Dovi’s Digest Volume 45
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual and physical needs
Hello everybody! Welcome to Volume 45 of Dovi’s Digest.
Can a factory worker support a family of five in the suburbs on their salary alone? As a millennial, I am constantly told how we just need to work hard, save, and then we can buy a house (or car, or pay off debt etc etc). Now, although I am only slightly averse to hard work, the numbers these days just don’t add up. House prices have gone up 66% just in the last 10 years, while wages haven’t really changed. Things are just more expensive, and not only because of inflation.
So, for the first time ever, I’m recommending a podcast episode. The Indicator is Planet Money’s little brother, and is a daily podcast which covers everything from economics to fashion trends, all in less than 10 minutes. The podcast itself is excellent, however, this particular episode is called “Are the Simpsons Still Middle Class?” and covers what I’ve mentioned above, but in a much better way. Listen to it here.
Last week, I briefly touched on the NFT (Non-Fungible Token) craze that’s sweeping the world. Bidding closed this week on Jack Dorsey’s first tweet (i.e. THE first tweet), and it sold for $2.9m to a Malaysian based businessman, who, when questioned, compared it to buying the Mona Lisa. There was a lot of good feedback, and as a result, I’ve included an article about the Beeple sale (you know, the $69m one), which gives a bit of background on Mike Winkelman (Beeple’s real name).
My favourite article this week is how chess is winning the streaming war (kinda). There are also articles about delicious, maggoty cheese, impossible maths, and how to buy a parrot.
There were NINE correct answer to last week’s riddle, well done to Josh Goodman, Rabbi Sam Thurgood, Daniel Rabinovitch, Yona Kesler, Adam Frame, Hazel Levine, Ivor Berger, David Greenway, and Cheryl Geliebter! This week’s riddle is below.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
All the best
Dovi
And now, the articles:
How Chess.com Built a Streaming Empire
Twitch users watched 18.3 million hours of chess content in January, nearly as much as they consumed throughout 2019. Last week, chess even surpassed League of Legends, Fortnite and Valorant as the most-watched gaming category.
Casu Marzu: The World’s “Most Dangerous” Cheese
(Courtesy of Jackie Labovitz)
The secret? Maggots.
When Math Gets Impossibly Hard
Mathematicians have long grappled with the reality that some problems just don’t have solutions.
Want To Buy A Parrot? Please Login Via Facebook
In Bangladesh, there is no Amazon. There is no eBay. If you want to buy a dress or a crested finch from the comfort of your home, you have to use Facebook.
What If Central Park Were Home to A Massive Urban Farm?
A corner of Central Park was once home to a thriving Black community. Amber Tamm wants to honour the legacy of that neighbourhood with a farm to feed New York’s neediest.
A Hacker Got All My Texts for $16
A gaping flaw in SMS lets hackers take over phone numbers in minutes by simply paying a company to reroute text messages.
How Beeple Crashed the Art World
An N.F.T., or “non-fungible token,” of the digital artist’s work sold for sixty-nine million dollars in a Christie’s auction. It’s good news for crypto-optimists, but what about for art?
Quote of the Week:
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” —Warren Buffett
Facts of the Week:
The summit of Mount Everest was once part of the ocean floor.
There are over 200 bodies on Mount Everest, and they’re used as waypoints for other climbers.
The highest mountain on British soil is in Antarctica.
At Two Ocean Pass, Wyoming, a mountain stream splits into two: one flows into the Atlantic, the other flows into the Pacific.
In 1949 Mole Hill, West Virginia was renamed Mountain.
Joan Crawford was named by the readers of a movie magazine.
The Romans used to torture people by having goats lick their feet, which were soaked in saltwater. Goats like salt, and their tongues were rough enough that the skin would wear away. You’d be left with a wound with salt trickling in.
Most sitcom laugh tracks were recorded in the 1950s, so you’ve probably been listening to dead people laughing.
Tweet of the Week:
Cartoon of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Can you open the 3 digit lock using these hints?
682 – one digit is right and in its place
614 – one digit is right but in the wrong place
206 – two digits are right but both are in the wrong place
738 – all the digits are wrong
380 – one digit is right but in the wrong place
Last week’s Brainteaser and answer:
What number should appear next in this sequence?
5 13 29 61 125 ?
Answer:
253 (double the previous number and add three)
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