The fire of human aspiration
Plus: Feminist exhaustion, the invention of the wheel and behind the scenes with an intimacy coördinator (#536)
This is David, your personified antithesis to the For You feed. 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. Let's go.
1. Something Extraordinary Is Happening All Over the World
«Our politics revolve around the idea that scarce resources mean keeping people out. We are utterly unprepared for a world in which perhaps the scarcest resource will be people.» An excellent analysis of how migration, once again at the center of so many political debates and divides, is so often misunderstood or misconstrued. I like how the author describes migration as deeply rooted in the «human desire for flourishing and to set one’s own path in life», as an «act of faith, kindled by the fire of human aspiration.»
2. 27 Notes On Growing Old(er)
A telltale sign that you are, in fact, growing old(er), is that you start paying attention to such an article. Even more so when you feel seen in more of the 27 notes than you had hoped. Jokes aside, it's a thought-provoking list, for people of all ages. And there might be still plenty of time to feel young: At the age of 94, legendary investor Warren Buffett told an interviewer he had never felt old until he passed 90.
Ian Leslie
3. The Great Feminist Exhaustion
It's even a double exhaustion: of the term feminism, and of the generations of women whose hard-fought-for achievements are losing ground again.
Anne Helen Petersen
4 How was the wheel invented?
We regularly get reminded that we don't have to reinvent it, but how was the wheel invented in the first place? Surprisingly, it's not clear, neither is who made the discovery or where.
Kai James
5. How I Learned to Become an Intimacy Coördinator
When actors play fight scenes, there are experts who make sure they look realistic and nobody gets hurt. When actors play intimate scenes...well, it makes sense to have essentially the same. A fascinating profile of an important role I've somehow never thought about.
Jennifer Wilson
What else?
Instant-gratification links that make you go wow! or aha! the moment you click.
- Correlation does not equal causation, Hitchcock edition.
- In my ears all week: A Dawning by Ólafur Arnalds & Talos.
- Photos: The Scale of China’s Solar-Power Projects.
- This June, the first time ever, solar was EU’s largest source of electricity.
- «We should have a national quiet day where everyone just shuts tf up for 24 hours.» (a modest proposal by Thomas Lélu)
- These official highlight videos for each stage of the Tour de France are fantastic.
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.
It‘s really fascinating what a difference in perspective introducing a new word — carnism — can make. 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, shuffle for a gem or check out my all-time favs.
That's it for this week. Thanks for reading. I wish you a nice weekend and hope to see you again next Friday!
— David
Exit through the gift shop
Other things I created that you might find useful: 🌍 You Don't Know Africa, a simple game that has already humbled millions of people. 💯 Choose Impact, an online tool to compare job opportunities. 💬 Climate Questions, a playful conversation starter. My 📚 digital bookshelf, with sections of 🌡️ books that help you make sense of the climate crisis, ⛵ books that make you a better product manager, and 🧒 books that help you as a parent.