Dovi's Digest Volume 30
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual and physical needs
Hi All, and welcome to Volume 30 of Dovi’s Digest.
Last weekend’s getaway is all but forgotten after an intense week. I would never complain about a few days in Cape Town, but frankly, any amount of time there never feels long enough.
The weather was perfect, the sea calm, the beer cold. Let’s just forget that it’s become one of South Africa’s Covid hotspots. There’s something about the sea air that just makes people not give a damn and completely disregard any social distancing conventions. Grannies and kids alike, with not a care in the world. Even coughing and sputtering theatrically nearby didn’t make them bat an eyelash. So as the festive season draws closer, we’re gearing up. Not for the tidal wave of Mariah Carey and tinsel, but for the eerie quiet of locked down streets and the flashing lights of emergency services. I’d like to try avoid that, so don’t be an arse, wear a mask (or, if you’re American: don’t be an ass, wear a mahsk).
This week’s edition is chockful of the arcane material you’ve never thought to ask for. Ancient trees, concrete coasts, curiosity, shaming people to be productive. My two favourites are the 100 sequences that changed animation and a literal get out of jail free card.
There was One correct answer to last week’s riddle. Well done Daniel Rab! The answer and this week’s brainteaser are below.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming, and happy Channukah/Hannukah/chanuka to all my Jewish readers.
All the best
Dovi
And now, the articles:
The 100 Sequences That Shaped Animation
From Bugs Bunny to Spike Spiegel to Miles Morales, the history of an art form that continues to draw us in.
The Service That Makes Shame A Productivity Hack
Part social network and part virtual co-working space, the new service Focusmate suggests that accountability is the most powerful motivator to get work done.
Longevity Study Reveals Why Ancient Trees Can Stave Off Death
New research "can help us better understand the concept of time in biology."
The World’s Growing Concrete Coasts
The world’s coastlines are turning to concrete, at a huge cost to wildlife and the climate. But new technologies may offer a way to shore up coasts while benefiting biodiversity.
Why Are Humans So Curious?
Curiosity is a hallmark of the human experience. But why?
Everything Was Fake but Her Wealth
Ida Wood, who lived for decades as a recluse in a New York City hotel, would have taken her secrets to the grave—if her sister hadn’t gotten there first.
The Little Cards That Tell Police 'Let's Forget This Ever Happened'
Some cops give their friends and family union-issued "courtesy cards" to help get them out of minor infractions. The cards embody everything wrong with modern policing.
Quote of the Week:
“You miss 100% of the dogs you don’t pet.” – Unknown
Facts of the Week:
On 16 march 1945, bombs dropped by the British on Würzburg, Germany, destroyed 90% of the buildings in 20 minutes.
90% of Vietnamese share just 14 surnames.
90% of lobsters escape from lobster traps.
90% of film critics are male.
90% of world trade is carried by ship.
Cartoon of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
On each row place a three letter word that can be attached to the end of the word to the left and to the beginning of the word to the right, to give a longer word in each case.
When completed, the initial letters of the three letter words will give another word reading downwards.
What is it?
SHEEP _ _ _ HOUSE
DRAIN _ _ _ LONG
PEA _ _ _ SHELL
AIR _ _ _ POWDER
END _ _ _ NEST
OVER _ _ _ SACK
Last week’s Brainteaser and answer:
A thief enters a shop and forces the cashier to open the safe. The cashier says, “The code for the safe is different every day, and if you hurt me you’ll never get the code”. But the thief managed to guess the code on his own. How did he do it?
Answer:
The code to the safe is “different”.
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