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: 

• Writing-First Companies Are Superior (Here’s why) – Brie Wolfson – How I Write Podcast – YouTube. “This was an amazing conversation with someone who’s not only an author, but a true lover of books. Some real value and lines I haven’t heard before, and a fascinating look at why people make physical artifacts. Stripe Press has been raising the bar for non-fiction (albeit with a healthy amount of support from the Collisons) and it shows.” (Alistair for Hugh).
• Uneasy On The Ear: An Interview With Lola De La Mata – The Quietus. “I can’t imagine what life would be like with tinnitus. A constant noise that wakes you up – distortion, interruption, confusion. But artists are gonna art, and Lola De La Mata turned the things she heard into sounds for others. Since you know plenty of musicians, and I’m sure many struggle with hearing, I thought this might, ahem, strike a chord.” (Alistair for Mitch).
• How The Philosopher Charles Taylor Would Heal The Ills Of Modernity – The New Yorker. “However you slice it, it seems like the liberal democratic project is under siege, both from the right and the left. The energy for both political movements comes from the same general place – whatever system we have built, each says in different ways, is failing us. The proscriptions for fixing the system looks very different, but it’s clear that the wealthy centre isn’t holding. Charles Taylor, famed philosopher, has just published a tome at age 93, arguing that liberalism’s fault is that we’ve removed all sense of wonder from the public sphere, resulting in an overwhelming sense of disenchantment. For Taylor the answer is poetry and a connection beyond argument. I bought his new book as a summer reading project.” (Hugh for Alistair).
• A Close Reading Of The Best Opening Paragraph Of All Time – Literary Hub. “Something lovely about exploring exactly what is great about good writing.” (Hugh for Mitch).
• What Is Intelligent Life? – Aeon. “I am going to try (for the first time) to write out why I am most scared of artificial intelligence’s potential near-future. I believe that it (might) be smarter than humans… or be able to do things that our brains simply cannot do. Why does this scare me? Because it (might) force us to acknowledge that our definition of ‘intelligence’ is wrong… or (maybe) our actual intelligence isn’t all that intelligent at all. We have been, simply, humoring ourselves. Like when someone broke the four minute mile, suddenly many people could do it. But before that? Blocked. That was (what we thought) the limit. What if we’re not intelligent? Or… what if how we think has actually been holding us back from who we could become as a species? This article went in a completely different direction, but aligned with why I’m grappling with AI. If we can’t even see how other species solve problems… what does that say about something that may be superior to our own intellect?” (Mitch for Alistair). 
• Watch A Japanese Artisan Hand-Craft A Cello In 6 Months – Open Culture. “I have spent countless hours watching videos and documentaries like this over the years. I don’t many people who know what it actually takes to make something these days. It’s hard to imagine any product that can’t be pumped out of a factory somewhere across the world in a few minutes that can be purchased for a few bucks. We live in a world of excess and all of that excess is (fairly) cheap and commoditized. But that isn’t the full reality. There are people – true artists – who toil in the design, quality, details and production of many commonly seen things. Take this cello and the art of bringing it to life…” (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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