Dovi’s Digest Volume 42
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual and physical needs
Hi all, and welcome to Volume 42 of Dovi’s Digest.
I’ve been asked many times “Dovi, how do you get through such a large volume of articles, surely you don’t read every one?” In fact I do. There is the occasional piece that I will skim through. I then feel bad about doing all of you a disservice, have to trawl back through my history to find that particular article, not allow myself to be distracted by all the open tabs I have (265 and counting, for those of you who want to inject anxiety into your lives), and finally read the article. The answer to the question is far simpler. The secret, dear reader, is to have work that doesn’t keep you occupied and to not sleep that much. Trying to pretend I’m smarter and more educated than I am doesn’t factor into it.
A couple weeks ago, I posted two interactive infographics, one about the distance to Mars, and one about the depth of the sea. I got a good amount of positive feedback from them, and as such I’ve linked another one here. It’s called An Ocean of Books. Each genre is divided up into archipelagos, with each island representing a particular author. Find your favourite author’s island and discover similar ones near them, so you can widen your horizons, but not too much. It’s a great way to pass 15 minutes. I recommend doing it on a computer as the mobile site is a little niggly.
In world news, things happened, some famous people died, and sports teams sported.
There was one correct answer to last week’s riddle, well done to Hazel Levine! This week’s riddle is below. Additionally, I missed a correct answer two weeks ago, well done to Simon Myerson!!
In this week’s edition there are a few, “archived” articles. I.e., ones that are several years old. One (Murder in Malta) has some relevance as more people were arrested two weeks ago. The Katie Ledecky article was written before the Rio Olympics, and most of the predictions proved accurate. Katie is still a class above everyone else and is planning to compete at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
My personal favourites this week are the spy plane and the tuna stories. Between cold war espionage and sushi, what’s not to like?
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
All the best
Dovi
And now, the articles:
How Katie Ledecky Became Better At Swimming Than Anyone Is At Anything
“She’s the greatest athlete in the world today by far.”
How Did a Shark in a Sydney Aquarium End Up with a Human Arm?
(Courtesy of Ori Tobias)
It opened its mouth and a murder mystery came out.
Murder in Malta
After a journalist was assassinated, her sons found clues in her unfinished work that cracked the case and brought down the government.
The Veteran Spy Plane Too Valuable To Replace
Satellites – and drones – were intended to replace it. But the 65-year-old Lockheed U-2 is still at the top of its game, flying missions in an environment no other aircraft can operate in.
The Most Daring Aerospace Innovations of 2020
(Courtesy of Simmy Lager)
They’re the best of what’s new.
The Trap
The Venus flytrap grows only in the swamps around Wilmington, North Carolina. Are laws against poaching it too harsh?
A Tuna’s Worth
Bluefin tuna are a luxury that feeds the egos of many, the bellies of few. Inside a Canadian fishery that pursues them.
Quote of the Week:
One lesson I’ve learned is that if the job I do were easy, I wouldn’t derive so much satisfaction from it. The thrill of winning is in direct proportion to the effort I put in before. I also know, from long experience, that if you make an effort in training when you don’t especially feel like making it, the payoff is that you will win games when you are not feeling your best. That is how you win championships, that is what separates the great player from the merely good player. The difference lies in how well you’ve prepared.” — Rafael Nadal in “Rafa”
Facts of the Week:
There is a basketball court on the top floor of the US Supreme Court Building. It’s known as the “highest court in the land.”
Gaspare Tagliacozzi, the pioneer of the nose job, developed his skills at a clinic called the Hospital of Death.
The surgeon at the Battle of the Sierra Negra averaged one amputation every four minutes.
Plastic surgeons are eight times more likely to have plastic surgery than the rest of us.
People who drink seven cups of coffee a day are more likely to think they sense the presence of dead people.
Poltergeist is German for “noisy ghost”.
Pluto’s moon, Charon, was named by the discoverer after his wife Char(lene).
Names of Greek ocean gods included Poseidon, Triton, Oceanus, and Doris.
In 2006, a Greek court ruled it was no longer illegal to worship Greek gods.
Tweet of the Week:
Cartoon of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
A clock was correct at midnight.
From that moment it began to lose one minute per hour.
The clock stopped 90 minutes ago showing clock 16:43
What is the correct time now?
The clock runs for less than 24 hours.
Last week’s Brainteaser and answer:
The following letters can be arranged to give four words (one being a proper noun).
What are the words?
EELRSTT
Answer:
Letters, settler, sterlet and trestle.
Did someone forward you this email?
Lucky you, they obviously think you’re clever.
Is there something you particularly liked or didn’t like? Just reply to this email!