Longtime readers of this newsletter know about my favourite nerdy subgenre: the in-depth profile of stuff our modern world runs on. I just discovered a new one to add to my collection. It’s one of only three elements that have existed since the Big Bang, and without it, neither our constantly connected, mobile lives nor the hope for a carbon-free future would exist. This isn’t merely a profile, it’s an ode. «If lithium were a friend, it would be the sort of friend who is humble and unassuming and yet also seemingly everywhere all at once doing really fabulous and important things.»

From Weekly Filet #508, in December 2024.