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: 

• How the Horrific Tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Led to Workplace Safety Laws. – History. “My friend Jim Stogdill remarked that we’re spending a lot of time talking about fake news and a media-driven political cycle (in the U.S., but elsewhere as well). This isn’t new, of course, and many people refer to Hearst using his papers to foment aggression in the Spanish Civil War. But as Jim pointed out, other things—seldom remembered—triggered great reckonings in the social contract. The Shirtwaist Fire was new to me, and clearly had a huge impact on the role of government regulation in modern life.” (Alistair for Hugh).
• The Town That Went Feral – The New Republic. “Libertarianism is an interesting idea, seldom well-tested outside of rogue states. Here’s an amazing tale of what happened when a group of hardcore Libertarians took over a New Hampshire town. Short version: The bears were not co-operative.” (Alistair for Mitch).
• ‘It’s not just a trade war’: Ray Dalio on why China’s rise means big headaches for US, the world – Yahoo! Finance. “In order to help with my mental health, I’ve decided to stop reading about COVID and the U.S. election, and instead focus on how China and the US are headed for war. Famed investor, Ray Dalio, has been writing and talking about this fun future, and he’s got a lot of historical/cyclical data to back up his worries.”  (Hugh for Alistair).
• Many Tech Experts Say Digital Disruption Will Hurt Democracy – Pew Research Center. “When not reading about the cheerful reality of a China-US conflict, I’ve been adding a bit of fun to my info diet by reading about the ways in which AI and accelerating big data collection will undermine democracy!” (Hugh for Mitch).
• Ask Ecamm With Ken and Glen – Ecamm Live – YouTube. “I have been hard at work building out my home/office studio. Not just because of Covid. Over my decades of being in the online communication business, I’ve been less about video (I prefer writing and my audio podcasting). Still, it has been time to upgrade. Time to gather the many pieces of hardware and software that I have used over the years, and make it easier (and simpler) to use. One piece of software that has been a huge component of this process is Ecamm Live. I don’t just love the software. I love how the founders engage with their customers. Here’s just one of many examples. The co-founders launched an interview mode feature. and this is how they share the news. If you think this is all about Ecamm Live, you would be wrong. This is the best kind of content marketing and – I promise you – there’s a ton of learning about how to get better with your virtual work communications. You will love it too… and you will learn a lot as well…” (Mitch for Alistair).
• On learning to trust yourself – The Creative Independant. “You don’t have to be a fan of Wilco or their frontman, Jeff Tweedy, to appreciate this amazing conversation about the world of creativity, finding a good process and how to get lost in your work. This resonated with me. As I build out my virtual studio chops (see above), I am constantly balancing my passion to learn something new with ‘am I being paid for this?’ Disappearing in your work is a good thing, when it can be so easy to get lost in the news cycle.” (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 ;):