Dovi’s Digest Volume 49
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual and physical needs
Ahoy! Welcome to Volume 49 of Dovi’s Digest.
Last week, I posted a relatively brief story about my late grandfather. For many people, this seemed to resonate. Not so much the moral of the story (unexpected things happen, do the things you’d like to do, because there’s no guarantee of tomorrow), but the story itself. We’ve all had to contend with loss in one way or another. Whether the passing of a loved one, a breakup, or doors closing on opportunities we had. Loss is a constant in human life, like change, its unavoidable.
But I won’t wax lyrical about it, because that’s not what you’re here for (not the reason for which you’re here is the correct way of saying that, but I sound like a pompous ass). You’re here for the interesting articles, great cartoons, brilliant brainteasers, and all the other detritus that I pick up on the internet.
To wit:
Last week, Coinbase, a cryptocurrency trading platform, went public, marking one of the first times a crypto exchange has gone mainstream. I came across their original pitch deck for VC firms, and I thought I’d share it with you here. Even though it looks rudimentary, it made its founders billionaires, so don’t judge a company by its slides.
Seeing as I have mentioned football (Americans, read: soccer) many times, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the debacle that was the European Super League. For those of you who didn’t follow it, a brief synopsis of it is that a few of the world’s biggest teams decided to create their own league, so they can make more money. There was huge backlash, and the whole thing folded, leaving all these teams with egg on their faces. The whole thing, from beginning to end, lasted less than 48 hours. Things that lasted longer than it include the Evergiven being stuck in the Suez Canal (six days), Britney Spears’ marriage to Jason Alexander (55 hours), and most likely the milk in your fridge. So much for changing the face of football.
FINALLY, yesterday was Earth Day 🌍, and I thought I’d just share a few facts about it:
The man who “founded” Earth Day was Senator Gaylord Nelson, but the person who named it was Julian Koenig, who liked the sound of it because it rhymed with “birthday”. Completely coincidentally (not really), 22 April was Julian’s birthday. He would have turned 100 yesterday.
Also, the first Earth Day in 1970 remains the largest single day protest in human history.
There were THREE correct answer to last week’s riddle, well done to Ivor Berger, Kevin Levy, and Ori Tobias! The answer, as always, is at the bottom.
There were so many articles that I wanted to include this week, and it was tough to cut it down. These are some of the winners. My favourite article this week is the one about the Soviet Lord of the Rings. I highly recommend taking 20 minutes and reading more about it. If you work it out, please can you explain Gandalf the Red to me. There are also family feuds, an explanation of how tiny a corona virus actually is, and why what sort of zips your gear has matters.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
All the best
Dovi
And now, the articles:
America’s Covid Swab Supply Depends on Two Cousins Who Hate Each Other
The pandemic brought the business opportunity of a lifetime to Puritan Medical Products of Guilford, Maine. But even a $250 million infusion from the U.S. government has done little to quell an epic family feud.
All the COVID Virus in The World Could Fit in A Can of Coke, Says Mathematician
(Courtesy of Eli Berkow)
British expert says his work shows just how much hardship and loss of life is being caused by miniscule viral particles.
Soviet TV version of Lord of the Rings Rediscovered After 30 Years
(Courtesy of Simon Apfel)
Russian-language film posted on YouTube delights fans with its rudimentary sets and ludicrous special effects.
Can You Still Transmit Covid-19 After Vaccination?
There's no evidence that any of the current Covid-19 vaccines can completely stop people from being infected – and this has implications for our prospects of achieving herd immunity.
Why YKK Zippers Are the Brown M&Ms Of Product Design
Look at the little details to judge overall gear quality. If a manufacturer invests in quality components, the product is probably quality as well.
The Promising Industry of Pet Food
There's a $100 billion industry behind kibble and other bits.
An Interview With the Man Who Keeps Uploading My Feet to WikiFeet
“I like the arches, that gets you turned on.”
Quote of the Week:
“Don’t listen to those who say ‘you taking too big a chance.’ Michelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor, and it would surely be rubbed out by today.
Most important, don’t listen when the little voice of fear inside you rears its ugly head and says ‘they’re all smarter than you out there. They’re more talented, they’re taller, blonder, prettier, luckier, and they have connections.’
I firmly believe that if you follow a path that interests you, not to the exclusion of love, sensitivity, and cooperation with others, but with the strength of conviction that you can move others by your own efforts—and do not make success or failure the criteria by which you live—the chances are you’ll be a person worthy of your own respects.” – Neil Simon
Facts of the Week:
When his sound system failed, mime artist Marcel Marceau canceled the performance.
The mayor of Bogotá hired 420 mime artists to shame traffic violators into driving better.
The aim of the sacred combat of the Moche people of ancient Peru was to knock your opponent’s hat off.
Peruvians are the world's fastest workers.
The Latin for “proud” is superbum.
“Bum” was defined in Dr Johnson's Dictionary as the “part on which we sit”.
The word kept “kleptomania” was coined in the 1860s because words like “robbery”, “theft”, and “larceny” were considered inappropriate for the upper classes.
A clank-napper was an 18th century thief who specialized in stealing silverware.
Headline of the Week:
(Courtesy of Elliot Djebreel)
Tweet of the Week:
Cartoon of the Week:
(Courtesy of Ariel Brom)
Brainteaser of the Week:
James is now half as old as Jim was six years ago. Three years ago, Jim was three times as old as James. In six years, Jim will be twice as old as James will be then. How old are they now?
Last week’s Brainteaser and answer:
Fill in the following word square using four A’s, three T’s, two each of the letter E, N, and R, and one each of the letters D, O, and S so that each word can be read across and down.
Answer:
(I had to look it up too, an anta is a type of column)
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