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: 

• Beep Beep – Daring Fireball. “One of the biggest debates in tech right now that’s still bubbling just under the surface is about Apple’s iMessage. To some, it’s an app, just like Signal or Whatsapp. To others, it’s Apple’s monopoly, making ‘green texts’ a second-class message platform. This happens because Apple has retrofitted SMS with a bunch of additional features only available to Apple users, and it’s actually hard to opt out. I’ve personally had people not receive messages until they were outside data plans, because that’s the only time they see SMS; and have had others with weird parallel messages linked to their email address that are separate from their phone number. SMS was invented in 1992, but iMessage only came along in 2011 – and many people don’t realize they’re two entirely different things, one piggybacking on another. So is Apple’s refusal not to let people use iMessage unless they’re Apple customers a monopolistic practice? Or is it simply a refusal to let people who aren’t paying use their service? It’s complicted, but this Daring Fireball piece explains it well.” (Alistair for Hugh).
• Why Is TikTok Parent ByteDance Moving Into Biology, Chemistry And Drug Discovery? – Forbes. “When you have access to what the world is thinking, you know what to make, who to sell it to, and how to sell it. This article speculates that data from TikTok ‘could serve as an invaluable feedback loop and marketing tool for drug developers.’ Or maybe it’s just finding other ways to use its AI infrastructure as companies like Google already do. But given that drug discovery is accelerating rapidly in the face of computation, changing fields like genomics and proposing thousands of new compounds, the real challenge is knowing which ones to pursue. Mitch, I figured you’d find this an interesting twist in your coverage of these companies.” (Alistair for Mitch).
• The Greatest Solo Of All Time – Rick Beato – YouTube. “I’ve posted before about music analyst/YouTuber, Rick Beato and Montreal’s legendary jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson. Here Rick analyzes a mind-blowing solo by Mr. Peterson.” (Hugh for Alistair).
• Leonard Nimoy Does A William Shatner Impression On Hero Complex – Nerdist – YouTube. “Came here for the impression, stayed to listen to a civilian version of Mr. Spock talk about a long career in acting, and some highlights on a life on the USS Enterprise.” (Hugh for Mitch).
• Timeline Of The Far Future – Information Is Beautiful. “This truly is an awesome visualization of information we should all know. From the post: ‘How long until the Sun turns into a black dwarf? How long before the Earth is destroyed? Don’t lose too much sleep over these. Why? Because photosynthesis will not be possible in 800 million years, ending all life. If we’re not annihilated by a colossal asteroid first. Explore this future timeline’. Morbid? Maybe. A great way to put your life and thinking into perspective? Absolutely!” (Mitch for Alistair).
• Podcasting Is In Its YouTube Era – The Verge. “File this under: More things Mitch is totally doing wrong with his digital channels. I love podcasting (more than most). I’ve been creating a new episode of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast every single Sunday for almost 18 years (without ever missing a week). My ’newer’ show, Groove – The No Treble Podcast has come out monthly, without fail, for nine years. Are either of them on YouTube? No. And, here’s the stupid crazy part: Do I use YouTube to watch/listen to podcasts all of the time? I do. Ugh. Now, YouTube is supporting RSS as well. I guess I know what I have to do…” (Mitch for Hugh).

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

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