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 (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, Solve For Interesting, the author of Complete Web Monitoring, Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks and Lean Analytics), 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:
- Not-so-secret atomic tests: Why the photographic film industry knew what the American public didn’t – Imaging Resource. “Conspiracy theorists, from Kennedy to Clinton, are convinced that the Illuminati are out there, plotting and keeping secrets. I doubt those claims, simply because stuff leaks out. Case in point: Atomic testing in the 1940s.” (Alistair for Hugh).
- What’s Better Than Taking A Telemarketer Out Of Service? Taking Six! – Jolly Roger Telephone. “Smart agents versus phone scammers. Some amazing vengeance here, and a lesson in what Andrew Chen calls the Law Of Shitty Clickthrough Rates. The system basically answers calls and uses random/semi-structured responses to keep agents on the phone as long as possible and waste their time. Telemarkefraüde.” (Alistair for Mitch).
- “I Am Skeptical That Capitalism Has a Future” – Jacobin. “Cory Doctorow on our crumbling universe, and the maniacs who run it.” (Hugh for Alistair).
- Shifting Colors Of An Octopus May Hint At A Rich, Nasty Social Life – The Two-Way – NPR. “I love octopi. I mean, they have neurons on their skin! They also dress up like vampires, apparently.” (Hugh for Mitch).
- The Malfunctioning Tech Economy – The Guardian. “This is probably one of the most important reads to come out this year. Yes, it’s early days, but it’s a gem. I’m fortunate to count media theorist, Douglas Rushkoff, as a friend (and will pick up the phone if I call him). Wouldn’t it be nice to be a media theorist? Cool title, but you actually have to come up with theories about the media that no one has thought of yet. Well, check out this interview with Rushkoff. It gives a brief overview of his soon-to-be-published book, Throwing Rocks At The Google Bus. It’s provocative, it is deep, and it will give you plenty to think about. Look for a conversation between Rushkoff on me on the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast at some point soon in the next few months. Until then, please read this!” (Mitch for Alistair).
- Indie Bookstores Are Back, With a Passion – The New York Times. “Is it possible that the Internet economy could create a resurgence of independent and specialized retailers? Makes sense. If we can get our big, day-to-day stuff online (and for real cheap), maybe the real value in physical retail is the indie/specialized stuff? If that’s the case, maybe books are the prime product to lead the way in this new retail evolution?” (Mitch for Hugh).
Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.