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: 

• ‘Do you want to be a pet or livestock?’–a new religion wants to prepare us for the future of artificial intelligence – Mashable. “If you think sentient AI is coming, then there’s just one question: Do you want to be pets or cattle? This is resignation at its best, and it’s literally a church. Want a sign of our times? Here you go.” (Alistair for Hugh).
• Cow Clicker. “I hadn’t heard about this until recently, but apparently it’s been around since 2012. It’s a satire of Facebook games designed to demonstrate just how addictive social games are. You literally click to get more clicks. And despite this, it became successful. It’s offline now, but you can still click the place where the cow was — and people do. Want another sign of our times? Look no further.” (Alistair for Mitch).
• Take This Hammer – YouTube. “I’ve been reading James Baldwin for the first time. Another Country, published in 1962 – still a radical book – is still amazingly relevant. Here’s a short clip of Baldwin talking about race and a specific word.” (Hugh for Alistair).
• The doll doctor of Paris – The Guardian. “The stuff of nightmares.” (Hugh for Mitch).
• When Is The U.S. Going To Ban The Internet Of Things For Children? – Fast Company – Co. Design. “Sometimes, technology happens and we just let it happen. We don’t think much about it. It kind of creeps up on us, while at the same time it becomes super-pervasive almost overnight. To me, that is how I can best describe the internet of things… or connected devices. We worry about the health and well-being of young people when it comes to the web and smartphones and screens. Well, how about this whole internet of things? Are just OK with it because it’s now everywhere? After reading this… not so much.” (Mitch for Alistair).
• Why Is New York Full of Empty Stores? – The New York Times. “This is one very powerful read. Cities are changing beneath our noses and most people hardly notice it. Sure, just shrug your shoulders and mutter ‘Amazon‘ and move on. Think about it this way: if the most densely populated city on the planet is having a hard time keeping small businesses around, what chance does your community have? Is your only bet to set up shop on Shopify? Local merchants? There’s a depth to this issue and we’re ignoring it… even as these empty spaces sit right in front of our faces.” (Mitch for Hugh).

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