A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 185 of Dovi’s Digest.
Young Dovi has cropped up more than a few times over the years in the weekly intro. His hopes, dreams, and aspirations have all been laid bare. Way back in DD57 I mentioned in a throwaway line that while most kids dreamed of being policemen, fire fighters, or astronauts, all I wanted to be was a National Geographic photographer. My mother got me into cameras, taught me how to frame a shot, and then would excitedly go through the developed pictures with me. As there were only 24 photos on a roll, each photo would be carefully considered, trying to make sure each moment was captured, while also not going overboard and running out of space.
These days most people take tons of photos. It’s to be expected with a high-quality camera in everyone’s pocket. Some of it is drivel (I’m looking at you people who snap every meal), and some of them are masterpieces; and we all have both on our phones. I’m not immune, I have over 12,000 photos on my phone, although admittedly this is all photos from about 2013 onwards, many of which automatically saved from WhatsApp. There are photos that are blurry and dark (somehow both), and some that I’ve printed out and framed. But how do we sift through this deluge of images and find the good ones? Find the proverbial piece of gold amongst the dross? I guess you’ll have to read this week’s headline article to find out.
In this week’s added extras:
I love sunsets. I know it’s super cliché, but whatever. This website lets you watch a live stream of a sunset at any given time.
Find solace in the winning picture (plus all the others) of the Natural Landscape Photography Award.
Ever wanted to build a machine that does daily mundane tasks for you? Joseph’s Machines shows you how to build a human car wash or a machine which makes a sandwich and then feeds it to you.
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 THREE correct answers to last week’s brainteaser, Well done to Yaakov Goldfein, Chaim Ehrlich, and Ryan Subotzky! The answer and this week’s puzzle are below.
Not a photo person? Weird flex but ok. Sip your champagne and read about the private world of only the wealthiest people, learn about the economy through Diet Coke (kind of), jam out to the story of the world’s best selling music compilations, work out how maths built the modern world, ooze over to the story of one woman’s love affair with a pet snail (this is hyperbole), and set your scepticism aside and hang out at the Bigfoot convention. Enjoy!
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming!
Have a great weekend,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
Your Camera Roll Contains a Masterpiece
Our smartphones are stuffed with photos. The challenge is finding the good ones.
Behind the Gates of a Private World for Only the Wealthiest New Yorkers
Although everyday life has become increasingly unaffordable for almost everyone, a new class of private, members-only and concierge services is emerging.
Why Diet Coke Got So Expensive
The economy, explained by Diet Coke, kind of.
Now That's What I Call Music Turns 40: Forty Facts About the Compilation Giant
The world's best-selling compilation album is celebrating its 40th birthday.
How Mathematics Built the Modern World
Mathematics was the cornerstone of the Industrial Revolution. A new paradigm of measurement and calculation, more than scientific discovery, built industry, modernity, and the world we inhabit today.
The Pet I’ll Never Forget: Bryan the Snail Was Moist and Silent – And My Best Friend in A World of Bullies
I adopted Bryan after my only friend moved away. I fed him milk and cleared up his tendrils of poo, while he provided much-needed companionship.
My Weekend with Bigfoot Believers
When the internet is saturated with fake videos and doctored photos, what’s a Sasquatch enthusiast to do?
Quote of the Week:
“The nice thing about being a celebrity is that when you bore people, they think it’s their fault.” – Henry Kissinger
Word of the Week:
(Courtesy of Jake Kramer)
Croquembouche
[kroh-kuhm-boo-shiz; French: kraw-kahn-boosh] /ˌkrɒkəmˈbuːʃ/
Noun
A French dessert consisting of choux pastry and crystallised fruit or other confectionery items arranged in a cone and held together by threads of caramel. In Italy and France, it is often served at weddings, baptisms, and first communions.
Facts of the Week:
The word “sneeze” was originally “neeze”. Nobody knows where the “S” came from.
Nobody knows whether or not bats fart.
Cats could follow human instructions if they wanted to, but they don't.
In 1963, a Parisian stray called Felicette became the first cat sent into space.
From space, you can tell East Berlin from West Berlin because streetlights in the East use yellow sodium vapour, while those in the West are fluorescent white.
The 1936 Berlin Olympics were sponsored by Coca-Cola.
Russia's October revolution is celebrated in November.
July used to rhyme with “truly”.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
In the ancient land of Philosophia there is a ruling council of five philosophers, linearly ranked by power and prestige, with various accompanying benefits accruing in the order of this rank. Philosopher 1 is the recognized philosopher king, the most powerful, and then philosopher 2 and so on.
It is time to pick a new council, and according to the long agreed-upon procedure, the lowest-ranked philosopher proposes a new council and ranking. The newly proposed council can in principle include any citizen at all from Philosophia—candidates are not limited to the current council members, although strangely, it usually happens that the new council is constituted by previous council members. Given the new proposal, the council votes. If a majority approve, then this is the new council and ranking; otherwise, the lowest-ranked philosopher is kicked off the council and the next lowest-ranked philosopher makes a proposal. This process continues until a new council and ranking is approved.
As mentioned above, these philosophers are a selfish crowd, all hell-bent on becoming the new council’s philosopher king. Each member prefers being on the new council above all other things, and will never vote in favour of a council that they are not on. Secondly, being on the proposed council, they would prefer to have as high a rank as possible (that is, a low number—being philosopher 1 is the best, 2 is second best, and so forth). Third, given that they will be on the council with a certain rank, they prefer that the council is as small as possible, so as not to have to share power unnecessarily (but superior rank on a larger council is preferred).
Philosopher 5, the lowest-ranked philosopher starts off, proposing a council and a ranking.
Can you suggest a proposal that guarantees philosopher 5 becomes philosopher king?
(If you have never seen a “pirate-division” problem before, you may find this puzzle hard to get your head round. The solution, however, is straightforward and involves no technical knowledge.
The way to solve it is to work backwards. Think about what happens when the council has only one philosopher, and then two philosophers, and then three, and then four and then five.)
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
Can’t believe I’ve waited this long to unleash the famous “Zebra Puzzle” on you. First appearing in Life International magazine in 1962, it’s often attributed to Albert Einstein or Lewis Carroll, but just as likely is that it was created by neither.
Anyhoo, the puzzle starts off
with 15 facts:
1. There are five houses.
2. The English person lives in the red house.
3. The Spanish person owns the dog.
4. Coffee is drunk in the green house.
5. The Ukrainian person drinks tea.
6. The green house is immediately to the right of the ivory house.
7. The Old Gold smoker owns snails.
8. Kools are smoked in the yellow house.
9. Milk is drunk in the middle house.
10. The Norwegian person lives in the first house.
11. The person who smokes Chesterfields lives in the house next to the person with the fox.
12. Kools are smoked in the house next to the house where the horse is kept.
13. The Lucky Strike smoker drinks orange juice.
14. The Japanese person smokes Parliaments.
15. The Norwegian person lives next to the blue house.
What you have to figure out is:
Who drinks water? And who owns the zebra?
Answer:
The Norwegian drinks water and the Japanese owns the Zebra.
Thanks for reading Dovi’s Digest!