A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello everybody! Welcome to Volume 153 of Dovi’s Digest.
Many of us were taught in school that the first word’s ever uttered were “let there be light” – and it was good. Since time immemorial, we have described the battle between just and evil as that between light and dark. Poems, songs, and even books have been written about the beauty of light. Our lizard brains tell us that the day is good and the night is scary. Which begs the question: why do directors make all their movies so damn dark these days?! I know it adds mood and stuff, but comedies don’t need to be dark, why should I be squinting to see what’s on the screen? But that’s a discussion for another day. Because I have a bigger fish to fry. LED lights. Because for the most part they suck, a position that is vindicated by this week’s headline article.
Now, I know they’re better for energy consumption and for the environment, both of which I’m pro. But like in a movie, lighting in a house sets the tone. A brightly lit kitchen is a good thing. You can see what you’re doing, make sure everything is clean, and you can spot the occasional loose blueberry. The same lighting in a lounge doesn’t work though. It needs to be lower, warmer, more inviting. The same for a bedroom. I’m not saying going full red bulb, but a bedside lamp that doesn’t have a side gig as a spotlight is preferable.
LED lights are very good at the first sort of light. For years they’ve been used in surgeries as they give off a bright, constant, light. An operating room is not where I want to chill on a couch and watch TV though. As for the warmer light – they’re less good. The bulbs don’t dim and the light looks unnatural. Give me fragile, energy sucking filaments any day. I thought I was alone in this, a grumpy old man complaining about how lights used to be better. Turns out, I’m far from the only one. And due to a ban coming into place that would make selling anything else illegal, we’re soon to have more adherents. But, I digress. A less bitchy and more interesting look at LED lights, and how they stand to change our lives can be read in this week’s headline article.
This week also marks the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It was the largest single revolt by Jews during World War II, and they knew victory was impossible and survival unlikely. Nevertheless they fought, and when the only surviving Jewish commander was interviewed, he said the inspiration to fight was “to not allow the Germans alone to pick the time and place of our deaths”. The only known photos we had were from German soldiers, until recently, photos taken by a Polish firefighter came to light. There is an article below with more information.
Your added extra this week is what I can only assume is a 3D printer for ants (which needs to be at least three times bigger!), and the work of an artist who takes photos of endangered species using the same number of pixels as there are animals left in existence.
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There were THREE correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to Ryan Subotzky, Josh Hazan, and Chaim Ehrlich! The answer and this week’s puzzle are below.
You can also read about hallucinogenic honey, browse the very first illustrated encyclopaedia, meet the queen of Candy Crush, find out which of your fruit and veg has the most pesticides, and the joys of being basic.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming.
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
The New Light Is Bad
There’s something off about LED bulbs — which will soon be, thanks to a federal ban, the only kind you can buy.
Lost photos from Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Reveal Horror of Jews’ Last Stand
Images found in attic taken by Polish firefighter who risked life to record how Jewish Poles fought the Nazis despite impossible odds.
Mad Honey
When bees feed on the pollen of rhododendron flowers, the resulting honey can pack a hallucinogenic punch and can sell for more than $120 per kilogram.
Restored and Reimagined
In 1844, German publisher Johann Georg Heck started compiling his illustrated encyclopaedia, covering wide range of subjects from astronomy to zoology. Published between 1849 and 1851, the 10-part collection comprised 500 steel engraved plates containing more than 13,000 illustrations and more than 1.6 million words of detailed descriptions. For the first time Iconographic Encyclopædia has been transformed into a single comprehensive and interactive site.
This Mom Didn't Know She Was In A $250K Candy Crush Tournament, But She's Killing It
(Courtesy of Yisroel Greenberg)
We talked to Erryn Rhoden about her meteoric rise to tile-matching fame.
The Produce That Has the Most Pesticide
Blueberries have joined green beans in this year’s Dirty Dozen list
My Taste Is Basic. So What?
In an essay from her new book Samantha Irby explains how three simple words can stop judgmental friends in their tracks.
Quote of the Week:
“When everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn’t thinking.” General George Patton
Facts of the Week:
Farm soil quality can be checked by burying a pair of underpants and seeing how long they take to decompose.
Experts have warned people not to boil their underwear in hotel kettles.
English women didn't wear underpants until the 19th century.
In the early 1900s, women in Chicago could be fined $50 for wearing a hatpin over 9 inches long.
The first mass produced bicycle for women was called the Ladies’ Psycho.
Penny-farthings weren't called Penny-farthing's until they were almost obsolete.
The Royal Mint made only 7 pennies in 1933: there were enough in circulation, but they don't want to miss a year.
60% of 1p and 2p coins are used once, then put in a jar.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Below are five sentences with the vowels and spaces taken out. Your task is to reinsert the vowels and spaces to recreate the sentences. Each sentence uses one vowel only. The five vowels – A, E, I, O and U – each have a sentence. To make it easier, each sentence has the name of a pop star and a famous artist, and could feasibly be a headline in this newspaper.
a) C H R G T S V R M R S K T C H
b) D M B S T R C K L L S C F F S M N C H
c) L D Y G G B G S C H G L L
d) S N P D G G S H W S T W R T H K W R K S
e) W L L S M T H S G N S H S K L M T P R N T
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
In this sentence, the number of occurrences
of the digit 0 is __,
of the digit 1 is __,
of the digit 2 is __,
of the digit 3 is __,
of the digit 4 is __,
of the digit 5 is __,
of the digit 6 is __,
of the digit 7 is __,
of the digit 8 is __, and
of the digit 9 is __.
There are two solutions. Can you find one (or both)?
Answer:
Solution No. 1
In this sentence, the number of occurrences
of the digit 0 is 1,
of the digit 1 is 11,
of the digit 2 is 2,
of the digit 3 is 1,
of the digit 4 is 1,
of the digit 5 is 1,
of the digit 6 is 1,
of the digit 7 is 1,
of the digit 8 is 1, and
of the digit 9 is 1.