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Six Links Worthy of Your Attention #638

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:

On my resignation as regulator of the Dutch intelligence and security services – Bert Hubert. “Bert Hubert is a tech founder who works with governments and open source groups, and teaches on how tech impacts society. In 2020, he became one of the three members of the board that checks warrants for the Dutch intelligence and security services. This was a relatively new innovation: When the legal system needed a warrant to intercept digital communications or hack someone, a panel of two judges and a technical expert weighed in. And Bert was that expert. On September 9, 2022, he resigned, because that system was switching from ask-for-permission to ask-for-forgiveness. His resignation allows him to speak publicly about the change, part of a global trend towards state surveillance that should worry us all.” (Alistair for Hugh).
QAnon Conspiracy Theorists Have a New Cure-All: $120,000 TVs – The Daily Beast. “If this title doesn’t say it all, well. It’s becoming increasingly clear that a significant chunk of humanity is living in a parallel universe where science doesn’t matter and magic is real. I’m a big fan of diverse viewpoints in public discourse, but at some point, I really don’t understand how humans think. Or maybe I’m just bad at branding.” (Alistair for Mitch).
Engineer Splits the Rear Wheel of His Bike in Half to Show That Two Halves Make a Whole – Twisted Sifter. “Do you think that if you cut your bike wheel in half you could still ride your bike? What if I gave you another half wheel but specified that you had to use that second half wheel behind the first half-wheel? Could you make it work?” (Hugh for Alistair).
You’re Underestimating Kindness – Lifehacker. “Here’s a fascinating study that shows that people underestimate how much other people will appreciate their (small) kindnesses; and further, that when you are kind to someone they are likely to be kind to others as well. So all of you (and me) should make a little pledge: I will make an extra gesture of kindness to a stranger at least twice a week.” (Hugh for Mitch).
Why Ethereum is switching to proof of stake and how it will work – MIT Technology Review. “This is a big week for cryptocurrency and Blockchain technology. Many people have probably glazed over the news. Especially, considering that this time in our lives is a crypto-winter. Still this is a big deal for technology and our future. Here’s is a great primer on what Ethereum has done by switching to a new model called, ‘proof of stake’. Now, you can go off and debate whether this makes crypto a better currency or something less durable (and closer to fiat). It will take a while for what is being called the ‘Merge’ to reveal it’s true self, and if it will be better than days of past. Regardless, this is an important moment in time for technology.” (Mitch for Alistair).
On its 25th anniversary, here’s a look at Oprah’s Book Club—by the numbers – Literary Hub. “It’s hard to believe that it has been 25 years since Oprah Winfrey launched her book club. If you believe that people no longer read books they way that they used to, I can promise you that back when Oprah launched this idea, it really felt like nobody was reading books anymore. To say that this book club was a success, would be a massive understatement. It, literally, built careers and helped the entire book publishing industry push forward and move into different directions. Oprah highlighted voices that were not being heard and covered areas of thought and history that truly reflected the kaleidoscope of life on this earth. To say that Oprah pushed diversity of thought forward in her book selections, would be another massive understatement. This is a small tribute to the magnificent way in which Oprah’s Book Club transformed the world, and helped us become better people by becoming better readers.” (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.