Dovi's Digest Volume 204
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 204 of Dovi’s Digest.
There’s some wisdom in the phrase “your parents choose your best friends”. When I think on many of those closest to me, I realise that it’s for the most part true. Now not for a second am I suggesting that my parents chose my friends as a kid in an active sense, they were never directly involved in who I could/couldn’t play with – it just happens to be that some of my best friends happen to be the children of my parents’ good friends. Most of my socialising as a child was done in this sort of context, a group of parents who get together at a park and then tell their offspring to play nice while the adults are talking. (I’ll put aside the experiences of my poor mom, who would accompany me on every jungle gym and ride as I was an anxious child who was attached to his mother’s apron strings. I’m pleased to note that these days I go on jungle gyms alone, although other parents ruin the fun when they ask, “why is there a 30 something year old man hanging upside down from the monkey bars?”)
When we would get together at someone’s home, the adult time has a slightly more commercial aspect. I spent many Sundays playing in someone’s garden while our moms were having a Tupperware party.
When it came out, Tupperware was groundbreaking. It helped stretch a family’s leftovers and budget, it was hardy (other plastic at the time would break if you dropped it), and it came in a variety of colours. It also came with a lifetime guarantee. 25 years later, my mom’s kitchen is still stocked with Tupperware in all different shapes and sizes, and when a container recently broke, she just took it in to the store and they exchanged it, no questions asked.
The true power of Tupperware though wasn’t its aesthetic or economic appeal. It sparked a silent feminist revolution, empowering women all over the world to effectively become their own bosses and allowing them to supplement their income. All of this wouldn’t have been possible without Brownie Wise, the real powerhouse behind Tupperware’s success. You can read all about her in this week’s headline article.
Do you know a word you think others should know about? Submit it here!
Submit word of the week
In this week’s added extras:
Here’s a list of units of measurement invented mostly to be funny, because we’re not above considering time in beard-seconds.
The wild story behind the creation of the blue LED.
A list of the coolest streets in the world.
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 E and Yona K! The answer and this week’s puzzle are below.
This week you can also read about why we do and don’t have free will (a Schrodinger’s will if you like), how VR is being used to treat chronic pain, the divisive new Scrabble dictionary, the town where everyone is a mole person, the death of canned laughter on TV, and the new race to explore the ocean, not for science, but for profit. Enjoy!
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming.
Have a great weekend, and a good Pesach to all my Jewish readers!
Dovi
And now, the articles:
How a Single Mom Created a Plastic Food-Storage Empire
The story of Tupperware is one of innovation and reinvention: a new kind of plastic, made from industrial waste, became a symbol of female empowerment.
Yes, We Have Free Will. No, We Absolutely Do Not
A volley of new insights reignites the debate over whether our choices are ever truly our own.
The Pain Is Real. The Painkillers Are Virtual Reality.
Immersing patients in virtual worlds can reduce the pain of a needle stick as well as more pernicious chronic pain.
HORSEFEATHERSES!
Scrabble’s new tournament word list adds slurs and words that lexicographers say aren’t actually words at all.
The Australian Town Where People Live Underground
In one unusual outback town, everything is subterranean – from churches to campsites. As the world heads for 2.7C (4.9F) of global warming, should we be heading underground?
The Most Hated Sound on Television
For half a century, viewers scorned the laugh track while adoring shows that used it. Now it has all but disappeared.
Lord of the Deep
It’s said there is more treasure at the bottom of the ocean than in all the world’s museums. A new breed of deep-sea prospector has emerged from London and Wall Street, using robots to scour the sea floor. Some call them marine disruptors. Others see plunder. For years a shipwreck hunter has battled governments and rivals over the ocean floor’s riches. He’s kept his identity a secret, until now.
Quote of the Week:
“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” – Elizabeth Taylor
Word of the Week:
Loquacious
luh·kway·shuhs /lə(ʊ)ˈkweɪʃəs/
Adjective
Tending to talk a great deal; talkative.
"Never loquacious, Sarah was now totally lost for words."
Facts of the Week:
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
“This sentence contains _______ letters”
Write a number in words in the blank space in the above sentence that will make the statement true.
Last week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
Using only two letters to fill in the blanks, what is this word?
P _ _ _ E _ _ I _ N
Answer:
Possession