Dovi’s Digest Volume 244
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 244 of Dovi’s Digest!
Over the last ten days, my inbox has begun to fill with gentle reminders that Valentine’s Day is on the way, and that I need to make sure I’ve stocked up on roses and chocolates. As the days went past these emails became more insistent, the reminders more forceful. From Wednesday, they took a more sinister turn. They insinuated that I don’t really care about anyone if I’m not love bombing them with presents from dawn until dusk.
Thing is, I show my love the entire year. Most of us do. So why should this random day dictate when and what I can give? We all give in different ways too. Gary Chapman famously collated them into the five love languages: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch.
I guess what I’m saying is don’t be guilted into buying overpriced roses and average chocolates. Do what is right for you, or more importantly, your partner. Take out the trash, give them a hug, verbalise how much and why you love them, give something less generic than chocolates, or just make time to be with only them. Anyone of a million different little things. Each one says “I love you” more than those flowers ever could.
Enjoy this week’s Digest! (My “I love you”)
In this week’s added extras:
Fall down a rabbit hole with this TikTok-style interface for browsing random Wikipedia articles.
Do you know all of these kitchen hacks?
Spending a day with NYC’s hot dog king.
What happens to the millions of euros’ worth of coins tossed into Rome’s Trevi Fountain?
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 FIVE correct answers to last week’s brainteaser, Well done to Josh H, Hazel L, Jonathan A, Jeff C, and Rachel F! 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:
My Quest to Find the Owner of a Mysterious WWII Japanese Sword
When I was a kid, I was fascinated by a traditional katana my grandfather had brought home from Japan in 1945. Years later, I decided it was time to find the heirloom’s rightful owner.
Can Characters Come Alive Without People?
There’s a human behind our favourite animated characters. But as A.I. comes to Hollywood, that could change. Written by Hank Azaria of The Simpsons
Almost One In 10 People Use the Same Four-Digit PIN
Find out if you’re one of them.
Inside the Blurb-Industrial Complex
One of literature’s most ancient traditions is under threat. Authors are thrilled.
The Perfect, But Slow, Way to Boil an Egg - According to Science
Scientists have cracked the perfect way to boil an egg – astonishingly, it takes half an hour.
”The Ghosts Are Everywhere”: Can the British Museum Survive Its Omni-Crisis?
Beset by colonial controversy, difficult finances, and the discovery of a thief on the inside, Britain’s No 1 museum is in deep trouble. Can it restore its reputation?
The Nuns Trying to Save the Women on Texas’s Death Row
Sisters from a convent outside Waco have repeatedly visited the prisoners – and even made them affiliates of their order. The story of a powerful spiritual alliance.
Quote of the Week:
“In times of joy, all of us wished we possessed a tail we could wag.” – WH Auden
Word of the Week:
Lascivious
luh·si·vee·uhs/ləˈsɪvɪəs/
Adjective
feeling or revealing an overt sexual interest or desire.
"He gave her a lascivious wink."
Do you know a word you think others should know about? Submit it here!
Facts of the Week:
Refuse workers in Turkey have made a 4,750-volume library out of discarded books.
Napoleon had a small portable library that he called his “kindle”.
Braille is based on a system devised for Napoleon's army to help soldiers communicate in darkness.
You can hear rhubarb growing in the dark.
China is planning to grow potatoes on the dark side of the Moon.
Eating too many tomatoes can give you a heart attack.
The world's longest pizza weighed as much as an elephant.
Rhinos have surprisingly dainty feet and walk on their insteps.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Guess each pair of words. Each are spelled identically except for the addition of the name of a mammal inserted inside, or at either end, of the second word. Thus “a filled pastry and a marauder” is “pie and pirate”.
a) Fell and a part of a plant used to symbolise desolation or an awkward silence.
b) Dishonest statements and events at which winners are selected at random from among ticketholders
c) Agreed and elaborate or difficult
Last week’s brainteaser and answer:
Which US state name consists of two words with opposite meanings that are separated by a vowel?
Answer:
Connecticut