What to expect

Hi, I'm David. A journalist, and a curious generalist.
I've been curating the best of the web for my newsletter since 2011. I'd love to be your diligent curator, too.

Recommendations in the Weekly Filet are things I want my friends to see.

Things that tickle and delight a curious mind.

Articles, books, podcasts, graphics, videos, photographs,...The form is never the limit.

I let these questions guide me:
1. Does it help understand a complex, important issue?
2. Does it foster empathy by making you see the world through others' eyes?
3. Does it inspire self-reflection?

If it's timely, that's good. If it's timeless, that's better.

If in doubt, I prefer nerdy, witty, ambiguous. Solutions-oriented and actionable. Candid.

Don't expect news. Expect new insights.
Expect to be surprised.

Surprise me now!

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Treasure trove

2238 recommended links since 2011

Artificial intelligence is transforming our world — it is on all of us to make sure that it goes well

Max Roser from Our World in Data makes the case for everyone of us to become more interested in how artificial intelligence is transforming out world: «If you and the wider public do not get informed and engaged, then we leave it to a few entrepreneurs and engineers to decide how this technology will transform our world.» He explains his reasoning along three key questions: Why is it hard to take the prospect of a world transformed by AI seriously? How can we imagine such a world? And what is at stake as this technology becomes more powerful?

From Weekly Filet #433, in March 2023.

Adversarial Collaboration: An EDGE Lecture by Daniel Kahneman

Intriguing lecture by Daniel Kahneman — Nobel Laureate of «Thinking, Fast and Slow» fame. On adversarial collaboration — «the idea is that people who don’t agree on a scientific idea commit themselves to work together towards a joint truth, either by experimentation or by discussion.»

From Weekly Filet #432, in March 2023.

    Democratic capitalism – marriage on the rocks

    Bernie Sanders, FT columnist Martin Wolf and degrowth proponent Kate Raworth discuss the increasingly shaky relationship between democracy and capitalism. 40 minutes, spent well (in fact, I wished they continued for longer).

    From Weekly Filet #432, in March 2023.

      Writing Essays With AI: A Guide

      Those who easily dismiss it («look what stupid mistakes it makes!») and those who overhype it («goodbye every white collar job!») have one thing in common: They are naïve about the power and limitations of AI. What I like about Dan Shipper’s approach is that he is looking closely at (and experimenting with) AI as a companion to enhance his writing capabilities, by carefully exploring what it’s good at, and how one needs to interact with it.

      From Weekly Filet #432, in March 2023.

        Plastic roads

        We hear a lot about the future of cars, but not much about the future of…roads. Reading this article makes you realise roads deserve more attention — I mean, who doesn’t want roads made of giant plastic pieces that snap together like Lego bricks (that come with a host of benefits for the environment)?

        From Weekly Filet #431, in March 2023.

          ​​1 dataset 100 visualizations

          A simple dataset — no more than six numbers — visualised in one hundred different ways. Obviously, some of these visualisations are better than others, and some are near pointless or quite misleading, but that is exactly what makes this overview so instructive to look at. Usually when you see graphics being used to make a point, you don’t see all the roads not taken, and are probably not aware of how different choices would have changed the effect of the graphic.

          From Weekly Filet #431, in March 2023.