Free* Speech
Plus the electrotech revolution and the process of making good decisions by eliminating bad ones (#543)
This is David, your decidedly human web crawler, and you're reading the Weekly Filet, the newsletter for curious minds who love when something makes them go «Huh, I never thought of it this way!». As every Friday, I'm here to help you make sense of what’s happening, and imagine what could be. It's great to have you.
1. Charlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost Cause
I didn't write about Charlie Kirk last week, because it was so recent, everyone was jumping to conclusions and nothing seemed worth recommending here. I'm still hesitant, but I wanted to share some thoughts that have started to form, and a piece by Ta-Nehisi Coates that gets to the heart of why this moment is so dangerous. In the immediate aftermath, it felt like more violence was bound to follow, with the far right and their president blaming the left and calling for retribution. Now that the motive and the background of the shooter look less conclusive, something else seems to be happening – less violent, but no less dangerous. Kirk gets sanitised by the centre-left, turned into a martyr by the right and this death, ironically, gets weaponised against free speech. Maybe best captured by a satirical post by journalist Judd Legum: «Charlie Kirk was a champion of free speech and anyone who says otherwise will be fired.» Ta-Nehisi Coates stresses that one cannot praise Kirk for how he engaged in debate without calling out what he said. «If you would look away from the words of Charlie Kirk, from what else would you look away?»
Ta-Nehisi Coates
2. The Electrotech Revolution
Something to nerd out on. A 112-slide strong presentation by the energy think tank Ember on how electrotech is rewriting the economics and geopolitics of energy. If you remember just one chart, make it 32. («The electrification ceiling is high and rising»).
3. Via Negativa: The Process of Making Good Decisions By Eliminating Bad Ones
A short ode to the via negativa, the method of obtaining knowledge via subtraction. Includes the case for more «How not to» self-help books at the classic quote from Michelangelo on how he created his masterpiece statue: «It’s simple. I just remove everything that is not David.» (which also happens to be my guiding principle for staying in shape).
Abhishek Chakraborty
4. Insurance in the Polycrisis
Enlightening: the climate crisis, seen through the lens of insurance. As more and more things become too risky to insure, the ripple effects are felt everywhere.
Kate Mackenzie
5. Do I really exist, Anil Seth?
What a wonderful concept! This new podcast, aptly called «Only one question», is all about a single yes or no question. They ask the best possible expert and follow up until they arrive at something resembling clarity. In this case, the answer to the question whether we really exist, is: «No, but...». The intro is in German, the conversation starts at 3:30.
Jochen Wegner
What else?
Instant-gratification links that make you go wow! or aha! the moment you click.
- The 2025 edition of the Internet Phone Book is out, an annual publication for exploring the vast poetic web. Tends to sell out quickly.
- You don't have to read the article, just marvel at the title: Liberté, égalité, radioactivité.
- Wind turbine turned tiny house.
- Use at your discretion: insults that use no curse words.
- Cartoon: You don't hate Mondays, you hate your job.
- Denmark close to wiping out leading cancer-causing HPV strains after vaccine roll-out.
- Invite codes: Digg (yes, that Digg, it's back), Digg #2. Dia Browser.
Books for curious minds
Some new ones as I read them, some older ones that continue to inform how I look at the world and myself.
A typology of regrets, and why they are a underutilised resource. Loved the mini-anecdotes interspersed throughout the book. Buy it here.
A gem from the archive
David Bauer
The Weekly Filet archive offers more than 2500 hand-picked links since 2011, like this one. You can search by interests, explore collections or shuffle for a gem.
That's it for this week. Thanks for reading. I wish you a nice weekend and hope to see you again next Friday!
— David
Little useful apps from me, for you
📊 Dataguessr, a playful way to update your knowledge of the world. 🌍 You Don't Know Africa, a simple game that has already humbled millions of people. 💯 Choose Impact, an online tool to compare job opportunities. 🧭 Priority Compass, a tool for individuals, teams and organisations to focus your energy on what really matters. 🪄 How I Use AI, a collection of use cases, ready to use and adapt. 💬 Climate Questions, a playful conversation starter. And ⏱️ One Minute Challenge, a little meaningful distraction to refocus.
More ways to learn and take inspiration from
Check my 📚 digital bookshelf, with sections of 🌡️ books that help you make sense of the climate crisis, ⛵ books that make you a better product manager, 🪄 books that help you make sense of AI, and 🧒 books that help you as a parent. And from collecting the best links on the web for close to 15 years, my thematic collections: The Art of Thinking (Differently), The Stuff Our Modern World Runs On, Bingeworthy Podcasts, and more.