Dovi’s Digest Volume 56
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual and physical needs
Hi all! Welcome to Volume 56 of Dovi’s Digest.
I like the internet. It should be pretty obvious from the fact that I write an internet-based newsletter that I’m a fan. Pretty much my only source of articles are from the webbertubes and the cartoons are almost exclusively webcomics. The only exceptions are the riddles which come from the hardcopy brainteaser books I own. The web is fun because not only does no one have to see what you’re reading (a small anecdote from my real life: when I was living in London, to avoid judgement from fellow tube users, I would often cover my books in brown paper and just write on them “A Book”.), or what you’re writing, but it gives you basically all of humankind’s knowledge at the touch of a few buttons. However, many of us (read “I”) don’t use these wonders, but rather spend time watching vine compilations on YouTube.
I mention this because this week’s headline article is about the videos that help shaped pop/video culture, whether we like it or not. These videos have become a driving force in entertainment and have given us not only music stars like Justin Bieber (the most famous of the lot), Charlie Puth, Carly Rae Jepsen (all YouTube) or Shawn Mendes (Vine), but authors/film mavens (John Green, The Fault in Our Stars), models (Kate Upton), comedians (Bo Burnham, David Dobrik kinda) and miscellaneous (Jake and Logan Paul, who I honestly have no idea what they do, Mr Beast who makes tons of money for giving things away, and Charlie D’Amelio from TikTok who from what I can tell dances to clips of songs).
Most of the videos in the article I had seen before, others really surprised me, pretty much all are worth the watch. I particularly recommend Demi Adejuyigbe’s September 21 series and Bill Wurtz, neither of which I had seen before. Some are just downright weird (the ASMR flight attendant one), and I advise you proceed with caution. If you do enjoy this article, the series from which it is from is called The Masterpieces of Streaming. I enjoyed the Vine one, but you probably need a relatively deep knowledge of famous Vines to get it properly. I will say it is an egregious misstep and heinous miscarriage of justice that Wednesday My Dudes didn’t make the cut.
Lastly, every few months I do a running series of articles about the same subject, giving readers an overview of an interesting subject that can be difficult to research and/or curate. I have previously done Mars, and bank heists to name a couple. Over the last few months, the topic of UFOs has become more mainstream as the US military releases videos and pictures of these phenomena. There is a ton of information out there, some excellent, some wacky. To save you the time and effort, in the while I will be sharing one article a week about UFOs. I hope you find it interesting. Is there a subject that you believe deserves the same treatment? Please let me know by hitting reply to this email and I can add it to the list.
In this week’s edition, in addition to the above articles, we have the five-second rule in science, how Rafael Nadal keeps fit (apropos because today he is playing in the semi-finals of the French Open), why we drink too much, Bill and Melinda Gates’ divorce and how it’s about to get messy, and how some men who made props for the Allied forces fooled the Nazis with plywood and inflatables.
There were TWO correct answers to last week’s brainteaser, well done to Cheryl Geliebter and Ori Tobias!!! The answer and this week’s riddle are below.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
The Greatest Achievements in Dumb Internet Video
The genre of “Dumb Internet Video” has evolved considerably since connection speeds became fast enough for file-sharing.
Rafael Nadal’s High-Intensity Workout
The 20-time Grand Slam winner revamped his daily fitness regimen so he could keep on winning tennis tournaments well into his thirties.
5-Second Rule: Scientists Debunk Theory Backed by Genghis Khan
Just how scientific is this superstition?
Bill and Melinda Gates’s Epic Divorce Saga Enters Its Next Phase
The blow-up of a billionaire duo’s 27-year marriage was always going to be rife with drama. Now come the private investigators, rumours of affairs, and former employees chafing at NDAs.
America Has a Drinking Problem
A little alcohol can boost creativity and strengthen social ties. But there’s nothing moderate, or convivial, about the way many Americans drink today.
The Artists Who Outwitted the Nazis
In the two World Wars, painters were deployed to create optical illusions. Matthew Wilson explores how a camouflage unit and a 'Ghost Army' used misdirection in deception operations that helped lead the Allies to victory.
For Some Navy Pilots, UFO Sightings Were an Ordinary Event: “Every Day For At Least a Couple Years”
The shift – from kooky conspiracy theory to object of congressional enquiry – has accelerated in recent years, fueled by a revival of a Pentagon unit to investigate the sightings.
Quote of the Week:
“Human beings are always going to find interesting ways of making a mess of their lives. It’s human nature.” – Jack Nicholson
Facts of the Week:
Goldman Sachs complained to Microsoft for autocorrecting their name to Goddamn Sachs.
American Kitchen Foods tried to rebrand peas by shaping them into chips and calling them I Hate Peas.
Peas can be used to treat constipation in fish.
One-third of the fish caught around the world never get eaten.
During the Second World War, fish and chip shop managers were exempt from military service.
The Russian intelligence service keeps Hitler's teeth in a cigar box.
The UK has 50,000 self-service tills.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
(Courtesy of Jackie Labovitz)
Brainteaser of the Week:
Six and a half boys can eat six and a half pizzas in an hour and a half. How many pizzas could three boys eat in seven and a half hours?
Last week’s Brainteaser and answer:
Take the word “stepparents.” Rearrange the letters to spell two words that are opposites. What are they?
Answer:
Past and present. I know they’re not really opposites, so I apologise.