tension has been released; two neurons slot together in a new pattern. For me, that pattern is pleasure. And it turns out, this is actually a physiological response for some people. Vindicated? Maybe. But I learned a new thing.” (Alistair for Mitch).
• The Quarantine Tapes 024: William Gibson. “The great William Gibson (writer of Neuromancer and many more scifi greats) on our current incredible circumstance.” (Hugh for Alistair).
• David Hockney on Vincent van Gogh & the Importance of Knowing How to Truly See the World – Open Culture. “Artist David Hockney reminding us to look at the world with wonder. (Remember the world?).” (Hugh for Mitch).  
• The first modern pandemic – GatesNotes. “The latest from Bill Gates on our current situation. Put aside the conspiracy theories. Put aside the ‘big tech guy who is not a doctor telling us what to do.’ Put aside what you think you know about Bill Gates. There’s more to him, how he thinks, how he learns, and what he’s trying to do. He’s been in the media a lot over this pandemic. Now, he is laying it out in words, and you really should read this. It is very thorough and takes into account both the economy and the cost of a human life. Then there’s points like this: ‘Schools offer a big benefit and should be a priority. Large sporting and entertainment events probably will not make the cut for a long time; the economic benefit of the live audience doesn’t measure up to the risk of spreading the infection. Other activities fall into a gray area, such as church services or a high school soccer game with a few dozen people on the sidelines. There is one other factor that is hard to account for: human nature. Some people will be naturally reluctant to go out even once the government says it is okay. Others will take the opposite view—they will assume that the government is being overly cautious and start bucking the rules. Leaders will need to think carefully about how to strike the right balance here.’ It makes me wonder when there will be live events… and if I will ever speak on a stage again.” (Mitch for Alistair).
• The Five Levels of Remote Work — and why you’re probably at Level 2 – Steve Glaveski – The Startup – Medium. “We have hit critical mass. Now, everyone understands what remote work, WFH (work from home) and more really means. The challenges and the opportunity. Interior designers who focus on home office will have a boon. People who understand how to make video conferences better will as well (see my article: How To Rock Zoom Meetings In 10 Easy Steps). When the pandemic hit, Shopify gave every employee $1000 stipend to purchase whatever they needed for their work from home experience. This is such a great article about how different work from home really is… and the challenge of how to get good (better) at it. Everybody needs to read this and really reflect.” (Mitch for Hugh).   

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