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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!

Treasure trove

2362 recommended links since 2011

A New Race to the Moon

In late August, India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the south pole of the moon. This episode from the NYT’s The Daily gives a good primer on that matters, and why the landing is indicative of how much the international space race has changed.

From Weekly Filet #455, in September 2023.

    A new era of climate sickness

    Impressive longread, based on reporting on the ground in Pakistan and analysing data from climate models, combining text with powerful images and graphics. Really drives home the point that in a world that warms by ~2 degrees on average, some places are becoming unbearably hot, causing many health threats beyond the immediate heath risk.

    From Weekly Filet #455, in September 2023.

      Listening to Taylor Swift in Prison

      With Tiktok currently on a mission to turn me into a Swiftie, I thought I might as well give this essay a try. I mean, how can you not read an article that begins like this: The first time I heard about Taylor Swift, I was in a Los Angeles County jail, waiting to be sent to prison for murder.

      From Weekly Filet #455, in September 2023.

        Does History have a Replication Crisis?

        I remember that as a kid in school, I was somewhat puzzled to learn that history was a field of study. Until then, I had imagined history simply as the sum of events that happened in the past, no ambiguity, just something one can learn about and then know. This came back to my mind when I read this interesting piece on how — similar to psychology a decade ago — history might have a serious problem with the reproducibility of some its findings.

        From Weekly Filet #455, in September 2023.

          ​​It’s getting harder to see

          Around the world, more and more people are nearsighted. It looks like something about the way we live today is making our eyesight worse, but what? No, staring at screens isn’t the answer. Vox’ Unexplainable podcast explains.

          From Weekly Filet #454, in September 2023.

            Staring at the tsunami

            Useful to remember for all current and future crises: Humans are generally quite bad at assessing risk and at updating it with new information, leading to unrealistic optimism.

            From Weekly Filet #454, in September 2023.

              The World’s Therapists Are Talking to Ukraine

              We hear a lot about the weapons other countries are providing Ukraine with to support them in defending themselves against the Russian invasion. This story is about a different kind of support, just as important, especially in the long run: remote therapy for Ukrainians.

              From Weekly Filet #454, in September 2023.

                Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness.

                «Past models of masculinity feel unreachable or socially unacceptable; new ones have yet to crystallize. What are men for in the modern world?» An excellent essay on men confused about their identity, and how it leaves many vulnerable to simplistic comfort from right-aligned masculinity gurus.

                From Weekly Filet #454, in September 2023.

                  How Doctors Die

                  What does it say when those who know most about all the available options to stave off death often choose to not use them and go gently instead?

                  From Weekly Filet #454, in September 2023.