The Gunman and the Would-Be Dictator
But also: An ode to progress and a reminder that we live in an amazing world. (#498)
1. The Gunman and the Would-Be Dictator
Written mere hours after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, this piece still captures the significance of the moment better than everything else that I've read and seen since. It does by keeping the focus on the big picture, which is and remains: the United States are on a dangerous path towards authoritarianism. «Fascism feasts on violence.»
David Frum
2. Trekking Across Switzerland, Guided by Locals’ Hand-Drawn Maps
Not usually a fan of digital detox stories of any flavour, but this one is different. A beautiful, simple idea: Ask locals where you should go next, and have them draw you a map. And that's all you have as you hike. This resonated strongly: «Even when doing something I love, I often imagine what’s coming next. [...] If I don’t know what’s coming, I can’t imagine myself there. Suddenly I’m present and engaged in a way I rarely am.»
Photographs and Text by Ben Buckland
3. The Extra Mile
It's a long read, but if those two protagonists can run 314 miles in one go, you can muster the energy to read about their remarkable life story. It's worth it. (I, for one, will definitely be reminded of the «Bench of Despair» when I encounter one in the future.)
Maggie Gigandet
4. Fish in Water
«Like fish in water, we are so immersed in technology and industry, so completely dependent on it every day of our lives, that it recedes into the background, out of our awareness.» An ode to progress and a reminder that we live in an amazing world that we should not take for granted.
5. We now live in a world of planned disasters
Not a direct antithesis, but a good pairing with recommendation 4 above. What we experience as increasingly severe «natural disasters», we might as well call «planned disasters» – a direct consequence of carelessness and inaction.
Alex Steffen
Reminded me of this: When Cars Kill, It’s Not an “Accident”
What else?
Instant-gratification links that make you go wow! or aha! the moment you click.
- What happens when you demand AI to remove the squid from the novel All Quiet on the Western Front. No squid in it? Remove it!
- A drone flying over Mount Everest.
- Trump's VC pick, in a single cartoon.
- Design your own seashell.
- A little cube that turns real life into pixel art.
- Rediscovered this Zelensky quote from when he took office.
Books for curious minds: Science Fictions
Thorough analysis of how a system of bad incentives makes for bad science — and how to fix it. Buy it here
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
For map nerds and explorers: an interactive map of islands that have been described and mapped, but that may never have existed in the first place.
This is a randomly picked gem from the archive of the Weekly Filet, going back to 2011. You can also search the archive, shuffle for a gem yourself, or browse this collection of some of my all-time favs.
Thanks for reading. I wish you a nice weekend and hope to see you again next Friday!
— David 👋
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