Dovi's Digest Volume 210
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A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 210 of Dovi’s Digest.
“Genuinely life changing”, “a tour de force”, “unputdownable”, “I felt guilty enjoying it this much”. All of these are real blurbs that I’ve found on the back of books on my shelf. In fact, every book that you pick up seems to have rave reviews from other authors or professional reviewers. If you were to only read the quotes on the back, you’d be forgiven for thinking that every book ever written was a masterpiece (which we all know isn’t the case).
So how do these pull quotes come about? Who has the time to read all these books? You can read all about the murky world of book blurbs in this week’s headline article.
I will leave you with one of the best ones I’ve ever come across, as well as the full text of the quote, courtesy of the great Neil Gaiman.
Do you know a word you think others should know about? Submit it here!
In this week’s added extras:
France’s post office is making scratch-and-sniff stamps.
How to tie knots (with animations!)
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 was ONE correct answer to last week’s brainteaser, well done to Steven K!! The answer and this week’s puzzle are below.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming.
Have a great weekend,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
“A Plague on the Industry”: Book Publishing's Broken Blurb System
Do authors actually like the books they endorse—or even read them? Writers, literary agents, and publishing workers take Esquire inside the story of a problematic "favour economy."
Doodles May Reveal Our Subconscious Thoughts, Says Graphologist
Criss-crosses can be a sign of anxiety, straight lines suggest someone is a 'no nonsense' type and pointed shapes can indicate an ambitious and competitive nature.
Why Do We Clap?
At the Cannes Film Festival, standing ovations can last for more than 10 minutes. It begs the question: what drives human beings to smack our hands together to applaud?
Is It Time for A More Subtle View on The Ultimate Taboo: Cannibalism?
New archaeological evidence shows that ancient humans ate each other surprisingly often - sometimes for compassionate reasons. The finds give us an opportunity to reassess our views on the practice.
How AI is Expanding Art History
From identifying disputed artworks to reconstructing lost masterpieces, artificial intelligence is enriching how we interpret our cultural heritage.
“Miniature” Secretly Has More to Do with Colour Than with Size
Some more useless etymology for you.
Why “Following the Money” Isn't Enough to Stop Organised Crime Anymore
Drug traffickers are increasingly using specialist underground networks to hide their money, meaning police have to find other ways to catch gangsters.
Quote of the Week:
“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” – Kurt Vonnegut
Word of the Week:
(Courtesy of Delia S)
Assuage
uh·swayj/əˈsweɪdʒ/
Verb
1. make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense.
"The letter assuaged the fears of most members."
2. satisfy (an appetite or desire).
"An opportunity occurred to assuage her desire for knowledge"
Facts of the Week:
In Egypt's Middle Kingdom, it was a mark of high status to have a folding stool.
In the Cabinet Office at No. 10 Downing St, the prime minister's chair is the only one with arms.
A Dutch designer has invented a chair that gives an electric shock to people who say “yes but...” in meetings.
Researchers in Singapore have built a robot that can assemble an IKEA chair.
Nintendo is Japanese for “leave luck to Heaven”.
According to Nintendo, Mario isn't a plumber.
In 2018, a plane full of Norwegian plumbers had to turn back because of a broken toilet.
In 2009, a British Airways plane was delayed from taking off for half an hour because it didn't have an ashtray in the laboratory.
In 2015, a Southampton to Dublin flight had to turn back after a bee got stuck in the flight instruments. It was a Flybe flight.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Two elements in the periodic table can be spelled using the chemical symbols of three other elements.
One of them is silver: Si (silicon) + Lv (livermorium) + Er (erbium).
What is the other?
Last week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
Here are 30 letter pairs that make up 10 six-letter words. Use the clues provided to find all 10 words, using each letter pair only once. Race your coworkers!
AG CE CT ED ED EL EN ER ES ES ES EV EW FI HS IM IS IS IT LA LE LE NO NT OF SE SU TA UG VI
1. Gift
2. Polished
3. Joyful sounds
4. Stranger Things character
5. TV watcher
6. Important matters
7. Choose
8. Google Search option
9. Workplace
10. Sounds
Answer:
TALENT
EDITED
LAUGHS
ELEVEN
VIEWER
ISSUES
SELECT
IMAGES
OFFICE
NOISEs