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:
- Line Go Up – Noema. “Art has always been ‘meaningless toy money for the world’s rich to play with… we just made it more ubiquitous, more efficient, more technologically mediated. We made it faster.’ No pulling of punches in this sci-fi short story on Noēma. Just straight-to-the-vein cyberpunk social critique. ‘I can’t tell whether he’s worried someone is watching us, or terrified that nobody is.’ This one’s worth reading.” (Alistair for Hugh).
- The ‘Incredible Treasure Chest’ of Homestar Runner – Vulture. “If you’re of a certain Internet Age, after Usenet but before the death of Flash, you probably know Homestar Runner. This weird website was animations, and memes, and weird characters that didn’t need to explain themselves. It was somehow limnal: Free of the tyranny of a label, channel, or studio, but too early to be a true creator. And yet its influence is everywhere. This reference is either making you nostalgic, or making you wonder what the hell I’m talking about. This article will satisfy both of those positions.” (Alistair for Mitch).
- Andrew Dessler – The Joe Rogan Experience. “Podcaster Joe Rogan‘s been in the news lately for a variety controversies (Covid conspiracies, racism). I’m an occasional listener to Rogan. My observation is that he’s curious, interested and sympathetic to whoever is his guest. The conversations are 2-3 hours long, which gives a ton of time to really dig into ideas and issues. It’s a great format. But your mileage vary greatly depending on the guest: He is as interested and sympathetic to a seasoned epidemiologist/Covid expert one day, as he is to an Ivermectin champion the next. Clearly that poses problems. In any case: all that was a disclaimer before introducing this fascinating discussion with Andrew Dressler about energy and climate change, where I learned that the Texas grid is powered by ~40% wind and solar.” (Hugh for Alistair).
- Alan Allan Allen Steve WHAAAAT!! Best ending!! – Rahazul – YouTube. “To take your mind off of climate change (or pick your choice of existential threats these days), here’s an old memevid that made me feel good recently.” (Hugh for Mitch).
- “We need to overcome our deep-seated phobia of major projects” – Dezeen. “I spent some time over this March Break in New York state. This involved a few day trips into New York City. I could not believe how unique and special the Hudson Yards development has integrated into the city. Couple that with a quick walk up the stairs into the High Line, and it’s hard to imagine this wasn’t always a core part of New York City. The landscape has completely changed in that city… in just a few years. Now, if we consider these as major projects, maybe we’re thinking too small? As I was reflecting on these spaces with a family member who lives in New York City, they mentioned this project. The ability to actually make Manhattan that much bigger. It got me thinking about our perspectives and limitations that we create around projects and new initiatives. If someone told you, we can make New York City bigger, how would you respond?” (Mitch for Alistair).
- Fiona Hill On The War Putin Is Really Fighting – The Ezra Klein Show. “I don’t know much about the history of Russia, let alone the Ukraine. I do know that war and violence is never the answer, for me. That’s probably the Canadian in me speaking. I’ve also not been doing great with my physical health. I put on a few too many pounds. and I stopped my daily walks up to the summit, here in Montreal. I decided to change that recently. It’s not easy doing this walk through the slush, snow and ice (and the cold… let’s not forget about the cold). I’m pushing forward. What gets me through these early morning steps is listening to podcasts. The Ezra Klein Show has done a great job of highlighting what’s really happening in that part of the world. I chose this episode, but you should also check out the episode titled, Putin Is ‘Profoundly Anti-Modern.’ Masha Gessen Explains What That Means For The World. Neither of these podcasts will make you feel less depressed about what’s going on in the world, but it will give you insights that you may not have previously had. I am learning a lot about that part of the world. With that, I’m hopeful for peace, but not feeling optimistic about it when you consider how these two thought leaders dig into the issues.” (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.