Dovi’s Digest Volume 74
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Guten tag readers! Welcome to Volume 74 of Dovi’s Digest.
Benjamin Franklin famously said: “nothing is certain except death and taxes.” I venture that in this day and age this isn’t strictly true. Firstly, as we’ve seen from the Pandora Papers, taxes are far from a certainty. Secondly, I’d add scammers to the list. All of us have been touched by some sort of internet scammers at some point. Whether it’s a Nigerian prince trying to get rid of his millions, or your email (or a company that keeps it on record) being hacked, we’ve each been a victim in some way. For years I’ve fantasised about hitting back at these guys. Not by beating them and then turning them in, but rather taking advantage of them. Slowly building trust and a relationship, getting them more and more involved, and then BAM!!! Break their dark little hearts and maybe forcibly donate some of their money to charity.
Now, as much as I would like to do this, I don’t have the tech nous or even the patience to hit these guys where it hurts most. Thankfully, there is a sizeable vigilante group who does just this. They lure them in and hit right where it hurts most. This week’s headline article is about these people, who may not be the heroes we wanted, but are definitely the heroes we need.
If you enjoyed the article (or even if you didn’t), I also recommend Mark Rober’s video about glitterbombing scammers (Glitterbomb Trap Catches Phone Scammer (who gets arrested)) which I’ve linked here. Mark is a former NASA engineer who now creates super cool science projects on YouTube. It’s one of four channels to which I actually subscribe. If that doesn’t tell you how good it is, I don’t know what will.
Of course, not all of us enjoy sweet, sweet revenge. As such, there are of course the normal mix of articles in this week’s edition. There are ancient skyscrapers, a hamster who trades bitcoin, a garage door saga, the law of big numbers and what it means for us as humans vis a vis other intelligent life (this one is a must read), as well as a few others.
A quick addendum to last week. The Headline of the Week was attributed to two people and a third unknown. That unknown is none other than David Greenway. I apologise for the oversight!
There were ZERO correct answers to last week’s brainteaser, well done to ME!! I’ll leave it up for another week, as well as putting up a lateral thinking puzzle that Ivor Berger sent to me.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
Who Scams the Scammers? Meet the Scambaiters
Police struggle to catch online fraudsters, often operating from overseas, but now a new breed of amateurs are taking matters into their own hands.
Mick Jagger Went to A Dive Bar in Charlotte and Literally Everybody Missed Him
One of the world's most recognizable men walked into a beer joint and nobody recognized him. Here is how that happened, according to the people who were there and the owner who's mad that he wasn't.
This Hamster's Cryptocurrency Portfolio Is Beating the Market
(Courtesy of Jackie Labovitz)
How two guys, a hamster, and some tunnels are beating professional investors at their own game.
We Got a New Garage Door. It Came with An Epic Story
When a company says something won’t be a problem, they’re often lying.
Mapped: The 50-Year Evolution of Walt Disney World
How Hollywood came to Florida.
Yemen's Ancient, Soaring Skyscraper Cities
Constructed using natural materials, Yemeni high-rises are superbly sustainable and perfectly suited to the hot and dry Arabian desert climate.
The Fermi Paradox
Everyone feels something when they’re in a really good starry place on a really good starry night and they look up and see the endless expanse above them. Some people stick with the traditional, feeling struck by the epic beauty or blown away by the insane scale of the universe. Personally, I go for the old “existential meltdown followed by acting weird for the next half hour.” But everyone feels something.
Physicist Enrico Fermi felt something too— “Where is everybody?”
Quote of the Week:
"I belong everywhere I go, no matter where it is, or who I am with, as long as I never betray myself. The minute I become who you want me to be, in order to fit in and make sure people like me, is the moment I no longer belong anywhere.” — Brené Brown
Facts of the Week:
Vellichor is the strange wistfulness of a second handbook shop.
Jólabókaflóð is Iceland's official book buying season, which runs from September to December.
Winners of the Diagram prize for the “Oddest Book Title of the Year” Include Living with Crazy Buttocks and Cooking with Poo.
Barbara Cartland insisted on including the title of every one of her 723 novels in her Who's Who entry.
The library at Balmoral Castle is heated by a two-bar electric fire.
Every year, 100 American firefighters are arrested for arson.
Firefighters used to shout “hi yi, hi yi, hi yi” as they ran to a fire.
Fireman Sam's full name is Samuel Peyton Jones.
Postman Pats full name is Patrick Clifton.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
A clock was correct at midnight. From that moment it began to lose four minutes per hour.
The clock stopped two and a half hours ago showing 10:16 am.
The clock runs for less than 24 hours.
What is the correct time now?
Bonus Extra!
(Courtesy of Ivor Berger)
Everyday a person gets into a lift on the 35th floor of an apartment building and presses the G button. They then alight on the ground floor. In the evening they get in on the ground floor and press the button marked 22. They alight on the 22nd floor and walk up to the 35th floor. Why?
Last week’s Brainteaser and answer:
You gotta solve it first!