Dovi’s Digest Volume 225
Shopping like a billionaire 🛍🤑💰
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 225 of Dovi’s Digest!
I remember years ago (circa 2000) there was some stat that if Bill Gates was to drop a $20 bill, it technically wouldn’t be worth it for him to pick it up, as at the time he was making more than that per second. I ran the numbers for 2023, and unsurprisingly, that number has increased 600%, to $120 per second.
We can't conceptualise billionaire money. Hell, we can't conceptualise ultra-high net worth ($30m+) money. Just sticking that in the bank will earn you close to $2m a year, money that you did nothing for and can do anything with. Business class tickets? Five star hotels? your twice yearly shopping trip to Paris? Done, done and done. All of those fit easily into that $2m. Granted you can’t buy a yacht or plane, but I don’t think I’d mind that much. So if that’s what millionaires can do, imagine billionaires.
Literally nothing is off limits – even space these days is no longer the sole domain of highly trained astronauts who spent years getting to that point. For the low low price of $300,000 you can jet off to experience zero gravity for six whole minutes. Want a Ferrari to match each outfit you wear? Done. Not even a passing thought.
Which is why when Temu first came up on my targeted ads, their tagline of “shop like a billionaire” intrigued me. So I went on it, saw things that seemed useful for less than 50c, and proceeded to buy a cartload of random junk (things that I’d use, but junk nonetheless). A week later it had been delivered to me in South Africa directly from China. In total I spent about R500/$30. I can’t even courier a document internationally for less than that, let alone a whole box of goodies. So I began to wonder how on Earth they are able to make money off this. Luckily, this week’s headline article managed to answer that question.
In this week’s added extras:
Find the best country for you with this short quiz.
How AI might help us talk to animals.
A chart of alcohol preferences from around the world.
A day in a candle factory.
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 ZERO fully correct answers to last week’s brainteaser, However, Chaim E got 53 of them, followed by Shiri B, Sam T, and Ariel S who got 37, 27, and 25 respectively.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming.
Have a great weekend,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
Temu Promises Cheap Goods. Here's How the Shopping App Does It
Very low prices are only part of the story.
The Single Dad Who Had a Baby Via Surrogate
“I always say I’m doing this solo, not alone. Alone sounds sad. Solo sounds like more of an adventure.”
Inside Mexico’s Anti-Avocado Militias
The spread of the avocado is a story of greed, ambition, corruption, water shortages, cartel battles and, in a number of towns and villages, a fierce fightback.
“The Pressure Change Was Causing Me to Have Contractions”: What It's Really Like to Be a Tornado Chaser
How tornadoes form remains one of nature's biggest mysteries. Meet the scientists who are chasing twisters to unlock the secrets of destructive storms.
The Enduring Mystery of How Water Freezes
Making ice requires more than sub-zero temperatures. The unpredictable process takes microscopic scaffolding, random jiggling and often a little bit of bacteria.
Energy Drinks Are Everywhere. How Dangerous Are They?
Originally marketed squarely at young men, they’re now coming for women’s wallets.
The Business of Being Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
In GQ’s October cover story, the artist talks business, legacy, art, and family: “It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being revolutionary.”
Quote of the Week:
“No practical definition of freedom would be complete without the freedom to take the consequences. Indeed, it is the freedom upon which all the others are based.” - Terry Pratchett
Word of the Week:
(Courtesy of Steve M)
Eponymous
uh·po·nuh·muhs/ɪˈpɒnɪməs/
Adjective
(of a person) giving their name to something.
"the eponymous hero of the novel"
2. (of a thing) named after a particular person or group.
"their eponymous debut LP.”
Do you know a word you think others should know about?
Facts of the Week:
Sea urchins can drill holes in solid rock with their teeth.
10% of chipped teeth are caused by popcorn.
Over 25% of the mention of teeth in the Bible involve “gnashing”.
Tasleek is a Saudi word meaning to nod along and pretend to care what the other person is saying.
In 19th century France, the least important dinner guests sat at the ends of the table. Honoured guests were seated in the middle, with more people to talk to.
People walk faster when passing banks.
On the moon, skipping is more efficient than walking.
The grunts of a tennis player become higher pitched when they're losing.
Venus Williams has spent more than a year of her life at Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic never uses the same shower twice in a row.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
(Courtesy of Naftali G)
Brainteaser of the Week:
STINK, DELIVER, STRESSED, REWARD, WARTS
The above words have something in common. Which of the following words belongs in the same group?
SPREE, IMITATE, SHIRT, COUNTED, LAGER
Last week’s brainteaser and answer:
In today’s puzzle, you’re going to click on this link, and you’ll see an illustration. Your job is to find the 54 cliches depicted in the image (or as many as you can). Good luck!
Answer:
Find the list of cliches here.