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: 

• Risking My Life To Settle A Physics Debate – Veritasium – YouTube. “Can a vehicle travel downwind faster than the wind? As a sailor, I know the answer is ‘no.’ It can tack downwind, where the sail acts like a wing, and travel faster. But straight downwind? No way. Well, I’m wrong, and while counterintuitive, the folks at Veritasium went to great lengths to demonstrate it. This is some nifty physics, and an example of engineering beating theory.” (Alistair for Hugh).
• The Secret Music Technology of Raymond Scott – The Honest Broker – Substack. “Mitch, this is one for your musical records. Any good EDM fan knows Moog, Dolby, and Linn. But Scott is new to me—and by the sounds of it, his secretive attitude and perfectionist mindset kept what was clearly one of the great music inventors from being a household name. This is a fascinating look at a quirky genius—and maybe a parable about open source and sharing.” (Alistair for Mitch).
• Earth’s Auroras Don’t Mirror – NASA. “The Auroras, both Borealis and Australis, aka Northern Lights are those freaky green/blue/yellow lights in the polar night sky. I remember one summer we could see them occasionally in Montreal! They are caused by flows of electrified gas flying out of the sun and interacting with the Earth’s atmosphere. For many years scientists thought that the Boreal and Austral versions of the lights were mirror images of each other — news to me! —  but turns out it’s not so simple.” (Hugh for Alistair).
• Dave Crockett: Escaping from the 1980 St. Helens Eruption – PortlandDriver – YouTube. “Ever have a bad day at work? Well at least you didn’t get caught in a volcanic blast (did you?).” (Hugh for Mitch).
• This Virtual Artist Just Inked A Major Record Deal In China. One-Off Gimmick – Or A Sign Of The Future? Music Business Worldwide. “It’s almost too easy to read this article and go deep on whether or not an avatar can be a celebrity, or be able to create some kind of art/content that the masses will embrace. It’s almost too easy to wonder if the future of celebrity and influencer is avatar-based (or a large part of that marketplace). I can hear the scoffing now. My reaction? How is this any different than Alvin And The Chipmunks, or as part of a greater conversation around singers who only perform the work of others? Again, easy to shake your fist at the technology, but I think virtual artists have been around forever in the form of cartoons and comic books and lip-synching.” (Mitch for Alistair).
• The Album That Changed My Life – Rick Beato – YouTube. “Over the past few years (thanks, Covid) I find my self increasingly more nostalgic and constantly on the prowl for both music and comic backs from my past that I didn’t spend enough time on back then. That could be a part of my deep interest in music genres like jazz and progressive rock. With that, I’ve been subscribed to Rick Beato’s YouTube channel for many years. It’s hard not to click on a link-baity title like, The Album That Changed My Life. Within this video is a deep-dive into the music of guitarist Joe Pass (another perfect example of an artists that I never gave much attention to). So, Rick’s video sent me down a rabbit-hole of Pass’ guitar magic. If this video doesn’t turn your crank, just watch this one, where Joe Pass plays ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’. Whether you can appreciate jazz or guitar playing or not, trust me… just… wow!.” (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 ;):