Dovi’s Digest Volume 63
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hiya all! Welcome to Volume 63 of Dovi’s Digest.
Last week, my intro was devoted to my love (and unhealthy watching habits) of the Olympic Games. It has been a productive week, where I have once again brushed up on my ability to differentiate between a piaffe, a half pass, and a half halt in dressage, remember the different rules of the three types of fencing (epee, foil, sabre), watching the gymnastics and alternating between “I could do that” and “are their abs made of steel?!”, and among all of this, be phenomenally disappointed with regard to South Africa’s performances. I won’t go into it as it gets me very riled up, but from the pool to the rugby field, it’s been pretty underwhelming.
Because I was so caught up in the wonders mentioned above, I completely neglected to mention something that is also close to my heart, and the impetus for this week’s lead article. Last Friday, the first episode of the show Ted Lasso dropped. For those of who haven’t heard of it, briefly, it is the story of a ridiculously optimistic college (American) football coach from Kansas being recruited to manage a Premier League (real) football team. TL is the show that world needed in August last year, when covid was raging and people were locked indoors. This wholesome show scratched many people’s itches. With Jason Sudeikis (SNL) playing the title character, and Bill Lawrence (Scrubs) running the show, I gravitated towards it like a bee to honey. If you’re looking for a feel-good show, that has a decent storyline and excellent acting, then Ted Lasso is for you. I must add that this message was not paid for by AppleTV+, even though this newsletter with 500 subscribers is known as one of THE publications that determines whether shows live or die.
In this week’s edition we carry on the Olympic theme (to a degree). Before this week, the 2020 Olympics were viewed very negatively in Japan. Although with Japan sitting second in the medal table at the time of writing, that tide is beginning to change as the Olympic spirit takes hold. Nevertheless, the article below covers why and how the Games were the opposite of a uniting factor. There are also articles about personal data doxing, drug addicted fish, and a legendary electrician, amongst others.
There was ONE correct answer to last week’s brainteaser, well done to Kevin Levy!!!There was a typo in last week’s brainteaser, as I put the tunnel length as one mile instead of one kilometre. As a result, I accepted answers for both lengths. This proved unnecessary as only one person answered correctly, but nevertheless, I wanted to set the record straight. 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:
Jason Sudeikis Is Having One Hell of a Year
He got famous playing a certain kind of funny guy on SNL, but when Jason Sudeikis invented Ted Lasso, the sensitive soccer coach with the earnest moustache, the actor found a different gear—and a surprise hit. Now, ahead of the show’s second season, Sudeikis discusses his wild ride of a year and how he’s learning to pay closer attention to what the universe is telling him.
Tokyo’s Olympics Have Become the Anger Games
The Olympics are supposed to be a symbol of global togetherness, but Tokyo’s are shaping up to be the least wanted in history.
The Inevitable Weaponization of App Data Is Here
A Substack publication used location data from Grindr to out a priest without their consent.
Why are transgender Olympians proving so controversial?
The science suggests males retain an advantage over females, no matter how they identify.
Why Fish Are Becoming Addicted To Illegal Drugs
Trout enjoy water that contains methamphetamine – could this lead to them loitering around sewage pipes?
Road Warriors
(Courtesy of Ori Tobias)
How American SUVs are now bigger than the tanks that fought in World War II.
The Amazing Tale of José Epita Mbomo
The Spanish electrician who sabotaged the Nazis.
Quotes of the Week:
“All I’ve done is run fast. I don’t see why people should make such fuss about that.” – Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch sprinter who won four gold medals at the 1948 Olympics
“An Olympic medal is the greatest achievement in honor that can be received by an athlete. I would swap any World Title to have won gold at the Olympics.” Jeff French, Australian boxer, 1984 Olympics
“There is something in the Olympics, indefinable, springing from the soul, that must be preserved.” – Chris Brasher, gold medal winner in 1956 (where he was disqualified, reinstated, and then received his medal very drunk), and pacer for Roger Bannister when he ran the first four-minute mile.
“To anyone who had started out on a long campaign believing that the gold medal was destined for him, the feeling when, all of a sudden, the metal has gone somewhere else is quite indescribable.” – Lord Sebastian Coe, British runner after losing the 800m final in 1980.
“I touched the wall and all my dreams, hopes, and ambitions basically coalesced into one moment.” – Australian swimmer Duncan Armstrong on winning gold and setting a new world record in 1988
Facts of the Week:
Because Sweden is going cashless, Swedish criminals have been reduced to stealing owls.
Australian Bassian thrushes use their farts like leaf blowers to uncover worms.
Giant predatory hammerhead worms from Asia are invading France.
At the time of the French Revolution, only half the population of France spoke French and only one in eight could speak it well.
One in eight young Britons are either bloggers or vloggers.
Steve Jobs never learned to code.
The documentary Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? was found on Osama bin Laden’s computer.
Brian Eno used an apple Mac to compose the startup music for Windows 95.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
A snail travels to his favourite vegetable patch at 110cm per hour.
After munching through the veg, it returns, over exactly the same distance at 73.3333cm per hour.
What is the snail's average speed over the return trip?
Last week’s Brainteaser and answer:
A 400-metre-long train, travelling at 30 kph, enters a one-kilometre-long tunnel.
How many seconds will elapse between the moment the front of the train enters the tunnel and the moment the end of the train clears the tunnel?
Answer:
147.2727