A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 130 of Dovi’s Digest.
It’s fairly obvious I love reading. I write about books, I recommend blogs that write about books, I have the Dovi’s Digest reading list (linked here if you want to check it out. There are fiction and non-fiction, something for everyone), and probably talk too much about what I’m reading currently. I often have more than one book on the go at a time, (this is standard for many people. I’m not special). Right now I’m reading The Body by Bill Bryson [about the body], Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis (about the rise and fall of Salomon Brothers bank and bond trading in the 80s), and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. The last one is fantasy novel, set on a planet ruled by a vicious dictator, and the protagonist is a young girl who is finding her powers. It’s a standard fantasy trope, done brilliantly by a top-notch writer. Fantasy has captivated me since I was a youngster. In fact, the first “grown up” book I remember receiving from my parents was a copy of The Hobbit. Being a committed cartophile (someone who loves maps), fantasy books are a dream. All of them have a new map to pore over, sometimes big, sometimes small, but always interesting. I could get lost for hours going through detailed maps of Middle Earth, The Westlands, and the cities contained therein. Whether it’s an escape from reality, curiosity, or something else, it has always been one of the draw cards of fantasy for me.
This week’s headline article goes into the beauty, skill, and sheer wonder of the geography of fantasy worlds. Enjoy!
I’m in the process of creating an excel spreadsheet of all the articles that I’ve shared with you over the last two and bit years so I don’t use anything more than once (my memory is good, but not infallible). However, typing out 900 odd article titles is rather tedious. So I’m crowd sourcing a solution. Do you know of a trick I can use to collate them all? Possibly in Excel or similar? Any help would be appreciated. I’ve shared a bonus article this week to sweeten the deal.
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 FIVE correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to Ariel Subotzky, Josh Hazan, Ryan Subotzky, Steven Kaplan, and Chaim Ehrlich. The answer and this week’s riddle are below.
In addition to appealing to your inner cartophile, you can also read about why our upbringing may perceive how we view colour, find inner peace while watching a screensaver, why genius is a lot more than just your IQ, see the winners of the small world photo contest (full list of winners can be found here), how to visualise infinity, what animals dream about, and why Paul McCartney’s prodigious memory might have made him a better musician. Enjoy!
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
Here at the End of All Things
On losing oneself in the geography of fantasy worlds, from Middle Earth to Westeros.
Colour Is in The Eye, And Brain, Of the Beholder
The way we see and describe hues varies widely for many reasons: from our individual eye structure, to how our brain processes images, to what language we speak, or even if we live near a body of water.
Pack Your Bags, We’re Moving to ‘Roku City’
Instead of streaming a new TV show or movie, some Roku users are in it for the screen saver.
Why There's More to Being Smart Than Intelligence
Multiple psychological factors contribute to astonishing feats of creativity and insight.
Demonic Close-up of Ant's Face Is Straight Out of a Horror Movie
(Courtesy of Dovi Joel)
And the Nikon Small World Photo Contest didn't even name the image one of its top winners.
Animals Dream Too—Here's What We Know
Rats practice running through mazes, cats envision future hunts in their heads—scientists are learning more than ever before about animal dreamers.
Paul McCartney’s Freakish Memory
And what it tells us about his creativity.
Quote of the Week:
“A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman’s birthday but never remembers her age.” – Robert Frost
Facts of the Week:
Blue whales eat 4 tonnes of krill a day.
The Sami people of Lapland have werewhales, not werewolves.
To prepare for the role of Wolverine, Hugh Jackman researched wolves, not realising they were different animals.
Moose is Scots for “mouse”.
3D-printed mouse penises can alert airport security scanners.
In 2017, a man at Colombo airport was arrested for attempting to smuggle almost a kilo of gold in his rectum “with difficulty”.
Military special services reserve difficult tasks for soldiers aged 27 or older.
The French work a 35-hour week and finish their tasks by Thursday lunchtime.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Split the grid into four identical regions, such that each region contains a lion and a crown.
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
This week’s is a little whimsical, have fun!
A spoonerism is when two consecutive words (or elements in the same word) swap their initial letters or sounds. Rephrase the following sentences using a pair of spoonerisms
Example: Delicate followers greet gents from France. Answer: Frail henchmen hail Frenchmen
a) Hummus ingredients select dairy product.
b) Orangutans and gorillas consumed fruits which grow on vines.
c) Meal brought to school failed to make an impact.
d) Rodents suppress feline fury.
e) Infants making a noise fighting off a disease.
Answers:
a) Chickpeas pick cheese.
b) Great apes ate grapes.
c) Packed lunch lacked punch.
d) Rats cage cats rage.
e) Rattling babies battling rabies.