Looking ahead to the year 20202025
Plus: Which matters more, a first or last impression? (#540)
This is David, your 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!».
I asked you to tell us something interesting about the place you call home. You delivered. So, in the coming weeks, you'll find little notes from fellow readers mixed into the Weekly Filet. Like this one:
We have a public holiday that no one else has. Not even the whole municipality has it, just the village (Kirchberg, Switzerland). It stems from some people allegedly seeing a cross in the church move and float in the air during a ceremony. Schools, the village's bank and grocery stores all are closed. Many people obviously still have to work as they don't work in the village itself.
1. Animals in the year 20202025
Why does climate change make birds shrink? And what animals might live on this planet millions of years from now? Science ftw.
Pocket Casts
2. Stranded at sea
An impressive piece of visual journalism on a crisis that has faded from public view: the tens of thousands of migrants risking their lives trying to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean.
Joan Faus
3. What Does It Take to Get Men to See a Doctor?
On average, men die younger than women. One reason for that is that they simply aren't that great at looking after their health – a reminder that toxic masculinity harms men, too. This story explores the issue and highlights efforts to get more men to see a doctor early enough. Saving lives is obviously a good thing, I still loved this reality check quote from a health-policy professor: «Men are advantaged in so many areas of society. We built our whole society with you in mind — so you had your shot there, dude, you won the lottery. And you want us to give you more? Come on.»
4. Which Matters More, a First or Last Impression?
Interesting episode on why the end of an experience has an outsized impact on how we remember it – with proof from a famous experiment with colonoscopies.
Pocket Casts
5. A Modest Proposal
Dream big, they say. How about spending some 58 trillion dollars to power the entire world with solar panels? What makes the proposal «modest» is the fact that it would pay for itself over 6 years thanks to energy cost savings – if the math is correct and if (a big if) we assume that cutting off all fossil fuel won't cause major geopolitical turmoil.
Bill McKibben
What else?
Instant-gratification links that make you go wow! or aha! the moment you click.
- A chart of scientists whose inventions have saved millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of lives...
- South African runner Sibusiso Kubheka just became the first human to run 100km in under 6 hours.
- Gotta love a good maps joke: the world after an 8,800m sea level rise.
- E-mail Addresses It Would Be Really Annoying to Give Out Over the Phone.
- The slickest presentation builder is now available for iPhone as well (not an ad, I'm just a fan).
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 classic that has informed my (professional) thinking more than almost any other book. What makes it so good is that it focuses on the mechanics that make great companies fail. 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
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.
Little useful apps from me, for you
🌍 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.