A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Shana Tova! Welcome to Volume 124 of Dovi’s Digest.
This past week was the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah (hence the greeting above). I wrote at the beginning of this Gregorian year about the power of consistency, and how the “new year, new me” approach often falls flat. I won’t reiterate anything; you can go read it yourself.
Instead, I’m going to transport you to a quiet lakeside, far away from the sound of constant traffic and frenetic energy of a city. All you can hear is the very gentle lapping of the water and some birds twittering away in the trees. The air is fresh and crisp, and you stand at the edge of the lake with your choice of beverage in your hand, breathing it in and appreciating the calm and tranquillity surrounding you.
You’re loathe to break the silence in anyway at all, but all around you are flat, round rocks. Which means there’s only one thing to do: try skipping them. You sit for a few minutes, throwing them one after another, getting them further and further each time. You think you’re getting pretty good, so you google the world record. It's 88 skips. So, you slowly put your phone away and just enjoy the silence.
But who on earth is that good at skipping stones? And cares so much about it? I’m glad you asked, because this week’s headline article is about the man who has dedicated his life to making heavy things bouncy off wet things.
BONUS CONTENT: Do you know what skipping stones on a frozen lake sounds like? I assumed not, but its super cool and trippy. So, here’s a video of what it sounds like, with the additional bonus of a man turning into a Labrador thrown in.
Normally I send you the winning entries of photo competitions. Well, this time round, you can vote yourself! The Royal Meteorological Society’s annual Weather Photographer of the Year contest closes tonight, and you can vote for your favourite (as well as seen the finalists) here. They’re all beautiful, and the two minutes it will take to look through them is well well worth it.
Finally, an article update. Quite a while ago I shared an article about a small deli in New Jersey that had passed a $100m valuation for no apparent reason. Well, it seems the authorities thought it fishy too, and have indicted three men for securities fraud. More about in in this article.
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 THREE correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to Josh Hazan, Ariel Subotzky and Chaim Ehrlich. The answer and this week’s riddle are below.
If you don’t like imagining yourself in a rustic paradise, don’t stress, there’s other stuff to read. Find out why an Adam Sandler comedy about a man with a remote control for life makes grown men (myself included) cry, what the best way to take a pill is, what happens to a Wikipedia page when someone dies, the traditional Jewish restaurant that’s put Budapest on the foodie map, how to open a can when all you have is not a can opener, and ones man’s quest to authenticate a painting potentially worth millions. Enjoy!
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
Stone Skipping Is a Lost Art. Kurt Steiner Wants the World to Find It
Meet an amazing man who has dedicated his entire adult life to stone skipping, sacrificing everything to produce world-record throws that defy the laws of physics. To hear him tell it, he has no choice.
Why Does Adam Sandler’s 'Click' Make Men Cry?
It may have something to do with their dads.
Have You Been Taking Pills Wrong? Here’s What Science Says
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that your posture can affect the time it takes for the drug to be absorbed.
Life After Death on Wikipedia
When a famous person dies, articles are written, tweets are tweeted, and Wikipedia is updated. It’s a big deal.
The Food Legacy of a Holocaust Survivor
Driven by his family history, Tibor Rosenstein is preserving Jewish-Hungarian cuisine through his Budapest restaurant, which has become a bucket list destination for food lovers.
The Easiest Ways to Open a Can Without a Can Opener
Should you ever find yourself with a can but not an opener, you can still feast.
The Case of the Disputed Lucian Freud
A collector thought he had bought a painting by the celebrated British artist. How far would he go to prove it?
Quote of the Week:
“You create your future based on your energy in the present.” – Unknown
Facts of the Week:
Deutsche Bank’s largest shareholder is Chinese.
China has an exact replica of the Austrian village of Hallstatt, so tourists don't have to go all that way to see it.
Palau is to pass a new law allowing only five-star hotels to be built.
A hotel in Oman employs a full-time turtle ranger.
The Mary River turtle breathes through its genitals.
Plankton were one of the 12 official logos for Eurovision 2018.
If food supplies to Britain in the Second World War had been cut off completely, there were plans for everyone to eat plankton.
Phytoplankton are microscopic plants that produce up to 85% of the planet's oxygen.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
(Courtesy of Isaac Lipschitz)
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Try to unscramble the following 11 letters to make a single word.
H E N I A T R E D G S
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
What do the following words have in common?
1. Assess
2. Banana
3. Dresser
4. Grammar
5. Potato
6. Revive
7. Uneven
8. Voodoo
Answer:
If you take the first letter and move it to the end of the word, you get the same word when read backward.