Dovi’s Digest Volume 228
Choose already! 🤔😵💫🤷🏻♂️
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 228 of Dovi’s Digest!
Firstly, a little apology. I know that there has been one edition of DD in the last four weeks. It so happened that Jewish holidays this year fell out smack bang in the middle of each week, and I just didn’t have time. For those of you who asked, I’m thankfully fine, and I appreciate you asking.
For those close to me, it’s known that I can be fairly indecisive. Sure, in a high-pressure situation I’m cool, calm, collected, and in charge, but give me something mundane like choosing the colour of a toaster, I become wracked with doubt, calling people to get their opinions, and finally picking one while wistfully staring back at those that I left behind. Needless to say, I’m a maximiser as opposed to a satisficer (terms made famous in Barry Schwartz’s excellent book The Paradox of Choice).
But sometimes what appears to be indecision is in reality knowing what I want, and making sure I don’t settle for something less than. A good example of this is a new pair of sneakers. Yes, I know it’s dull, but it’s still something I knew. I shlepped a poor someone around no less than four malls (plus many online stores) looking for the perfect pair. I’ve yet to find them, so if you have any recommendations for black sneakers with a white sole, just hit reply.
One of the pairs I tried on were the Adidas Sambas, which have taken the world by storm over the last 18 months, despite being decades old. A millennial buying them probably sends shivers up the spine of Gen Z/Alpha but know that a) I didn’t in the end, and b) one of my friend’s boomer dads has a pair.
This week there are two headline articles, a short article about whether maximisers or satisficers are happier, and one about how the Sambas took over the world.
In this week’s added extras:
The list of the world’s best bars for 2024 is topped by a Mexico City speakeasy.
Why Mount Everest is still growing, because apparently it’s not tall enough already.
This site lets you scream your troubles into the void.
Scrambled Maps is a game where players are presented with the jumbled-up overview of a city and must work out the correct position for each tile by moving them around the screen. Try it for yourself here.
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 Yona K, Yali F, and Ariel S! The answer and this week’s riddle are below.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming.
Have a great weekend,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
The Highs And Lows of an It-Shoe: How Adidas Sambas Took Over The World
Rishi Sunak may have rendered them uncool a few months ago, but the trainer has risen to ubiquity in the past few years. So what is it about this fairly simple design that is so widely loved?
Do “Maximisers” or “Satisficers” Make Better Decisions?
There are two main types of decision-makers, experts say. Understanding which you are could help improve your choices.
The Myth Of Your Phone's Airplane Mode
Airplane mode hasn't been necessary for almost 20 years, but the myth persists.
What It’s Like to Staff the Home of a Billionaire
If you’ve ever wondered how billionaires actually spend their money in private, few people know better than George Ralph Dunn. Here, he talks about navigating a notoriously secretive industry, how he manages clients who mistreat their staff, and what it’s like to recruit a dog nanny.
Our Ancient Animal Ancestors Had Tails. Why Don’t We?
A genetic mutation offers clues.
She Spends Her Days With Bees, But Can’t Hear Them Buzz
Kaat Kaye, a beekeeper with profound deafness, relies on sight, smell, and even dance to communicate with the complex creatures.
The Hotel Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave
Mickey Barreto’s five-year stay cost him only $200.57. Now it might cost him his freedom.
Quote of the Week:
“It’s the strangest thing: A lot of people as they get older get more protected and terrified. My desire is to keep throwing myself into things. My parenting, my relationship, my work. I’ll take the pain. I’ll take the joy. Because the feeling makes me go, I’m in life. It’s an enormous gift, this life.” — Nicole Kidman
Word of the Week:
(Courtesy of Tanya P)
Echelon
eh·shuh·lon/ˈɛʃəlɒn,ˈeɪʃlɒ̃/
Noun
a level or rank in an organisation, a profession, or society.
"the upper echelons of the business world"
2. MILITARY
a formation of troops, ships, aircraft, or vehicles in parallel rows with the end of each row projecting further than the one in front.
"the regiment lined up shoulder to shoulder in three tight echelons"
Verb
MILITARY
arrange in an echelon formation.
"the Task Force would take the left, echeloned to be able to sweep in from the west.”
Do you know a word you think others should know about?
Facts of the Week:
The world's largest cruise ship is five times the size of the Titanic.
Lightning storms are twice as likely in shipping lanes as in the rest of the ocean.
A “dirty” thunderstorm is when lightning is produced in a volcanic plume.
The number of people killed by lightning today is a tenth of what it was in the 1940s.
Only 139 cars were produced in the US during the Second World War.
In 1820s Manhattan, there was one pig for every five humans.
In 1899, Henry Bliss became the first American pedestrian to be killed by a car.
The man who invented one-way streets, roundabouts, taxi stands, and stop signs never learned to drive.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
(Courtesy of David G)
Brainteaser of the Week:
Last week was International Caps Lock Day (yes, it’s a thing, yes, it’s insane), here’s trivia on capitonyms, or words that change their meaning when they’re capitalised. For example: Turkey and turkey.
We’ll give you clues to the capitalised version and the lowercase version—you have to identify the word.
1. Hailing from the western region of the Czech Republic / socially unconventional
2. Shakespeare tragedy / a small settlement
3. Dialect spoken by nearly 1 billion people / a small citrus
4. City in southern France / pleasant
5. Summer month / majestic
6. Italian automaker / a decree
Last week’s brainteaser and answer:
Which fruit comes next in this sequence: Banana, pear, kiwi, tomato, _____?
Your options:
7. Peach
8. Lemon
9. Plum
10. Guava
Answer:
Guava. The second letters of the words are the vowels in alphabetical order (a, e, i, o, u).