Notes from a burning planet

Plus: How dogs can smell time. (#580)

This is David, your freshly recharged human web crawler, back from a holiday in the Swiss Alps. You are reading issue 580 of 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.

Before I forget: I found some spare time to give collections a bit of a glow-up, making it more fun to explore the rich archive of the Weekly Filet by topic. Have a look!

1. Notes from a burning Paris

«This is what collapse looks like. It’s the breakdown of the systems and routines that keep life rolling comfortably in the way that we expect and in the way that the system demands.» A personal dispatch from Paris that puts into words that something is shifting. To many in Europe, this summer feels different. It is different. And yet it's also entirely what we knew was coming and will keep coming. What gives me hope: For the first time since 2019, climate change is coming up in conversations with people who don't usually seem to care. Back then, it was young people taking to the streets who put climate on everyone's minds; now it's the inescapable heat.

2. The hidden world that birds see

The always inspiring Ed Yong on the many ways animals experience our world in ways that remain hidden from our human senses. How birds can not just sense, but actually see the magnetic field of the Earth. Or how dogs can smell time, glimpsing into the past and the future with their noses. A small reminder that we can never assume that the world just exists. It's a different world, depending on who's looking.

3. Zohran Mamdani Knows He Has Political Capital. And He Intends to Spend It.

He is undoubtedly the most electrifying political figure in the United States right now – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. His influence is quickly expanding beyond NYC, and that's what this interview focuses on. Even if none of this interests you, give it a listen anyway. Because, wow, what a masterclass in political communication.

4. Your Freedom of Speech Is My Freedom of Distribution

«For a long time I argued the exact opposite. Here is how I changed my mind.» This is often a good premise for an opinion piece. This is the CEO of a German publishing platform – think Substack with less money and fewer horrible people – explaining why they draw clear lines on who they allow to publish and earn money on their platform: «An opinion you are free to hold is not an opinion I am obliged to spread — and a platform can say no without becoming a censor.»

5. Ukraine is pulling off something impossible

Another great explainer video by Max Fisher. On how Ukraine managed to shift the momentum in Crimea and why taking back control is not its primary goal.

Dataguessr of the week

Update your knowledge of the world. One quiz at a time. This week:

What else?

Instant-gratification links that make you go wow! or aha! the moment you click.

This makes me want to visit Aarhus Art Museum instantly: James Turrell's 100th and most ambitious Skyspace.
Is it useful? Not at all. Is it fun to play with? Absolutely. Box Squad.
Dark Hours tells you on what nights you have a good view of the sky and what you'll see.
Urban backgrounds from old video games: Pixel Skylines.
What's up with this Gen Alpha melody that's seemingly everywhere?
Need a break? Cézanne City is a bit like Sim City, but calmer and more post-impressionistic.
«Badkruka» is a word worth borrowing from Swedish.
Glen Hansard @ La Blogothèque.
While I was on holiday, hiking a bit here and there, this woman passed through our village...on her way to complete the entire Via Alpina in less than 30 days. 2000km, 5 days faster than the fastest person before her.