Six Links That Make You Think #788

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:

Did The ‘Friends’ Pilot Predict The Matrix?- Heidi Regan – YouTube. “The TED Talk you didn’t know you needed.” (Alistair for Hugh). A Film For The Future Remix – Coldplay . “We were so busy talking about KissCamGate and the excellent PR pivot with Gwyneth Paltrow, we missed the interactive remix app for one of their tracks. Looking at the band’s LinkTree is a reminder of just how widespread a tour or album launch is these days.” (Alistair for Mitch). The General Theory Of Enshittification – Paul Krugman . “Paul Krugman casts an economist’s eye on Cory Doctorow‘s notion of enshittification, the process by which great services designed for their users transition to benefitting their business customers (over their users), then squeeze their business customers to maximize profit, then (maybe) die. Twitter is a great example, but social media in general fits this model. Krugman argues this principle applies to any business that relies on network effects, and tries to put some preliminary math to the process.” (Hugh for Alistair). Scapegoating The Algorithm – Dan WIlliams – Asterik . “Has social media ruined everything? Or are there deeper problems in our/American politics?” (Hugh for Mitch). Waymo, Texas Culture, Airline Lounges, OpenAI And Uber Eats – Rory Sutherland – Modern Wisdom – YouTube . “He’s back! I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it: I love Rory Sutherland. The way his brain works is this blend of polymath curiosity, mischief and sharp insight. It feels like listening to someone remix reality in real time with a swanky accent. So glad to see him back on the Modern Wisdom podcast. He jumps from maps easing anxiety to the psychology of airline lounges, to why food delivery UX often misses the mark. But what sticks with me is how he reframes everything. He doesn’t try to out-engineer the world, he rethinks the rules we’re playing by. He makes you realize that the smallest tweaks in context… how something feels, not just what it does… can be more transformative than any big-budget innovation. He’s not just a brilliant thinker… he’s a brilliant rethinker. And he’s wildly entertaining to boot. When I think about how you’re trying to get the word out on your book, Just Evil Enough, I feel like the way Rory thinks is a perfect pairing. Countless moments of insights and he drops some interesting books and thikers to follow.” (Mitch for Alistair). Scientists Hit Quantum Computer Error Rate Of 0.000015% — A World Record Achievement That Could Lead To Smaller And Faster Machines – Tristan Greene – LiveScience . “Every so often, a breakthrough comes along that feels like a quiet revolution, and this one, while microscopic in scale is seismic in implication. Scientists have achieved an error rate in quantum computing so low it practically redefines precision. That matters because quantum computing is the rocket fuel for AI, biotech, climate modeling (or any problem too complex for today’s machines). With this kind of fidelity, we’re edging closer to systems that don’t just live in labs but actually work in the wild. Smaller. Faster. Smarter. It unlocks a world where AI doesn’t just guess but understands, where drug discovery accelerates, where logistics and problem-solving happen in real time. And while I’m excited, I’m terrfied too. When innovation moves faster than regulation or even comprehension, we risk racing into a future we haven’t fully thought through. The speed is thrilling, but it’s also disorienting… yay for discovery… and yikes!” (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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