Dovi’s Digest Volume 35
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual and physical needs
Hello everyone, and welcome to Volume 35 of Dovi’s Digest.
Last week, there was a fact about the TV show Friends (In the ten seasons of Friends, the six main characters drink 1 154 cups of coffee.) Ariel Raff sent me the following message apropos that: “On average there are 4.89 cups of coffee drunk per episode, translating into 0.81 cups per [character]. In reality, this isn’t that amazing as the average person consumes two cups per day.” Thank you for this valuable insight and again proving to me that Friends is below average. (This is a hill I will die on, so come at me.)
There were two correct answers to last week’s riddle. Well done to Ariel Raff and Gilad Amar! The answer is below. With regard to this week’s brainteaser, it was created by newsletter reader Meir Brom. To sweeten the pot, he has offered the first person to reply with the correct answer, a prize of 0.0002 Bitcoin. So get cracking!
In this week’s edition, you’ll learn about flatulence in classic art, hidden modern day gargoyles that include Darth Vader and astronauts, and how to hack into the Australian Prime Minister’s airline bookings.
As I say every few weeks for my new readers, please send me articles, facts, cartoons, or in fact anything you find interesting to be included in the Digest, the weirder the better.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
All the best
Dovi
And now, the articles:
Pop Culture Gargoyles Hidden in Gothic Architecture
Bring binoculars.
The Hidden Toilet Humour in a Titian Masterpiece
The Venetian master’s Bacchus and Ariadne is an iconic portrayal of falling in love. But it could also contain one of the greatest depictions of breaking wind.
The Untold Story of Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell’s Visionary 1980s Tech Incubator
After bringing us Pong and Chuck E. Cheese’s, the legendary entrepreneur built a startup factory that tackled 21st-century ideas with 1980s tech.
A Big Mac Fortune: How Den Fujita Brought Global Brands to Japan
What I learned from the life of Japan’s outsider entrepreneur.
Fact Checking Is the Core of Nonfiction Writing. Why Do So Many Publishers Refuse to Do It?
Emma Copley Eisenberg discusses the dangers of authors being forced to hire their own fact-checker out of pocket. If they do so at all.
When You Browse Instagram and Find Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's Passport Number
(Courtesy of Elliot Djebreel)
Do not get arrested challenge 2020.
Three Great Mysteries About Life on Mars
How habitable was early Mars? Why did it become less hospitable? And could there be life there now?
Quote of the Week:
“The best portion of a good man’s life is his little nameless, unencumbered acts of kindness and of love.” — William Wordsworth
Facts of the Week:
The Tea Bag Boys, Yak Balls, Cecil Otter and Bus Driver are all names of professional rappers.
Every year, Britons use enough wrapping paper to wrap the moon.
If all the plastic in the world were cling film, it could wrap the Earth.
There is enough plastic in the world to make 25 000 Empire State Buildings, 80 million blue whales or a billion (with a B) elephants.
In some gulf countries, poetry competitions get better TV ratings than football matches.
Footballers at Sweden’s Östersunds Fotbollsklubb are contractually obliged to read Dostoevsky.
France has short story vending machines.
Tweet of the Week:
Cartoon of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Using only the common +, -, x, ÷ (no shtick or funny business), you have to use each number exactly once, and end up with final total of 24.
For example: 1,1,3,9
The answers could be (9+3)x(1+1), or ((9-1)x3)/1
The first person to find a solution to the following 5 numbers will win 0.0002 Bitcoin. (This is an honours system, so no internet or programming cheating. Pencil and paper at most.)
Peppadew: 2,2,2,7
Jalapeño: 5,6,6,9
Cayenne: 3,3,7,7
Habanero: 1,4,5,6
Carolina Reaper: 3,3,8,8
Last week’s Brainteaser and answer:
Omri says to Michal, "Can you figure out how many shwarmas I have in my fridge?" He gives 3 clues to Michal: If the number of shwarmas I have:
1) Is a multiple of 5, it is a number between 1 and 19.
2) Is not a multiple of 8, it is a number between 20 and 29.
3) Is not a multiple of 10, it is a number between 30 and 39.
How many shwarmas does Omri have in his fridge?
Answer:
32 shwarmas.
Let's apply all 3 conditions separately and put all possible numbers together.
First condition says that if a multiple of 5, then the number is between 1 and 19. Hence, the possible numbers are (5, 10, 15, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39)
Second condition says that if not a multiple of 8, then the number is between 20 and 29. Hence, the possible numbers are (8, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32)
Third condition says that if not a multiple of 10, then the number is between 30 and 39. Hence, the possible numbers are (10, 20, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
Only number 32 is there in all 3 result sets. That means that only number 32 satisfies all three conditions. Hence, Omri must have 32 shwarmas in his fridge.
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