Putting the fun in funeral

This part up here, what you're reading right now, that's always the last thing I write. And while doing so, I sometimes notice that there's a common theme in some of the recommendations that I not only didn't plan for, but didn't even notice when compiling the newsletter.

So, in this issue, you'll find food for thought on how to die and how to live. Oh, and the story of Liquid Death. Pour yourself a glass of water, and enjoy!

1. The people hosting their own ‘living funerals’

«If people are going to say nice things about me, I’d rather hear it» – well, you have a point there. I had heard of the idea before (from this wonderful episode of The Daily back in 2017), but have somehow forgotten about it: When you know you're going to die soon, why not gather with all your loved ones while you're still there? And make it a celebration of life instead of the mourning of death? Ok, it's not without risks: «When I had my living funeral, I thought I had weeks or months to live. Now, I almost feel like I need to have another one, because I’ve lived so much longer.»

‘I didn’t realise I was so loved’: the people hosting their own ‘living funerals’

Wouldn’t it be nice to hear all the lovely things friends and family might say about us at our funeral? Isabelle Aron meets five people – some with a terminal diagnosis – who have done just that

The GuardianIsabelle Aron

2. What Prevents & What Drives Gendered Ideological Polarisation?

This post builds upon a recent column from the FT that showed how young women and young men are drifting further apart politically. Some interesting observations on why women are turning more liberal, and why this isn't true for all countries.

What Prevents & What Drives Gendered Ideological Polarisation?

Across much of the world, men and women think alike. However, in countries that are economically developed and culturally liberal, young men and women are polarising. As chronicled by John Burn-Murdoch, young women are increasingly likely to identify as ‘progressives’ and vote for leftists, while young men remain more

The Great Gender DivergenceAlice Evans

3. How I Built This: Liquid Death

«What is the dumbest possible idea we could have?» That's the question at the origin of Liquid Death. Plain and simple water, sold in cans, marketed as the most badass beverage ever. But the story of this unlikely multimillion dollar business is actually quite a bit more interesting than I'd first thought. Great episode of the always great How I Built This podcast.

4. ​​Annual presentation on the state of decarbonization

200 slides on the world's effort to stop emitting greenhouse gases, from the big picture to nerdy details. No matter how much you know about the topic, you'll learn something interesting. How about this: Global per capita greenhouse gas emissions actually peaked in 1973. Or this: Food waste causes just about the same amount of emissions as the entire country of India, the world's third largest emitter.

Presentations — Nat Bullard

Nat Bullard0

5. old friends

«You never meet the same person twice, not even in the same person.» Gives you so much more to think about than Heraclitus' original quote with the river. «If we have that central belief, then a relationship with another person can never be taken for granted.»

old friends

“you never meet the same person twice, not even in the same person”

starting from nixNix 🕊

What else?

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

• This app has recently replaced a sizeable part of my Google/DuckDuckGo searches.
• Day vs. night in a game of pong, just watch and relax.
• Trailer looks promising: The story of a mysterious hiker called Mostly Harmless whose identity no one could figure out.
• Trailer looks promising, too: Alex Honnold looking for unclimbed walls in one of the most remote corners of Greenland.
• The art of saying No: «Unfortunately I can't take on any unpaid work to help you make money at this time. Thanks for thinking of me though.» (via)

Books for curious minds: How to Live

Not your average life coach book. 27 chapters, 27 answers to the simple question «How to Live». Each answer standing alone too weird, too radical, some even appalling. But taken together, a treasure trove of inspiration.

In every issue, I recommend one book. Some new ones as I read them, some older ones that continue to inform how I look at the world and myself.

A gem from the archive

Thousands of live radio streams from all over the globe, ready for you to tune in. Mesmerizing.

Radio Garden

Explore live radio by rotating the globe.

Radio Garden

This is a randomly picked gem from the archive of the Weekly Filet, going back to 2011. For manually curated time-tested treasures, have a look at my newly launched second newsletter This Aged Well.

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

— David 👋