A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello everybody! Welcome to Volume 159 of Dovi’s Digest.
When I was about 12, my mom bought a book for me. It was called Hatchet, and it’s about a teenager who is stranded in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash, with nothing but a small hatchet with some survival tools stored in the handle. The story absolutely enthralled me and may be a core reason why I enjoy the backwoods as much as I do. It also put me on the path to reading everything that I could about survival in the wilds, from jungle to desert. I learned how to make a fire from scratch, know many tips on how to find civilization and avoid getting hopelessly turned around, picked up how to distil water from a crack in a rock (use a shoelace to draw the water out and put the end in a bottle so it drips in), I even taught myself how to make useful knots. I think many young boys harbour the dream of being stranded on the proverbial desert island and having to fend for themselves as well as the other members of their group. At least until they read Lord of the Flies. I honestly have no idea why this is the case, but luckily for most of us it will only ever be just that: a fantasy.
It wasn’t so for Annette Herfkens who, in 1992, was the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed her fiancé and 29 others. Despite multiple injuries (including a broken jaw and a collapsed lung) she survived for eight days on nothing but rainwater.
This week’s headline article is a story of true grit, determination, and the mindfulness that came with them. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
PS: I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least share something. If you ever find yourself marooned in the wilderness, find flowing water (which you can normally come to by going downhill), and then follow it downstream. This will increase your odds of finding other people as settlements are usually built on water. It has the added bonus of ensuring you’re not going in circles. However, if you survive a plane crash or even get stranded in your car in the desert - DO NOT go walk about. Your best chance of being rescued is the wreckage/your car being spotted, plus the wreck/car will provide shelter from the hot sun and cold nights. You probably won’t need this information, but just in case you do…
PPS: if caught in a riptide at sea, don’t fight it and try swim against it. Rather let it carry you out and swim parallel to the shore. You’ll save energy and it will be easier to come back to land.
Your added extras this week are a history of the world told in Lego, and then, once you’re done with that, go and learn about your favourite events using this interactive timeline which runs from the Big Bang all the way through to 2023.
The Dovi’s Digest Facebook and Twitter pages will keep you sated between editions, with all new content. Check it out at the links below (or scan the insta code):
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 TWO correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to Chaim Ehrlich and Rachel Goldstuck! The answer and this week’s puzzle are below.
In addition to one woman’s resolve, read about the growing industry that allows you to hire your favourite popstar for a private party, take a look at the reasoning into why Maurice Sendak’s seminal classic Where the Wild Things Are was voted the best children’s book ever, go inside the movie plot-worth story of how Nike signed LeBron James ahead of Adidas and Reebok, read the sci-fi-made-real story of a paralysed man who is using brain implants to walk again, dance through the history of the flash mob (a topic we’ve touched on before), and learn why the Turing machine was the most important invention ever to not be built. Enjoy!
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming.
Have a great weekend,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
I Was the Sole Survivor of a Plane Crash. This Is What I Learned in Eight Days Alone in The Jungle
Annette Herfkens was on holiday with her fiancé when their plane went down, killing everyone but her. Three decades later, she reflects on how the trauma changed her.
How to Hire a Pop Star for Your Private Party
For the very rich, even the world’s biggest performers—Beyoncé, Drake, Jennifer Lopez, Andrea Bocelli—are available, at a price.
Where The Wild Things Are: The Greatest Children's Book Ever
Where the Wild Things Are is number one on BBC Culture's poll of the greatest children's books. Imogen Carter explores its appeal.
The Incredible Story of How Nike Signed LeBron James
Thought AIR was wild? Try a three-way battle between Reebok, Nike, and Adidas for the King's first sneaker.
Brain Implants Allow Paralyzed Man to Walk Using His Thoughts
In a new study, researchers describe a device that connects the intentions of a paralyzed patient to his physical movements.
Crowd and Proud: The History of the Flash Mob
Quick! Gather a hundred strangers together and all read this article together right now!
The Most Important Machine That Was Never Built
When he invented Turing machines in 1936, Alan Turing also invented modern computing.
Quote of the Week:
“I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.” – Noël Coward
Facts of the Week:
The worst pollutant of all household cleaning products is air freshener.
Moose Murders, generally agreed to be the worst-ever Broadway play, lasted one night in 1983.
When astronaut Sally Ride first went to space in 1983, NASA engineers asked if 100 tampons would be enough to last her a week.
Elon Musk works twice as many hours a week as the average American.
The risk of a heart attack increases by 25% the Monday after the clocks go back.
“Widdershins” is another word for “anticlockwise”.
In 2017, the chimes of Big Ben at Legoland were silenced to match those of the real one during its renovation.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Place each number from 1 to 16 into this grid so that the sum of each column is equal to the number at the top of that column, and so that the sum of each row is equal to the number at the beginning of that row. There is only one solution.
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
Think of a fruit that is spelled in one word with 11 letters. Remove the last two letters of its name. When you anagram the remaining nine letters, you can find the names of two other fruits: one with four letters and the other with five. What are the three fruits?
Answer:
The 11-letter fruit is “pomegranate,” and the other two are “mango” and “pear.”