Six Links That Make You Think #787

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 (Just Evil Enough, 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:

Digital Safety Guide For Domestic Violence Survivors – Liz Howard – The Multiverse School. “One of the people I follow online, Liz Howard, is an AI teacher, tech explainer, activist, and extremely smart technologist. Among many other things she’s done is this document designed for survivors of domestic violence. In an era of encroaching technology, when someone dangerous has access to your physical devices, they can turn them against you in myriad ways. 85% of domestic violence survivors experience some kind of tech-based harassment. This no-nonsense document contains an exhaustive list, and it’d be good if more people see it. Sharing this mostly because I wanted folks to have access to it if they know someone who needs help.” (Alistair for Hugh). Detection Of Cancers Three Years Prior To Diagnosis Using Plasma Cell-Free Dna – American Association For Cancer Research . “The sooner we detect cancer, the more likely we are to beat it. This study (paywalled, but it contains a synopsis) shows that cancer DNA shows up in blood plasma as much as three years beforehand. With better sensitivity, we can tackle these diseases sooner. Today, cancer is often a co-morbidity (meaning we have it but die of something else first). So the challenge, of course, is whether we have the resources to do so – particularly with our already-stressed medical system. Still, it’s a reminder that technology can also help us.” (Alistair for Mitch). Algorithm On Fleek: How TikTok Is Transforming The English Language – Adam Aleksic – Lit Hub . “Language and TikTok.” (Hugh for Alistair). Your Face Tomorrow – Michael W. Clune – Harper’s Magazine . “How much of what we care about today (say privacy) will not matter in the future because of tech.” (Hugh for Mitch). The Media’s Pivot To AI Is Not Real And Not Going To Work – Jason Koebler – 404 Media . “I don’t think I spent enough time realzing just how badly AI will impact media companies… shame on me. Media companies are struggling as AI tools like ChatGPT implode website traffic and, in turn, will harm journalism jobs. Still, it would be imporassible for media executives to also not push AI as a solution to stay profitable. Which means (you guessed it) cutting staff and relying on tech giants more and more. What’s the best strategy here? This journalist believes that media companies need to focus on building real relationships with readers and highlighting human work, not just chasing AI efficiency. And while I can’t disagree with this perspective, it’s hard to believe that it’s the solution and not just a band-aid. Woe is the future of media…?” (Mitch for Alistair). Popular Podcasts Like Joe Rogan And Theo Von Are All Video Now. Who Is Watching? – Joseph Bernstein – The New York Times . “How long has it been since we’ve debated the topic: What is a podcast? Welp… here we go again. It’s clear that the most popular podcasts are… eseentially… TV shows… but on YouTube. Whether you’re watching the talking heads ramble on or playing them in the background. It’s a new day for podcasts and YouTube is the main platform for video podcasts. Still, most people still listen to audio-only version (I’m sure Tom Webster has all of the actual data to share). Still, we can’t deny this video-first shift, which is everything from how podcasts are now made to who watches them and, maybe, most importantly, what a ‘podcast’ even means in today’s media landscape” (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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