A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 192 of Dovi’s Digest.
A few weeks ago I let you in on a dirty little secret of mine. I don’t have Spotify. Well, let me rephrase I DIDN’T have Spotify. As of this week, I’ve joined the ranks of the masses. I still have Apple Music, but I’ll gradually move over. The recommendations on Spotify are much better, the UI is cleaner, and it links to my watch. The biggest discrepancy that I’ve noticed though is that of the sound quality. Apple Music just sounds much, much, (or considerably?) better. In every way. The bass is fuller, the treble sweeter, voices are clearer, plus many songs now have Dolby Atmos, which simulates surround sound from a set of headphones. It feels like you’re sitting in the orchestra pit (proverbially. I don’t listen to much classical).
Now, while I enjoy music, and have a good set of headphones to listen on, I’m far from being a real audiophile. I don’t check the timbre, nor do I try minimise vibrations. I own a turntable and some vinyl (of course I do, this shouldn’t be a surprise), but if I listen I use basic equipment. Audiophiles are people who spend thousands and thousands of dollars on just speakers, never mind the playback, the preamp, the amplifier, and the cables you need. In fact, I’ve mentioned one before. Way back in DD V93 I shared a story of a Japanese audiophile who in addition to $100k+ of equipment, bought himself his own utility pole to have uninterrupted and stable power.
But even he pales in comparison with the star of this week’s headline article. Ken Fritz spent years (and over $1 million) building the perfect listening room in his house. He worked nights and weekends in devotion to his craft. Aside from the money though, it ultimately cost Fritz a lot more.
Although I’ll most likely never run out of words, it’s always nice when someone sends one that tickles them. Hit the button below to submit one in less than 30s!
In this week’s added extras:
The list of words that were banished in 2023 (slay)
An infographic showing the relative size of all the rockets used to go to space (the smallest is seven metres, is French, and is called the Baguette).
How Hollywood makes actors look bigger or smaller next to their co stars (think hobbits or the Hulk).
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 Ethan Plen, Ariel Subotzky, and Ryan Subotzky! The answer and this week’s puzzle are below.
You can also read why there is a movement to change species named after problematic individuals (to the best of knowledge this won’t affect boobies which is a load off all of our shoulders), cuddle up with the World Tree Hugging Championship, gulp down the alarming new study on the amount of microplastics are in bottled water, learn how to save a life with the world’s most advanced CPR dummy that bleeds, breathes, as well as a few other things, take a dive into the beautiful deep sea footage shot in 2023, and the story of the man who won the lottery 14 times using maths (ala Jerry and Marge go Large all the way back from Digest Volume 6). Enjoy!
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming.
Have a great weekend,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
He Spent His Life Building A $1 Million Stereo. The Real Cost Was Unfathomable.
(Courtesy of Yisroel Greenberg)
Ken Fritz turned his home into an audiophile’s dream — the world’s greatest hi-fi. What would it mean in the end?
When Species Names Are Offensive, Should They Be Changed?
Amid a wider social justice reckoning, some scientists are calling for scrapping species names that honour people considered objectionable, including dictators and enslavers, or use offensive words. Others question whether such a monumental effort is worthwhile or even possible.
The Secret Meaning Behind the World Tree Hugging Championships
In Finland's Halipuu Forest, a family has developed a novel way to save their fragile forest: by inviting guests in to hug the trees.
Bottled Water Contains More Plastic Particles Than Previously Thought
Researchers found hundreds of thousands of plastic particles in one-litre bottles of water sold in the US, 90% of them small enough to enter the human bloodstream.
The CPR Dummy of the Future Can Piss Blood
On display at CES 2024, Adam-X breathes, blinks, and responds to your treatment.
The Stunning Deep Sea Footage Scientists Filmed In 2023
What swims in the dark?
The Man Who Won the Lottery 14 Times
How a rogue Romanian economist legally gamed the lottery and won millions of dollars around the world.
Quote of the Week:
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents the aeroplane, the pessimist the parachute.” – George Bernard Shaw
Word of the Week:
(Courtesy of Josh H)
Gallivant
/ˈɡalɪvant/ gal·a·vant [ gal-uh-vant, gal-uh-vant]
Verb
Go around from one place to another in the pursuit of pleasure or entertainment.
"She quit her job to go gallivanting around the globe.”
Facts of the Week:
85% of bikinis never get wet.
German physicist Theodor Kaluza taught himself to swim from a book.
Pigeons can be taught to recognise words.
Reuters started as a flock of pigeons ferrying financial news from Germany and Belgium.
In 2018 common news of forest fires in Canada caused panic buying of toilet paper in Taiwan.
In 2014, protesters in Moscow were arrested for holding invisible posters.
Researchers in China have invented printable invisible ink.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweets of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Here is a puzzle from the iconic British TV game show Only Connect.
What connects the words in each of these four groups?
Group prepared firm series
Design ideal replica mannequin
Ban pub except counter
Ignite trivial brilliance fair
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
What number comes next in this sequence?
202, 320, 222, 021, 202, 020, 192, 018, ___
Answer:
201. When you remove the commas and rearrange the spaces, you’ll find that the sequence is the years in reverse order: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 201(7).
Thanks for reading Dovi’s Digest!