A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hi all, welcome to Volume 104 of Dovi’s Digest.
Space. The final frontier. The dark abyss. The button at the bottom of our keyboards.
Throughout history space has been a subject of fascination to humans. In fact, as I mentioned last week, we know more about space than we do about the ocean floor. Seeing into space used to be the sole domain of well-funded scientists and their patrons. Glass was expensive, lens tech wasn’t great, plus there was always the chance that the church would burn you at the stake for being a heretic 🤷♂️. These days we’re a lot luckier. Telescopes are easily available, there are apps to tell us exactly what we’re looking at, and the only church who might try kill you are Hillsborough Baptist. In fact, the most difficult part is finding somewhere without light pollution. As a result, one of the hobbies gaining a lot of traction is astrophotography. Using just a camera and some stacking technology, we can peer into the cosmos in a way that people even 50 years ago could never dream of.
As covid hit in early 2020, we all began to turn inward. And as we cut ourselves off, we began to look for ways that we could make a connection, even if it was lightyears away. This week’s headline article is about photographing galaxies and nebulae millions of kilometres away, and how it made people feel closer than ever.
Last week the giant squid was mentioned extensively, along with the factoid that we didn’t see one in its natural habitat before the early 2000s. In the last ten years, not only were we able to get a picture, but we’ve even got it on film. This was no small endeavour. So, here’s a TEDTalk from the oceanographer and inventor Edith Widder where she shares the key insight -- and the teamwork -- that helped to capture the squid on film for the first time.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that two years ago this week, a hastily written email to a few people launched what would eventually become the Digest. As mentioned in the 100th edition a few weeks ago, even though sometimes I land up frantically writing and collating late on a Thursday night, I enjoy putting the Digest together every week. It’s a journey that I’ve relished, and I hope I can continue filling your brain with facts and arcana for many, many editions. Thank you all for reading!
Do you enjoy the Digest? Would you like it to get better? Then please consider sharing it, as the more articles I’m sent, the better it is. It only takes a few seconds, and all you need to do is click here 👇. Thank you!
There were TWO correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to Josh Hazan and Ariel Subotzky. The answer and this week’s riddle are below.
If the fireflies stuck up in that bluish-black thing make you feel too small and insignificant, don’t sweat it. You can also read about the history of flash mobs, how to speed grow a coral reef, some advice from the original Stoics, the niche world of hole-in-one insurance, why masks are sexy AND safe, and the advantages of disadvantage.
Enjoy!
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
Backyard Astronomers
Turning stargazing into space-portraiture.
Crowd and Proud: The History of the Flash Mob
Quick! Gather a hundred strangers together and all read this article together right now!
A Million Little Pieces: The Race to Rebuild the World’s Coral Reefs
Nearly half of these ocean ecosystems have been wiped out since 1950. One man is on a mission to reverse that—by speed-growing coral in hyper-efficient nurseries.
The Ancient Guide for Uncertain Times
For many people, the world is in a state of upheaval that can feel difficult to cope with, but can the teachings of the Stoics help in these troubling times?
The Strange Business of Hole-In-One Insurance
When golf tournaments promise big cash prizes for holes-in-one, they turn to niche insurers to protect against a stroke of luck.
Wearing a Blue Face Mask Makes You More Attractive
(Courtesy of Cheryl Geliebter)
Research has shown that the surprising piece of apparel made people more appealing.
Are There Hidden Advantages to Pain and Suffering?
Two new books examine how we benefit from unpleasant experiences.
Quote of the Week:
“The only devils in the world are those running in our own hearts. That is where the battle should be fought.” – Mahatma (Mohandas) Gandhi
Facts of the Week:
Agatha Christie worked as a hospital pharmacy assistant during the First World War.
The first real murder on the Orient Express took place the year after Agatha Christie's novel came out.
King Ferdinand of Bulgaria was so scared of being murdered on the Orient Express that he locked himself in the toilet.
The surrender of Germany after the First World War and the surrender of France in the Second World War were signed in the same carriage of the Orient Express.
Theodore Roosevelt coined the expression “lunatic fringe”.
When Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, got its first pub in 2000, Locals described it as the worst thing to hit the town since the Luftwaffe.
The oldest known writing on Earth contains a swastika. In Ancient Greece, one line of text would be written left to right, the next right to left.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Jasper Jason works for local radio. This is his business card. Can you spot the pattern?
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
Jack is looking at Anne, but Anne is looking at George. Jack is married, but George is not. Is a married person looking at an unmarried person?
A: Yes
B: No
C: Cannot be determined
Answer:
The correct answer is A.
Apparently more than 80% of people choose C. Why is this question so tricky? It is because it appears to give you insufficient information. Anne’s marital status is not known, nor can it be determined, and so you make the inference that the question posed cannot be determined.
In fact, Anne’s marital status is irrelevant to the answer. If she is married, then a married person is looking at an unmarried person (Anne is looking at George), and if she isn’t, a married person is looking at an unmarried person (Jack is looking at Anne).
Written down it becomes more obvious. If ‘>’ means ‘looking at’ then:
Jack > Anne > George, or
Married > Unknown > Unmarried
Replace Unknown with Married or with Unmarried and either way there is clearly a married person looking at an unmarried one.