This is one of the best magazine pieces I’ve seen in years. It begins with: A death, a diary, and a fight over who gets to read it. It explores the complexities of grief, in language that is raw and detailed and personal and empathetic, and just overall beautiful. A long read, worth every minute (if you prefer to listen, there’s an audio version available).
A striking investigation based on satellite images: the wealthier and whiter a neighbourhood, the more trees there are. Notably, this isn’t about a nicer view from your window, but about living conditions in a climate that is getting hotter: Poorer neighbourhoods with fewer trees have average temperatures up to 5° Celsius warmer. Check it out.
A peek into the curious world of $120 cookies and burgers that play hard to get. Get in line and read it now.
To the point: The debate on how to balance remote work and work in offices «is ultimately less about where we work and more about how we work.» Different people have different optimal modes of working — which is stating the obvious, but it’s also something that has been largely ignored in a lot of companies. Why? «Many of the norms of the working world were designed by and still benefit a specific worker profile: white, male, educated, middle-class, congenial, sociable, and able to delegate obligations outside of the office to others.» Read it now
I don’t usually recommend things twice in this newsletter. I’m making an exception here, as knowing this might literally save lives, and only few of you have been reading the Weekly Filet back in 2014 when I first shared it. Movies and…um…Baywatch have given us a misleading impression of what drowning looks like — so we might not see it if somebody was drowning right in front of us. Read it now
Two weeks ago, people in Switzerland voted against a modest piece of climate legislation — as if we can just wait and see. This week, as a scorching heat wave hit Canada with temperatures of up to 49.7 degrees, I came across a comment: «This moment will be talked about for centuries.» My immediate reaction was: Well, that’s the best case scenario. As I’m trying to understand what is happening here, I discovered this helpful essay. At its core: our inability to grasp discontinuity — the «moment where past experience loses its value as a guide to decision-making about the future.» And it lays out a simple choice: «Disruption now, or even more discontinuity (and then more disruption).» So far, we pretend there’s a third option: to just wait and see. Read it now
I’m not entirely sure what made me watch a 20 minute video of a bonsai tree being groomed to perfection. Absolutely no regrets, though. Watch it now
One of my favourite books this year. 27 chapters, 27 answers to what’s the best way to live (Make memories, Do whatever you want now, Don’t Die,…). Each one on its own too radical or too simplistic. In sum, a treasure trove of inspiration. Check it out. (I got an advance copy because I bought one of the author’s previous books. I think when you subscribe to his mailing list, you get access, too. Otherwise, let me know.)
I like this way of putting it: A good listener is like an editor. One that — «in the kindest way possible» — helps the other person express what they really intend to say. Read more
It took a crisis to make the 5-day workweek a reality (back in the 1920s). Will this crisis spark the adoption of a 4-day workweek? Time will tell, but there’s definitely a good case to be made that we should. Read it now