A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Kumusta friends! Welcome to Volume 134 of Dovi’s Digest.
Each year, dictionaries around the world choose their word of the year. Although they’re to the prevailing zeitgeist, different institutions go for varying interpretations of what that means. To wit: Collins has gone for “permacrisis” (an extended period of instability and insecurity), Merriam-Webster chose “gaslighting” (or maybe they didn’t and it’s all in your head). Thankfully, not all of them are that gloomy, with Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary went in a different direction with “Bachelor’s handbag” – an Aussie term for a takeaway roast chicken which is often purchased by single people, and often comes in a handled bag.
This is all very well and good, but there’s someone missing. The Oxford English Dictionary is seen by many to be the last word when it comes to etymology, so what did the grandaddy of dictionaries opt for? They picked “goblin mode”, a slang term describing “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy” behaviour. What separates tis from the others is not only the standing of the OED, but the fact that it was put to a public vote. Goblin mode won with an astonishing 93% of the vote, or in numbers 318,956 votes, against the runner up’s 14,484 (which incidentally was metaverse. Take that Zuck).
However, goblin mode is more than just a definition. It’s a way of life. It’s also a pushback against the insanely curated lives we see of people on social media. This week’s headline article discusses where it comes from, more and what it is, and how we can use it to live our best lives. Enjoy!
Your little extra this week is a short video on the Ames Window, an optical illusion so good that even when you know how it works, you can’t see it!
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 was technically only ONE correct answer to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to Josh Hazan. However, I can see why it could be construed another way, so well done to Ariel Subotky as well. The answer and this week’s brainteaser are below.
Not everyone wants to go feral, so there are some other articles for your little claws to horde. Lean about the Jewish boxing champion who was sent to the concentration camps by a team mate, whether trees actually communicate underground, why the idea of our brains stopping to develop at 25 just isn’t true (and how we can use that), the loudest ever sound on earth, the fate of spelling bee champions, and the film taken days after the meltdown at Chernobyl which shows us in detail the scary effect of radiation.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
Slobbing Out and Giving Up: Why Are So Many People Going “Goblin Mode”?
The term embraces the comforts of depravity and a direct departure from the ‘cottagecore’ influence of early pandemic days.
Ben Bril: The Dutch Jewish Boxing Champion Sent to Nazi Camps by Olympic Team-Mate
Sitting in his boxing gym just outside Amsterdam, former Dutch champion Barry Groenteman is reminiscing about the times he used to visit his grandmother.
Are Trees Talking Underground? For Scientists, It’s in Dispute.
From Ted Lasso to TED Talks, the theory of the “wood-wide web” is everywhere, and some scientists argue that it is overblown and unproven.
The Myth of the 25-Year-Old Brain
A powerful idea about human development stormed pop culture and changed how we see one another. It’s mostly bunk.
The Sound So Loud That It Circled the Earth Four Times
The 1883 eruption on Krakatoa may be the loudest noise the Earth has ever made.
What Happens to Spelling Bee Champions When They Grow Old?
Spelling contests have remained a feature in American life since the Puritans landed on Plymouth Rock — but is peaking at 12 years old all it’s cracked up to be?
The Most Dangerous Film in the World
"We thought this film was defective. But we were mistaken. This is how radiation looks."
Quote of the Week:
“Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.” – Oscar Wilde
Facts of the Week:
T Rex couldn't stick its tongue out.
Everyone has a unique tongue print.
The printer on the International Space Station was 20 years old when it was replaced in 2018.
Google accounts for 40% of the internet’s carbon footprint.
The world's smallest computer is smaller than a grain of sand.
The hard drive on Terry Pratchett computer containing his unfinished works was destroyed at his request by a steamroller.
in 2017, a drunk driver Northern Ireland was arrested after his Ford Fiesta phoned the police to say it had been involved in a crash.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
(Courtesy of Yisroel Greenberg)
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
The words “won” and “sun” rhyme despite having different vowels. Can you name four common, uncapitalized, four-letter words that a) rhyme with each other b) have only one vowel each but c) all have different vowels?
One answer is “bird,” “curd,” “nerd,” and “word.” Can you think of any other set of four-letter words? Let me know.
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
How many times per day do they minute and the hour hands on a clock form a straight line?
Answer:
44. Although I will accept 22 as well.