Dovi’s Digest Volume 79
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hiya! Welcome to Volume 79 of Dovi’s Digest.
A few times over the last year and a half, I’ve written about memory and nostalgia. Whether it was about my parents, my grandfather, or just when the good times lasted forever.
I have a good memory. It seems to specialise in random facts, but I’m also good at names, birthdays, and remembering every mistake I’ve made since I was five.
But memory can be a fickle thing. Our version of the same event is most likely different to a family member’s version, and how much more so than a stranger’s. I distinctly remember watching the Rugby World Cup finals in 1995 and seeing South Africa win. However, seeing as my family is religious, and it was a Saturday, the TV would not have been on. The thing I do remember for sure is watching the specially commissioned SAA 747 that was to be used for the Atlanta Olympics doing a fly over. It was an awesome experience as our flat was near the stadium and the plane was hella low.
This week’s headline article is partially about these manufactured memories, and how what we remember and what we are told can often meld together, distorting the real version of events. This isn’t a problem for something relatively benign like a rugby match. But what about when we’re testifying in a court case, and our version of events is different from someone else’s? However, what it’s more about is Elizabeth Loftus, her work on memory, how her experiences affect her, which in turn affects those arounds her. It’s a story that full of twists and turns, one which I really enjoyed, while also being slightly horrified. I hope you get something out of it too.
Although it isn’t an article, I truly adored this series of pictures of remarkable trees around the world. It would be wrong of me to deprive of this majesty. Let me know which one is your favourite, mine is the coastal redwoods.
There were ZERO correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to No one!! The answer and this week’s riddle are below.
In addition to taking advantage of malleable memory, there are your usual collection of varied articles. This week you can read about how the Soviet Union was actually really bad (despite the way some view it today), the Jeff Bezos of drugs, HUUUGE waves, a scientists life mission to help cure a disease that affected his father, how brands play to our aspirations, and the downfall (or not) of celebrity law professors. Enjoy!
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
How Elizabeth Loftus Changed the Meaning of Memory
The psychologist taught us that what we remember is not fixed, but her work testifying for defendants like Harvey Weinstein collides with our traumatized moment.
Yes, It Was An “Evil Empire”
(Courtesy of Dr Stan Wolberg)
Nearly every form of Soviet nostalgia gets the facts wrong.
He Can’t Cure His Dad. But a Scientist’s Research May Help Everyone Else.
The muscle wasting disease that has debilitated Sharif Tabebordbar’s father motivated a life in science that led to an important medical discovery.
The Tiger Mom and the Hornet’s Nest
For two decades, Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld were Yale Law power brokers. A new generation wants to see them exiled.
How A Portuguese Fishing Village Tamed A 100ft Wave
Nazaré used to be a beach resort that emptied in winter. Now it's the epicentre of big wave surfing due to the skyscraper-sized waves generated by Europe's largest underwater canyon.
People Don’t Buy Products, They Buy Better Versions of Themselves
What Apple, Samsung, and Starbucks learned from Pepsi.
The Company Man
Tse Chi Lop, is known as the Jeff Bezos of the international drug trade, and is the suspected ringleader of a $21-billion crime syndicate. He may be the world’s most innovative drug lord.
Quote of the Week:
“The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools.” – Thucydides
Facts of the Week:
Male proboscis monkeys are more likely to attract a large harem if they have big noses.
Your nose looks 30% bigger in a selfie than in a photo taken from 5 metres away.
Robotic noses smell more efficiently if filled with fake snot.
Saudi Arabia was the first country to grant citizenship to a robot.
Senior citizens in New Zealand can join “coffin clubs”, where they meet up once a week to make and decorate their own coffins.
Homeless Victorians could pay 4 pence to sleep in an unused coffin for the night.
The first meat pies were called “coffins”.
Pie Town, New Mexico, got its name when a prospector who had failed to find gold sold dried-fruit pies to cowboys instead.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
(Courtesy of Ori Tobias)
Brainteaser of the Week:
How many triangles can you find?
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
What two words, formed from different arrangements of the same 6 letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?
The title of the appealing little magazine defines the colourful drawings as amusing but comprehensive, in short, ______ ______.
Answer:
Cosmic comics.