Dovi’s Digest Volume 260
Happy 5th birthday! 🎂🎉🍾🎊🥳
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 260 of Dovi’s Digest!
Five years. Wow. I cannot believe that five years have passed since that fateful evening where I decided I was too lazy to send out a few separate emails, and just posted all the articles I wanted to share in one email, sweetening the deal with a cartoon.
The Digest has given me so much. It’s shown me the power of persistence and dedication – 260 editions coming at you weekly doesn’t come easy. It’s given me a love of writing and allowed me to parlay it into a part time job that I can do from anywhere in the world. I’ve learned a fortune from it as well, because I need to read all the articles too. And lastly, it’s allowed me to share that knowledge with all of you, which is the best part of writing this every week.
Thank you for coming along for the ride! I can’t wait to see where the next five takes us.
In this week’s added extras:
It wasn’t until 1992 that astronomers confirmed the existence of planets outside our solar system, says Colossal. And in the 30 years since, they have identified at least 6,660 exoplanets orbiting nearly 4,900 suns. The Slovakian artist Martin Vargic has used that information to make a pair of striking infographics: The Exoplanet Zoo depicts more than 1,000 gas planets arranged by colour; Icy and Rocky Worlds does something similar for more earth-like orbs. Both are available as posters here.
Will Ferrell goes on a road trip with his best friend in this touching documentary.
Not all beaches are the same.
This website tracks how fast you can pop virtual confetti and, no, I won’t elaborate.
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 correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to ME!! I’ll leave it up for another week.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming.
Have a great weekend,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
The Best Advice I’ve Ever Heard for How to Be Happy
I’ve talked to a former chief of the F.B.I.’s Crisis Negotiation Unit about how to defuse tension during family holidays. Emergency-room doctors about how to avoid accidents. A neuroscientist who studies dreams. As a writer for The New York Times’s Well section, I interview experts about health and wellness. Over the years, I’ve found that these conversations often contain useful, surprising kernels of advice about how to be happy — how to live a good, fulfilling life.
So I collected the best pieces of advice from all my interviews. Some involve finding small opportunities for delight; some are about interacting with people; some are little exercises in gratitude. But these are the tips that have stuck with me most.
Pirates of the Ayahuasca
That shaman stole my personality.
How the Carnivore Diet Saved My Marriage—and Changed My Life
When his wife’s mental-health struggles and his own malaise threatened their life together, the author discovered the joys of a meat-only diet.
The Math Tutor and The Missing $533 Million
From Dubai, the enigmatic founder of Byju’s recounts how he made his empire — and vows to rebuild it.
Can Mount Everest Really Be Climbed in A Week?
A commercial expedition is planning to take clients up the tallest mountain in the world in record time with the help of xenon gas. But some in the climbing and medical world worry whether the strategy is an unnecessary gamble.
The Unbearable Darkness of Jail
Jails in St. Louis, Cleveland and Jackson, Mississippi, don’t provide direct access to sunlight and fresh air – even when their own policies require it.
3 Teens Almost Got Away with Murder. Then Police Found Their Google Searches
An arson attack in Colorado had detectives stumped. The way they solved the case could put everyone at risk.
Quote of the Week:
“You are under no obligation to remain the same person you were a year ago, a month ago, or even a day ago. You are here to create yourself, continuously.” – Richard Feynman
Word of the Week:
Novitiate
nuh-VISH-ee-uht/nəˈvɪʃɪət/
noun
the period or state of being a novice, especially in a religious order.
Do you know a word you think others should know about? Submit it here!
Facts of the Week:
The cloakroom at the Houses of Parliament has storage space for MPs' swords, and at least one MP uses it.
Theresa May was introduced to her husband by Benazir Bhutto.
The briefing folder David Cameron took to Prime Minister's Questions was known as the “plastic fantastic”.
In the last 20 years, Switzerland has had over 180 referendums.
The Swiss Air Force is only available during business hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10 trillion business cards are printed in the US each year, 88% of which are thrown away within a week of being handed out.
The names of UK businesses including the word “Scottish” outnumber those including the word 'English' by four to one.
In 1961, the co-founder of Domino's Pizza traded his 50% stake in the business for a Volkswagen Beetle.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Last week’s brainteaser:
Try to identify a famous historical figure from the following clues:
1. The person’s first and last names both contain seven letters.
2. Their full name only contains two different consonants (that occur multiple times).
3. Thirteen of the 14 letters in this person’s name occur in the first half of the alphabet (A–M), with the remaining letter being an “O.”
Who is it?