Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention

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 (BitCurrent, Rednod, GigaOM, Human 2.0, the author of Complete Web Monitoring and Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks), Hugh McGuire (The Book Oven, LibriVox, Bite-Sized Edits, Media Hacks) and I decided that every week or so the three of us are going to share one link for each other (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:

1. Digital – A Love Story. "I’ve been a little heavy-handed with politics and opinions these last few weeks, so my links this time are a bit light-hearted. They’re also not from the mainstream media for a change. I grew up in an era of BBSes, the geeky slow-motion precursor to the modern Web. It was a wonderful utopia that couldn’t last: with bandwidth scarce, words mattered. I spent weeks writing, reading, and learning from the rest of the Montreal community, certain that I’d found kindred spirits online. So I give you: Digital – A Love Story, an interactive application that simulates a PC, and a BBS, of yesteryear. As you use the app, the story unfolds, much as it might online. The brainchild (lovechild?) of Christine Love." (Alistair for Hugh).
2. Clients From Hell. "This week, I’m going to avoid talking about food, too. Since we’ve all worked in services businesses long enough to know that the customer’s not always right, I’ll point you to Clients From Hell. The next time you’re dealing with a fifth edit or a change that makes no sense, just visit this page and you’ll feel better. Or at least, less alone. It’s like @shitmydadsays, only for service providers." (Alistair for Mitch).
3. The Secret of Groupon’s Success Is… Good Writing? – Social Beat. "Alistair has just launched a start-up incubator, Year One Labs. There’s lots of advice for start-ups out in the world, and my assessment is that about 50% of it is good advice; 50% is bad advice. It depends on the start-up, depends on the founders, depends on the market. But I liked this article nonetheless, because it talks about the kind of stuff most people don’t mention: social buying site Groupon‘s success was driven largely from boring old technology and skills – good writing and email. (Hugh for Alistair).
4. William Burroughs on…Led Zeppelin! – Arthur. "William S. Burroughs interviews Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin in 1975. Republished from a 1975 edition of Crawdaddy Magazine. What else to say?" (Hugh for Mitch).
5. Why We’re Teaching ‘The Wire’ at Harvard – Harvard Kennedy School. "Curious about social inequity, urban poverty, McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets and what all of this has to do with a new course at Harvard based on the television series, The Wire? This must-read article not only demonstrates what universities must do to be creative in attracting new students to their courses, it is also a good indication of how great storytelling can sometimes lead to better learning than a boring textbook filled with facts and details." (Mitch for Alistair).
6. Power to the (Blogging) People – The New York Times. "New York Times op-ed columnist Thomas Friedman (author of The World Is Flat, Hot, Flat And Crowded and many more best-selling books) revives the notion that Blogging is still relevant in this very poignant peace about the rise and branding of China. With over 70 million Bloggers sharing, connecting and adding their voices it proves as both a challenge and opportunity for China. Friedman asserts, ‘China’s leaders are under constant pressure now to be more assertive by a populist- and nationalist-leaning blogosphere, which, in the absence of democratic elections, is becoming the de facto voice of the people.’ More democratization and disintermediation brought to you by the kind people of the Blogosphere." (Mitch for Hugh).

Now, it’s your turn: in the comment section below pick one thing that you saw this week that inspired you and share it.