Wonderfully nerdy and insightful podcast series on how video games left the arcade and started reshaping the real world. My favourite episodes so far: The first one about an iconic early basketball game that changed the role of voice acting for games, and how TV commentators talk (boomshakalaka!). And episode 4 where we learn about a man who staged Hamlet inside Grand Theft Auto, and his wife who produced a documentary about it – also filmed entirely inside the game.
From Weekly Filet #548, in October 2025.
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Short musings on what it means when you’re really good at something that just isn’t useful any longer. And why we shouldn’t give up on learning skills that appear obsolete. «But, at the same time, acquiring these bodies of knowledge is part of what makes life great. Learning a new language is brain-melting, soul-enlarging.»
From Weekly Filet #548, in October 2025.
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First, our friendships moved into the digital realm, at least some of the communication part. To ICQ, Facebook, Instagram, group chats. For a while time, that didn’t seem like a bad thing – more instant communication, easier to low-key stay in touch with people. But we’ve arrived in a world where these friendships have to compete for attention on that small black mirror in our hands with everything else that’s happening there. Social relationships and parasocial connections blend more and more.
From Weekly Filet #548, in October 2025.
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One of my favourite journalists has started a newsletter. Amanda Shendruk has done a lot of interesting, relevant work at the intersection of climate and data, so there’s a lot to look forward to. This first piece is mostly an announcement of what’s to come (love this: «Don’t have many answers, but I do have data.»), but it also contains interesting charts about spiking uncertainty, and a flowchart of how solving the climate crisis is interconnected with other crises.
From Weekly Filet #548, in October 2025.
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Exactly my type of project. Rabbit holes, curiously and meticulously followed down and then documented beautifully for others to enjoy.
From Weekly Filet #548, in October 2025.
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One day after I had read this and had earmarked it for the newsletter, I learned that a colleague of mine, barely older than myself, had died unexpectedly. A terrible reminder that it’s never too early to prepare. Quite likely, none of these ten questions will be new to you. And yet chances are, you haven’t found answers and made arrangements for all of them – I know I haven’t. While some only take a few clicks, others require time and mental space – both of which I’m not overly keen on spending on contemplating my own death. But one day, it will be too late.
From Weekly Filet #547, in October 2025.
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One beast of an article (my reading app says 2 hours and 34 minutes), but you’ll take away some «Huh, I never thought of it that way!» moments from reading the introduction alone – so I highly recommend you at least do that. The author argues that we might be looking at the race for AI dominance all wrong. Yes, the US is leading the race in building artificial intelligence. But what if the intelligence part won’t matter all that much – and instead it will be all about the electric hardware stack, where China is far ahead of everyone else?
From Weekly Filet #547, in October 2025.
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It was obviously absurd to even consider Donald Trump as a potential recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. However, with a ceasefire and peace plan in effect, you might still have wondered in how far Trump deserves credit for bringing peace to Gaza. I found this analysis illuminating. The argument: Yes, Trump was uniquely positioned to force a peace agreement – for all the worst reasons («the bond of authoritarianism and corruption»). For now, let’s take it («He can do it. He is doing it. And I’m glad he’s doing it.»).
From Weekly Filet #547, in October 2025.
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What a beautiful conversation. Six years ago, Ed Yong wrote a story about the life and death of a snail. An endling, that’s the term for the last surviving member of a species. That story inspired two women, unbeknownst to one another, to write novels, both with the same title: Endling. Here, they meet for the first time.
From Weekly Filet #547, in October 2025.
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It’s not too late. But it sure feels like tipping points are scary close. What will stop America from sinking into autocracy?
From Weekly Filet #547, in October 2025.
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Make sense of what’s happening, and imagine what could be.
Carefully curated recommendations on what to read, watch and listen to. For nerds and changemakers who love when something makes them go «Huh, I never thought of it this way!».
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