1. My Daughter Died. How Do I Tell My Son?
Being the father of a daughter who is about to turn two, this animated video shook me up more than I anticipated. It’s not just that this father tells the story of how he lost his daughter. But what follows: What it means when your second child grows older than your first one ever became. And that big looming moment: How do you tell your son that he has a sister who is no longer around? Content warning: Contains the description of a child’s death. Watch it now.
2. Why it matters how we visualise how machines detect cancer
And now for something maximally different from the first recommendation. This is as nerdy as it gets. As you probably know, machines have become very good at spotting cancer, in many cases better than doctors (longtime subscribers might remember this excellent piece). One crucial bit, though: With every diagnosis, there will be uncertainty. And when a doctor reviews the machine’s assessment, she needs to see this, too. So what’s the best way to visualise uncertainty here? It’s complicated. Read it now.
3. Rassismus ist überall – das müssen wir endlich anerkennen
Carolin Emcke schrieb zum rassistischen Anschlag in Hanau: «Es wird vermutlich eine Analyse brauchen, wie sich ein Amalgam aus psychischer Disposition und politischer Motiviation erklären lässt. Ohne das eine oder das andere zu leugnen.» Das Perverse an Anschlägen und Amoktaten aller Art ist ja, dass die psychische Komponente nur Tätern zugestanden wird, die der Mehrheitsgesellschaft ähnlich sind. Das ist ein billiger Trick der Relativierer, kommentiert auch Özlem Topçu bei Zeit Online. Schlüsselzitat für mich: «Möge bitte niemand sagen, dass dies ein Angriff auf "unser Land" oder "auf uns alle" war – war es nicht. Bitte keine "Je suis"-irgendwas-Bekenntnisse. Die Opfer sind das, was sie sind, man kann das nicht simulieren.» Den ganzen Kommentar lesen.
4. Residents of Idlib: «Your indifference is our death sentence»
What is happening in the Idlib province of Syria is about to turn into the «the biggest humanitarian horror story of the 21st century», the UN says. Time to pay attention again, to this neverending war that has, for too many people, become background noise. Read about it now.
5. How Police Sketch Artists Read Your Mind
A fascinating episode of Gimlet’s Every Little Thing podcast. Have you ever wondered how sketch artists can draw suspects described by witnesses? It’s not that I doubted their drawing abilities, but judging from myself: I’d find it super difficult to describe a person’s face, anyone’s face really, even my own. That’s exactly what this episode is about: How does a sketch artist access your fuzzy memories? Listen to it now. (after you’ve listened to it, here’s the Instagram link you’re looking for)
What else?
How do you sort your books? I have to agree here, that’s the only sensible way to do it.
Today I learned: The shortest international border is no longer than 85 metres.
It’s a very obvious trick that I didn’t know nonetheless: How to make a movie look like one long shot.
Weekly Filet Book Club
📕 Prisoners of Geography, by Tim Marshall
In a very accessible and even thrilling style, the author describes how borders influenced history from the very beginning. You even could say that the first borders marked the start of politics. I never realized on how many levels history, geography and politics of cultures are intertwined.
This week's book recommendation is from Felicitas Blanck, a fellow subscriber. What book do you think more people should read?Add your recommendation here. Browse all books that have been recommended so far