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 world’s dominant ideology is breaking. What will replace it? – The Week. “Thomas Piketty is as close as you can get to rockstar economist. This fascinating essay about his latest book—which, at over a thousand pages, is probably a bit daunting—unpacks some of his core arguments. While we think of ‘noble classes’ as a byegone model of government, it turns out they were vastly different. Armed with facts and original research, Picketty shows that (in the words of Ryan Cooper), ‘Under typical conditions, the rate of return on wealth exceeds the economy’s rate of growth, causing the richest individuals to collect more and more of the national wealth and income.’ Thought-provoking reading for a time where we’re reconsidering the fundamentals on which society runs.” (Alistair for Hugh).
- Talking with Cory Doctorow about surveillance capitalism and what to do about it – CJR. “Mathew Ingram is one my favorite media thinkers. Our fellow Canadian had a stint at GigaOm, and asks great questions; he doesn’t suffer fools, and knows his stuff. To see him chatting with Cory Doctorow—a polymath who’s been a canary in the digital coal mine since the dawn of our online lives—brings me great joy. If you can’t tell, I’m in a somewhat revolutionary mood this week, and this discussion is both balm and manifesto.” (Alistair for Mitch).
- A Second Chance – The New York Review. “Why you should take acting classes if you need to stand trial in front of a jury, and other surprising things about the way the world works.” (Hugh for Alistair).
- Book of Revelation – Lapham’s Quarterly. “As the bizarre information medium of the web begins to reveal itself to us, as facts and reality start to crumble… as shared experiences evaporate… as QAnon, conspiracies, fake news and fake fake news swirl around… as the cheapness of spreading (false or real) information intersects with the ability to target information which intersects with our information purveyors’ preference to algorithmically cordon us all off into information bubbles, it’s interesting to look back in history – to a time when books and writing were everywhere, but very few could read. That’s what it feels like these days: information is everywhere, but we don’t yet know how to read any of it.” (Hugh for Mitch).
- The fastest drummer in the world is a cyborg – Big Think. “Hope. Problem solving. The greater good. A better tomorrow. Remove disabilities. Seems strange to write those words. 2019 seems like forever ago. Still, we need all of those positive things in our lives. I need more it. I search it out. I want to consume this kind of content. We are better together than apart. This proves that… and… it’s very cool.” (Mitch for Alistair).
- The Art of Work – Maynard James Keenan – Revolver. “For some, this pandemic changes very little about how they think, live, create and work. I feel like Tool’s frontman, Maynard James Keenan, has it all figured out. This is a mini-documentary about how he lives and creates from a few years back. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a fan of his music (which also includes the bands, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer and more). Maynard lives a fascinating life and this will inspire you. Promise. I watch this mini-series several times every year.” (Mitch for Hugh).
Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.
Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends ;):