I’m glad that the biggest space story this year won’t be some billionaires flying into space for a bit. This is so much more fascinating: In December, the largest ever space telescope is set to launch. It’s 100 times more powerful than the Hubble telescope and might allow humanity to spot the first stars and galaxies that ever existed. It will literally look billions of years into the past.

I’ve recently discovered this YouTube channel that dives deep into works of art and helps laypeople see things in them they would’t notice. The videos are around 15 minutes long — short enough to fit somewhere in any day, but still long enough to provide some real insights. I loved this episode on Edward Hopper.

Is this just a big hiccup for China’s economy? Or China’s «Lehman moment» that will send shockwaves across the globe? I missed the beginning of this story and so whenever it popped up, I knew too little to make sense of it, so I passed. But it keeps popping up, so this was helpful: A short primer from the makers of the always reliable Planet Money podcast.

Twice in my life, I have walked into a performance by Marina Abramović, both times entirely by accident. Both are memories I’ll never forget. One thing I remember vividly is how completely ageless she appeared. Turns out, though, that she does have an age. In light of her 75th birthday, she reflects on life and death. Favourite quote: «If you have a gift, you have to handle it carefully. The gift isn’t given to you personally, it’s given to you to give to society.» Read on

A chilling essay. With every major point it makes, you feel inclined to dismiss it as alarmist — only to realise it’s argued too convincingly. The gist: Trump will run again in 2024. The groundwork for him to take power again, no matter what, is being laid. And time is running out to take measures to ensure a fair election. «The destruction of democracy might not come until November 2024, but critical steps in that direction are happening now. […] A Trump victory is likely to mean at least the temporary suspension of American democracy as we have known it.»

If you always wondered why doors in video games are so hard to design, this explainer will put you at ease. If you belong to the other 99.99% of humankind, you can marvel at how surprisingly fascinating a topic this is. Watch now

As a regular reader of the Weekly Filet, you probably don’t need a video on the basics of climate change and what you personally can do about it. However, I’m sure you know someone who would benefit from such a video. This is an excellent primer to share with them. Watch and share it now

As someone who has been writing professionally in one way or another for a good 20 years, I tend to focus on what my writing can do for others. When I reflect on what it does for me, I tend to focus on how writing helps me think. However, there’s another dimension that Rachel Jepsen captures beautifully in this piece. How writing can help shape (and change) the stories we tell about ourselves—our «narrative identities».

In a way, Facebook with its 3 billion users has simply become a reflection of the worst in humanity. Then again, as this podcast series based on a leak of internal documents shows, even when its executives know how to address certain issues, they often choose not to. Every episode is worth listening to, but if you only have time for one episode, try #3: How Facebook is being used as a platform for human trafficking and how it makes money along the way. now. (There might be a popup telling you that you need to subscribe, but you can just close it. Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast on Spotify)

When we think of bike-friendly cities, it’s usually Copenhagen or Amsterdam at the top of our minds. Paris is eager to join the club and undergoing a remarkable transformation lately. This interview with the man overseeing the transformation makes one thing clear: A city dominated by cars is a choice, and there is no reason it cannot be reversed. «Public space is rare, precious, and very useful. It belongs to everyone and it can’t be captured by one unique usage, which is the automobile.»