Weekly Filet #249: An island, blacked out. And more.
1. What everyone needs to know about Puerto Rico’s hurricane disaster (Vox.com)
A direct hit by hurricane Maria has turned Puerto Rico black, leaving almost all of its 3.4 million inhabitants without power. Nearly half are without fresh water. 80 percent of all crops are wiped out. All but a few cell towers are destroyed. And that isn't all. A comprehensive explainer on the true extent of the crisis in Puerto Rico.
2. How Air-Conditioning Invented the Modern World (The Atlantic)
How barbed wire created the modern definition of private property. How air-conditioning invented the modern world. And does technology inherently create superstar effects and inequality? Interesting interview with economist Tim Harford, the author of a new book on history’s greatest breakthroughs.
3. Long Live The Group Chat (The Outline)
A beautifully crafted, beautifully told ode to the group chat, arguably one of the defining forms of social interaction of our age. And I mean that in a good way.
4. How Hans Zimmer and Radiohead transformed «Bloom» for Blue Planet II (Vox.com)
Start with a Radiohead song, add Hans Zimmer and some randomness, and have Vox explain what's happening. Very nice.
5. In Defense of the Blobfish: Why the «World’s Ugliest Animal» Isn’t as Ugly as You Think It Is (Smithsonian)
I mean, somebody had to write this.