Dovi's Digest Volume 220
More than 50 shades of grey
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 220 of Dovi’s Digest.
One of the first things we learn is the difference between good and bad. Naughty and nice. Right and wrong. It was made to seem that not only would these things be clearly delineated, but we’d instinctively know which was which.
As we grow up we realise that of course the world isn’t binary, and in fact has thousands of shades of grey. Morals can be murky, people do the right things for the wrong reasons, the wrong things for the right reasons, and sometimes earnestly believe that they’re still doing good. It becomes easier to see the bad and be cynical about the good.
And then we grow up a little more, gain some perspective, and start to see the broad strokes again – the black and the white separate out (to a degree). None of us are wholly good or bad, we’re grey, a little bit of everything. You can only hope and strive towards having more good than bad.
This week marks the tenth anniversary of Robin Williams’ death. He was a man who brought joy and laughter to millions of strangers, but had a more complicated relationship with those closest to him. There are so many wonderful stories about him, like making Koko the gorilla smile after she lost a baby, or the way he’d phone Steven Spielberg while the director was making Schindler’s List to cheer up him and the cast. Robin wasn’t always a happy man, and fought addiction and depression for years. Was he a man, like us, with many shades of grey? Of course. But did he leave the world a better place? I like to think so.
This week’s headline article is a collection of wonderful memories from his friends and co-workers. To read more about Robin Williams, I highly recommend Dave Itzkoff’s biography of him called Robin. It shows the stature of the man, warts and all.
Do you know a word you think others should know about? Submit it here!
In this week’s added extras:
The five hardest Wordle answers so far, per the NYT.
This digital artwork by animator Jesse Martin has racked up more than 6 million views on YouTube. It consists of someone seemingly zooming further and further into a surreal animation, “giving the effect of worlds within worlds”.
These are the benefits of taking a daily multivitamin, according to the data.
Photos of places on Earth that look fake.
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 FOUR correct answers to last week’s brainteaser, well done to Yona K, Josh H, Yali F and Jeff C!! 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:
“He’s Absolutely Extraordinary”: Remembering Robin Williams
On the 10-year anniversary of Robin Williams’s untimely passing, we asked more than 20 of his co-stars, collaborators, and friends—including Billy Crystal, Matt Damon, Ben Stiller, Al Pacino, Sally Field, Jeff Bridges, and Julianne Moore—for their favourite memories of this kind, playful, and uniquely intelligent artist.
Psychedelics Gave Terminal Patients Relief From Their Intense Anxiety
End-of-life cancer patients in a therapy group in Canada used psilocybin to reduce their fears. It helped some find peace.
I Was A Creative Force Behind One Of The Biggest Rock Bands Of The '90s. Then I Watched Them Erase Me From Their Story.
"At that time, the band had broken up, and I was told they would never reunite. But that’s not what happened."
Who Are Fossils For?
When a stegosaurus skeleton smashed the dino sales record last month, selling for $45m, it reignited an ancient debate.
One Misconception About 64 Different Animals
Cows have only one stomach, toads won’t give you warts, and sloths aren’t lazy.
Guatemala’s Baby Brokers: How Thousands Of Children Were Stolen For Adoption
From the 1960s, baby brokers persuaded often Indigenous Mayan women to give up newborns while kidnappers ‘disappeared’ babies. Now, international adoption is being called out as a way of covering up war crimes.
Odd Calibre
Mired in debt, a mild-mannered hobbyist becomes an international arms dealer. Soon the UK is flooded with untraceable antique guns and ammunition and police are baffled.
Quote of the Week:
“There is no greater fool than he who thinks himself wise; no one wiser than he who suspects he is a fool.” — Marguerite de Valois
Word of the Week:
(Courtesy of Lea A)
Cockamamie
ko·kuh·may·mee/ˌkɒkəˈmeɪmi/
Adjective
ridiculous; implausible.
"a cockamamie theory"
Facts of the Week:
The ancient Greeks had a contraceptive suppository made of frankincense, myrrh, and blister beetles.
A panda’s sperm count is 100 times higher than a man's.
Pandas can distinguish 18 Shades of grey.
Pandas are losing their black eye patches, and no one knows why.
No one knows why the upside-down catfish swims upside down.
Goldfish can survive for five months without oxygen.
Praying mantises are the only insects known to see in 3D.
Insect burgers are available in Switzerland.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Here’s the video of it, because I know you’ll go looking for it anyway.
Brainteaser of the Week:
Today’s puzzle comes from the Guardian: Change one letter of each word to make pairs of synonyms.
Example: “paid and dug” → “pair and duo”
a) Mistress and buffering
b) Engage and maiden
c) Aware and prime
Last week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
If…
11 people watch BOXING
50 people watch GOLF
102 people watch ICE SKATING
151 people watch ATHLETICS
507 people watch DIVING
How many people watch CYCLING?
Answer:
251 people watch CYCLING.
The number of people who watch = the sum of the Roman numerals in that sport’s name. So, CYCLING has 2 Cs (200), 1 L (50), and 1 I (1).