1. The dystopia that wasn’t
I don’t speak a word of Finnish, but the beauty of visual journalism is that if it’s done well, it works even without words. In this case: What a hellish car-centered nightmare Helsinki might have become had plans from the 1960 been realised. Helsingin Sanomat has dug up those old plans and visualised them in stunning manner (that first animation: 🤯). Check out the original first (and let Google Translate be your friend afterwards – some of the visual elements don’t work in the translated version)
2. The consolations of rail travel
An ode to train travel in the age of flight shame – and a reminder: Going by train should not be seen as a compromise or sacrifice, but as a genuinely rewarding experience in its own right. It ends with a call to train operators, employers and governments to make train travel even more attractive and accessible. Read it now
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3. The silent «sixth» sense
Close your eyes and touch your nose with your left hand. That was probably easy – when we close our eyes, our sense of the world and our body’s place in it doesn’t disappear. For some people, though, it does. When they close their eyes, they are quite literally lost in space. The fascinating story of proprioception, our ability to locate our own body in space. Read it now
4. How we know global warming is real
A new piece from the Washington Post’s great «2°C: Beyond the limit» series. A history of weather stations and a visual explanation of their role in understanding climate change. The piece it centered around one station in Austria, and almost personifies it, as a devoted perfectionist who now faces an ironic fate. Read it now
5. Eine Reise in die arabische Welt
[For speakers of German only, sorry] As the «Arab Spring» of 2011 is reduced to just another distant memory in decade-in-review pieces, this series is very timely. The six-part reportage shines light on the current and recent uprisings Iraq, Sudan and Egypt. «Are we seeing the next Arab Spring?», the reporters ask themselves as they travel the Middle East. You can listen to it for free, the text version beyond the intro is only available to members of Republik (I have some 2-week-memberships to share – reply to this email and if you’re quick enough, I can invite you).
What else?
A quote I’ve been thinking about ever since I read this excellent piece by Kate Darling: «There’s a fine line between changing from within and being complicit.» Such a good compass.
Fun fact: Apparently, babies cry in different languages, depending on where they grow up.
I’ve made it a little tradition of doing this exercise towards the end of the year, maybe you’d like to take a minute, too: Thinking back of 2019, what have you done or experienced for the first time ever?
That’s it for this week, this year, this decade, this business model. I hope to see you next Friday as the Weekly Filet becomes members-only. If you haven’t switched yet, please do.