A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Guten tag! Welcome to Volume 131 of Dovi’s Digest.
We all give praise in different ways. You may say “good job” or “nice one”, give a high five, or mutter under your breath “at least you didn’t screw it up this time like you always do”. One of the more common phrases one hears though is “you’re one-in-a-million”. Now at face value, it’s a lovely thing to say. It shows your rarity, that you’re not dime-a-dozen. However, when you do the maths, you might not feel that special. And this week, maybe even less so.
According to the UN, earlier this week the human population of our planet (and as far as we’re aware all the planets, but who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) passed the eight billion (8,000,000,000) mark. Meaning that there are now 8,000 one-in-a-million people on Earth. Not the most exclusive club, is it?
Besides for cheapening what is already a passe line, there are other things that this milestone implies, some good. This week’s headline article details it much better than I ever could.
While we don’t know exactly where number eight billion was born, the child was nominally born in Manila and will grow up in a world vastly different to even the one the seven billionth child was born into in 2011. The UN has marked each of the last few “billionths”. If you’re wondering where they are now, the BBC has done the legwork for you. You can learn about each of the last few (from five onwards), and how being the one has impacted their lives. Read all about it right here.
For your little bit of added content this week, take a look at this tweet which brilliantly visualises the rise and fall of European powers over the last few hundred years (plus, when the balls “bonk”, it’s immensely satisfying).
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 ZERO correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to nobody at all. I’ll leave it up for another week but have included another brainteaser for you.
Being one of 8 billion might make you feel small, so worry not! I have more things for you to read. Learn about why overthinking may make you smarter (if it was totally true, I’d be a genius though, so take from it what you will), how meme stocks are not all fun and games, what fatbergs are, (plus why they form, and how they may give our cities heart attacks), how the biggest automotive company in the world (it’s not who you think) grew so big, how much money dead celebrities are making (and how they’re still pulling in the Benjamins), and the unbelievable story of a man who decided to ride UP one of the most difficult downhill tracks in the world. Enjoy!
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
8 Billion and Counting
This week, the world’s population ticks over a historic milestone. But in the next century, society will be reshaped dramatically — and soon we’ll hit a decline we’ll never reverse.
Why Indecision Makes You Smarter
Indecision can seem like a wholly undesirable trait. But research shows it might actually lead to smarter judgements.
How I Turned $15,000 Into $1.2m During the Pandemic – Then Lost it All
Investing in risky stocks gave me the illusion of control in a time of uncertainty – until it derailed my entire life.
Descend Into the Sewers With London’s Fatberg-Busters
What can we learn from wipes, oils, and fats when they overwhelm the arteries of the modern world?
How Hot Wheels Became “The Largest Auto Manufacturer Out There”
More than 16 cars are sold every second. But what does it take to make a tiny classic motor?
The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities Of 2022—A Writer Earns Half-A-Billion from The Great Beyond
What’s old is new again. Classic literature and rock n’ roll dominates this year of celebs making bank in the afterlife.
Braydon Bringhurst Versus the Beast: Climbing the Whole Enchilada
This former pole vaulter is the rare athlete who can blend explosive power with precision and control. But he’d need a lot more than that to ride his bike up this insanely technical downhill trail.
Quote of the Week:
“When you say you agree to a thing in principle you mean that you have not the slightest intention of carrying it out in practice.” - Otto von Bismarck
Facts of the Week:
Seamus Heaney (the Nobel Laureate whose most famous poem was about frogs) was scared of frogs.
Lenin spoke English with an Irish accent.
The transatlantic accent used by Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant was invented by their dialect coach.
The first director of Jaws was fired because he kept calling the shark a whale.
In the film Twister, the noise of the tornado was made using the moan of a camel.
Angela Merkel has an ambition to host her own TV talk show.
Sooty and Soo (glove puppets from a BBC show) weren't allowed to touch each other on TV in case things got steamy.
The first US TV show broadcast in the Soviet Union was Fraggle Rock.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
What is behind the grey square?
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
Split the grid into four identical regions, such that each region contains a lion and a crown.
Answer:
🤨