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, HBS; chair of Strata, Startupfest, Pandemonio, and ResolveTO; Author of Lean Analytics and some other books), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist’s Manifesto) 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: 

• Appearing in Stock Photos Was the Biggest Mistake of My Life – Vice. “This title says it all; but the reasons why are worth considering. It isn’t just that royalty-free clipart is common; it’s also that there is a demand for a specific face to represent grimaces and regret (which this guy has); and that in a connected world, news of our fame leaks back to us in ways it once didn’t. Also, it’s pretty funny. Would you want to be the face of genital diseases in Brazil?” (Alistair for Hugh).
• Is Lo-Fi House the First Genre of the Algorithm Age? – Thump – Vice. “Alistair’s Law of Music Backlash writ large. As we try to train algorithms (like the one Hugh shared below of Bob Ross deep-dreamed into madness) to get better and better at things humans do, humans like what’s flawed and distorted. It’s a Wabi-sabi for the digital age. And some of its first offspring are trends like glitch (in audio, visuals, and advertising)–and lo-fi house, which was shaped by algorithms such as YouTube‘s recommendations. Mitch, I know this isn’t bass or metal, but it’s still for you.” (Alistair for Mitch).
• Deeply Artificial Trees – artBoffin – Vimeo. “What is this? What is it? My God. What what is it? This is, if I understand correctly, a neural network-generated video of Bob Ross painting; or, the most hellish version of David Lynch‘s nightmares.” (Hugh for Alistair).
• Just a clown singing Pinball Wizard to the tune of Folsom Prison Blues – BoingBoing. “Clown. Pinball Wizard. Folsom Prison Blues. Nightmares.” (Hugh for Mitch).
• Consumers Starting To Buy More Through Voice Assistants – MediaPost. “How often do you think about your own conspicuous consumption? Maybe it’s no longer just about buying expensive items to display wealth and income rather than to cover your real needs? Maybe it’s just about getting more stuff, instead of stuff that you really need? If you think about it, these voice assistants are making it ever-more easy for everyone to act like an old school king. Simply wave your fingers in the air and ask for something… and it arrives. Sometimes that stuff will be there within a few hours. We invent technology and often don’t know what it will be used for. After reading this, think about how much stuff we’ll simply ask for versus the stuff that we actually need.” (Mitch for Alistair). 
• A New, More Rigorous Study Confirms: The More You Use Facebook, the Worse You Feel – Harvard Business Review. “Facebook‘s job is to keep you coming back. The people you are connected to on Facebook have a job too. Their job is (mostly) to make you feel like you’re not living up to your full potential, because everything that everyone else posts is the life that they want you to think that they’re living. Only the good stuff. The result: we’re all much more miserable. And, the more you use it, the worse you feel (unless you’ve done a little bit of work on yourself, how you feel, how you think and how you manage your life). It’s a misery out there, folks…” (Mitch for Hugh).

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

Deeply Artificial Trees from artBoffin on Vimeo.