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:
- David Cross – Why America Sucks at Everything – The Gravel Institute – YouTube. “This might not seem like a friendly link, and we might lose readers. But I’m sharing it anyway, in the hopes that people who like our links are curious enough to spend fifteen minutes watching something they might not agree with, but may learn from. There’s a rising tide trying to combat the flood of misinformation, run by The Gravel Institute and others. This short video, narrated by comedian David Cross, is a damning state of the nation that compares the US to other countries along a number of indicators—from taxation, to public health, to education. It’s surprising, and it begs the question: How do progressives get their message in front of a country so polarized that it discounts anything that doesn’t confirm their beliefs?” (Alistair for Hugh).
- America Isn’t The Greatest Country In The World – The Newsroom – Aaron Sorkin. “Long before Cross, Aaron Sorkin wrote The Newsroom. Just as The West Wing showed us how our better selves might wield the power of the presidency, so this showed how news might best cover modern events. The show’s protagonist, Will McAvoy (played by Jeff Daniels) had given up his idealism for a comfortable job as a national anchor. In the first episode, he finally loses it on stage (you can watch the video). Much of the season is about the consequences of questioning American exceptionalism in a public forum. In a GQ interview, Sorkin picked apart this incendiary speech.” (Alistair for Mitch).
- Stunning New Image Of Black Hole Reveals Surrounding Magnetic Fields – NPR. “The universe is infinitely strange and delightful, and one of the keys to understanding both the huge (solar scale) and the tiny (quantum level) is the black hole, that strangest of entities where gravity is so strong that particles and light can’t escape and time gets bent. This is a scientist-generated image, with polarized light used to represent the magnetic fields surrounding the lack hole. ‘Bright jets of energy and matter emerge from M87’s core and extend at least 5,000 light-years from its center, according to EHT. Most of the matter lying close to the black hole’s edge falls in, but some of the surrounding particles manage to escape and get blasted far into space in the form of jets, a process that has long intrigued researchers.’ That’s a lot to wrap our brains around.” (Hugh for Alistair).
- Quarantine Chat. “Artist Danielle Baskin does projects that remind me of the early, idealistic days of Web 2.0. With fellow-artist Max Hawkins, she’s created Quarantine Chat, an app that lets you ‘simulate the magic of having a surprise conversation with someone—something that is becoming increasingly rare during the times of a viral epidemic.'” (Hugh for Mitch).
- Dark patterns, the tricks websites use to make you say yes, explained – Vox. “Words matter. Words can be used to manipulate. This is nothing new, and maybe calling this a ‘dark pattern’ is just a new phrase to describe persuasion? Still, marketers are smart. Great copy is smarter. And, by ’smarter,’ I really mean that it’s getting easier and easier to fool everybody all of the time. Don’t believe me? Take a read…” (Mitch for Alistair).
- Self-compassion is not self-indulgence: here’s how to try it – Psyche. “Not every hobby has to be a side hustle. Not every hobby has to lead to some kind of new skill learned to share on social media. It can be selfish. Imagine, in this day and age welcoming the idea of being selfish or doing something simply because it is very self-indulgent… but it’s not. It’s all about self-compassion. I mess this up and mix this up too often. This article is beautiful and an important reminder… for me, for you… for everyone. When I write, I’m all too often thinking about my audience. Maybe some of my words should just be for me… because it sparks joy… real joy.” (Mitch for Hugh).
Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.
Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends ;):
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.