(Only) 6 stories to read this weekend

With Google I/O(s GOOG), it has been a hard week for me to focus on getting much of anything done. I wanted to read more but instead spent a lot of time with smart people and writing — a lot. So this week there are only six stories to read this weekend.

• John Winsor returns to the recommended reading list with another brilliant essay: The World as We Know it is Over. Now What. In this piece he dwells on how the Internet is squeezing out inefficiencies in all sorts of industries.
• Spotify must win hearts to grow subscribers. Kyle Bylin of Live Nation Labs points out that Spotify has to do more than just sign partnerships and launch new features to win over subscribers and beat rivals.
• One of my favorite science writers, Maria Konnikova, interviews novelist Lyndsay Faye on the art of mystery writing, science and Sherlock Holmes. Faye has a new book called The Gods of Gotham.
• Thanks to one of my readers (hi Ronald) I have become obsessed with artificial intelligence and frankly cannot get enough of it. Of course, in order to get a better handle on AI, you might find this article in the American Scientist, the Manifest Destiny of Artificial Intelligence, most useful.
• Nine signs that neuroscience has entered the classroom is a surprisingly fun and informative piece, despite its very simplistic headline.
• How to find compassion in your most difficult moments. Mary JakschElana Miller, MD who is a psychiatry resident and founder of Zen Psychiatry speaks from experience when imparting this advice.

Update: I had incorrectly identified Mary Jaksch as the author of the last post, when in fact it was Dr. Miller who wrote the guest post on her blog.