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: 

• The Man Who Bought Pine Bluff, Arkansas – Max Read – Read Max. “Much has been written about the resurgence of small towns in America. What’s not to like? Tariffs will bring manufacturing home and the Internet means you can work from anywhere. Why not go where rents are low, and try to rekindle a town that’s collapsed from urbanism? I’m waiting for this to turn into a Netflix show or true crime podcast.” (Alistair for Hugh).
• I’m A Neurology Icu Nurse. The Creep Of Ai In Our Hospitals Terrifies Me – Michael Kennedy & Isobel Cockerell – Coda. “In The Perils of Automation, a The Guardian piece I read years back, we learn that those whose jobs are automated have their basic skills atrophy. Airplane autopilots do this to their human pilots, which is why pilots practice emergencies in flight simulators so much. Otherwise, those pilots are idle; the autopilot only hands them control when it encounters something it can’t handle. But AI is about to spread autopilots to every industry, resulting in unprepared humans that are handed crises. Automating the drudgery of documentation is a clear target for these algorithms – but by reducing a patient to ratings and rankings, it has the side effect of not letting humans understand the patient’s situation, which robs caregivers of automation. There’s a lot in here that foreshadows how other industries will change as AI joins the workforce.” (Alistair for Mitch).
• What If Cities Finally Legalized Adult Dorms? – Rachel M. Cohen – Vox. “Up until the post war period, in the United States and Canada, rooming houses were common, where single men, labourers and immigrants rented a room and (usually) had meals and cleaning provided by the owner and small staff. In the 1946, movie It’s a Wonderful Life, for instance, Jimmy Stewart‘s mother runs a rooming house, illustrating the difficulties of banks and housing that underpin the movie. That model mostly disappeared, with a combination of a massive housing build, suburbanization, zoning laws banning multi-occupancy dwellings, and public housing. But as far as housing goes, we’re facing a huge crisis of affordability and availability. One solution is to take all these empty office buildings and turn them into massive dorms: multiple bedrooms or units, with central kitchens and bathrooms. This is the first half of the premise for my late-capitalist-dystopia-horror script.” (Hugh for Alistair).
• Police Hunt 43 Monkeys That Escaped From A South Carolina Research Facility – Patrick Smith, Austin Mullen And Doha Madani – NBC News. “Here is part two of my late-capitalist-dystopia-horror script: 43 rhesus macaque monkeys escaped from a research facility called Alpha Genesis, in Beaufort County, South Carolina. From the article: ‘The monkeys are a group of ‘very young females’ that have never been used for testing. An Alpha Genesis spokesperson confirmed to police that the animals ‘are too young to carry disease.’ Alpha Genesis, in case you are looking for a job, is ‘one of the largest and most comprehensive non-human primate facilities, designed specifically for monkeys, in the United States.’.” (Hugh for Mitch).
• The Art Of Time Travel – Katie Neith – Nautilus. “While we’re all obsessing over digital technology and transformation roadmaps, Lia Halloran‘s creating art that fundamentally challenges how we perceive technology’s role in our lives. She describes telescopes as ‘machines of longing’ – tools that extend our desire to understand what’s beyond our reach. Here’s what really got me: She says, ‘It’s not about what’s out there, it’s about your perception of what’s out there.’ Halloran combines century-old techniques like cyanotype with modern approaches. She’s not choosing between old and new – she’s creating something better by combining both. There’s some thinking here in that the future of business isn’t about the technology itself. It’s about how that technology changes our perception of what’s possible. And isn’t that a much more exciting perspective?” (Mitch for Alistair).
• The Podcast Election – Scott Galloway – No Mercy / No Malice. “As a Canadian, this past US Presidential election has been ‘fascinating’ (’terrifying’?) to watch – on many different levels. I’m guessing for many, they won’t be able to get beyond the politics of this article to really think deeply about just how much the media landscape has shifted. From celebrity endorsements to the power of podcasting. Scott Galloway does a great job of breaking down the true new media landscape. My podcast, Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast, has been published weekly for over eighteen years… suddenly, podcasting is – once again – new media? But the power? The audience? The viewers/listeners? The connection with the hosts? It’s… very… interesting. I’ve been a fan of the genre (as a listener – not just as a host) for closer to twenty years… I’m, certainly, thrilled to see its ascent. Also, were not for those early days of podcasting, I would have never met Hugh” (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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