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Why Designing for Introverts is Better for Everyone.

Do introverts make for good party hosts? Absolutely, says Priya Parker. In fact, introverts might be better at designing gatherings that work for everyone: «When we’re nervous, we’re more likely to prepare thoughtfully. We don’t just wing it.» In this post, she shares a couple of strategies for making introverts feel welcome and comfortable – for everyone’s benefit.

From Weekly Filet #500, in August 2024.

    Why do people believe true things?

    For most of human history, even the wealthiest people lived in absolute poverty by today’s standards. What if we applied the same logic to human knowledge? This essay makes the case that truth is not the default when people form beliefs. «Relative to a modern scientific worldview, almost everything people have ever believed about the world they are not in close perceptual contact with has been completely wrong.» Thus, the author argues, we shouldn’t be puzzled by how people remain ignorant of basic facts or are mislead by disinformation. «The deep question of social epistemology – the genuine puzzle – is not why people hold false beliefs. It is why people sometimes form true beliefs.»

    From Weekly Filet #500, in August 2024.

    What we watch when we watch the Olympics.

    A classic from 2012 that I discovered this week and which is as true for the current Paris Olympics as for the London Olympics it was originally written for. What the Olympics and our fascination with watching them tell about us as societies and humans.

    From Weekly Filet #500, in August 2024.

      Shell Game

      A fascinating experiment turned binge-worthy podcast: Evan Ratliff has cloned his voice and has released countless AI-powered digital clones of himself into the wild. He has them talk to telemarketers and scammers, to his friends, and even to one another. It’s witty, nerdy, and leaves you with a looming feeling that a lot of crazy things are in store for the near future.

      From Weekly Filet #500, in August 2024.

        We Volunteered at a Gaza Hospital. What We Saw Was Unspeakable.

        Everyone is glued to what’s happening in the United States. Understandably – this election matters a lot, well beyond the US. Still, let’s not forget to pay attention to what is happening elsewhere. Gaza, for example, with an eyewitness report from two doctors who return with images and smells they won’t be able to forget, and an appeal: We must decide, once and for all: are we for or against murdering children?

        ⚠️ Contains images and descriptions that are hard to stomach – which is kind of the point of the whole story, but be warned and maybe pass on this one if you don’t feel comfortable exposing yourself to it.

        From Weekly Filet #499, in July 2024.

          Tested

          With the Olympics in Paris beginning today, this is an excellent podcast series on a topic that gets a lot of headlines but little depth: women who are not allowed to compete as women. Unsurprisingly, it comes with a long history of men deciding what women can and cannot do.

          From Weekly Filet #499, in July 2024.

            Joe Biden Put America First

            I like the simplicity and clarity of this take on Biden’s decision. He put country before ego, sure, that’s what everyone wrote. However, there’s a special ring to it when borrowing Trump’s best known catchphrase. «Joe Biden did something the Republican nominee forever preaches but has never once practiced in his life or his political tenure: he actually put America first.»

            From Weekly Filet #499, in July 2024.

              who killed the world?

              Interesting look at how science-fiction movies have changed since the 1950s. In short, they seem to reflect that it has become harder for us to imagine a better world.

              From Weekly Filet #499, in July 2024.

                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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