How to solve the world's biggest problems

The world's biggest problems, the world's biggest man-made holes (and how they relate to one of the world's biggest problems), and the types of friends you need through all of this...it's all in this week's issue of the Weekly Filet, and that's not even half of what I found on the web. Shall we have a look?

1. How to solve the world's biggest problems

Eye-opening: What progress could we make if the top 1% earners of the world gave 10% of their income, just for one year? (Btw, yes, if you're reading this, you're likely in that group)

Natalie Cargill: How to solve the world’s biggest problems

Sometimes the world’s biggest issues can seem so intractable that meaningful change feels impossible. But what if the answer has been right in front of us all along? What if the answer is actually throwing money at the problems? In this thought-provoking talk, philanthropic advisor Natalie Cargill s…

TED TalksNatalie Cargill

2. The discovery of copper

New in my favourite nerdy subgenre: the in-depth profile of materials our modern world runs on. This piece makes you understand how crucial copper is for building a carbon-free future, and how that means we need plenty more of those biggest man-made holes in the world.

The discovery of copper - Works in Progress

Today’s world requires vastly more copper than you could imagine, and the world of electric vehicles will require even more. That means finding new ways to find and extract copper from the earth’s crust and oceans.

Works in ProgressEd Conway

Also a fan of this nerdy subgerne or curious enough to become one? Here's my collection with 5 more such profiles.

3. These Are The 8 Friends You Need

The Builder. The Champion. The Collaborator. The Connector. The Energizer. The Companion. The Mind Opener. The Navigator. How to find them, and how to be such a friend to others. (If you can't find a mind opener, the Weekly Filet will always be that friend to you.)

These Are The 8 Friends You Need To Be Happy In Life - Barking Up The Wrong Tree

Research shows there are 8 different types of friends you need in order to feel fulfilled. Here’s what they are and how to find them.

Barking Up The Wrong TreeEric Barker

4. Libyan Floods Reflect a River of Corruption and Negligence

«When a natural disaster hits, it’s as if the planet itself has turned against you.» Tens of thousands are feared dead after devastating floods in Libya. But it's not the planet who has turned against them. Corrupt leadership failed to prevent the worst, and continues to make things worse.

Libyan Floods Reflect a River of Corruption and Negligence

In a devastating storm’s aftermath, a greedy leadership is to blame

New Lines MagazineTarek Megerisi

5. ‘I saw how grotesquely unqualified so many of us were’

There's a fine line between honest self-reflection and shallow grandstanding, and I will admit that I'm not close enough to British politics to be sure. That said, in this piece, Rory Stewart strikes a good balance between criticising others and being critical of himself. A remarkable reckoning with a caste of top politicians unable to adapt to a changed world. «I felt we had collectively failed to respond adequately to every major challenge of the past 15 years.»

‘I saw how grotesquely unqualified so many of us were’: Rory Stewart on his decade as a Tory MP

When he arrived in 2010, he was surrounded by people who looked like him – and shared some of the same assumptions. Then, as the world changed in unimaginable ways, he watched in horror as the people in charge failed to change with it

The GuardianRory Stewart

What else?

• This new type of AI art is...erm...spiralling out of control. Here's the Twitter nostalgia version of it.
• So, apparently, the average male human body is made of 36 trillion cells. The female body: 28 trillion cells.
• A new Google alternative I'm testing. Kagi, an ad-free search engine.
• A visual history of Lego brick colours. Because of course.
• «A new image from the Webb telescope shows an infant star not as a diamond hanging in the sky, but as a velvety, dark orb surrounded by jets of radiant dust.» So, yes, you want to see this.
• Interesting new perspectives: Two maps, same scale.
• If you know you know: GORILLA.BAS 🍌

The Future of...Migration

Borders shift like sand
Wings of hope on global winds
New homes, old questions.

A gem from the archive

By the age of 24, writer Will Boast had lost his brother to an accident, his mother to cancer and his father to alcoholism. And then suddenly learns he has another family. An impressive memoir.

Goodreads

Discover and share books you love on Goodreads.

GoodreadsAuthors

Thanks for reading. I wish you a nice weekend and hope to see you again next Friday!

— David 👋