Weekly Filet #199: A Nation Going Dark. And more.
1. Syria After Four Years of Mayhem (The New York Times)
A harrowing look at Syria after four years of war. More than 200'000 people have been killed. More than 11 million people – nearly half the country's population – had to leave their homes. Syria in 2015 is a country going dark – quite literally, as satellite images show.
2. That Way We’re All Writing Now (Medium)
Good piece on how the internet is changing language, not just by introducing new words and acronyms, but increasingly by creatively messing with syntax. Because yolo, obvs.
3. Wake No More (Matter)
What if you could sleep 50 hours straight and still never feel truly awake? Welcome to the bizarre, distressing, and totally exhausting world of the hypersomniac.
4. Epilogue (Will Boast)
By the age of 24, writer Will Boast had lost his brother to an accident, his mother to cancer and his father to alcoholism. And then suddenly learns he has another family. An impressive memoir.
5. God’s Light Show (Maptia)
These images make you want to pack your bags and head to Norway.
Recommended by John Burn-Murdoch: Which Flight Will Get You There Fastest? (FiveThirtyEight)
Nate Silver and co. are at their best with this analysis of domestic air travel in the US. Not only does this piece of work provide practical value to travellers attempting to minimise journey time, it also reveals fascinating details about US airlines and airports for the casual observer. As well as the wonderfully crafted interactive visualisation, be sure to check out the methodology section, where Silver delves into the hows, whys and wherefores of the investigation, presented as an engagingly written Q&A.
March guest curator: John Burn-Murdoch is a data journalist at the Financial Times in London. He has authored some of the best interactives on sports I've seen lately. My favourite piece of his is on speedy skyscraper lifts, though. You can follow John on Twitter, which you probably should.