Dovi’s Digest Volume 83
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello readers, welcome to Volume 83 of Dovi’s Digest.
At various points over the last year and a half, I’ve written about my family and, in particular, about my grandfather who died nearly 40 years ago. Although I never knew him, there was a definite hole left in my life where he would’ve fit in.
I tell you this because on Sunday morning I received some very sad news. I heard that the man who I consider my surrogate grandfather passed away. Simmy Lager was a special man, a man who wore many hats in his life. He worked as an engineer in Swaziland (now Eswatini) and Zimbabwe, was an avid walker who in his younger days would think nothing of a 20km stroll, and a keen handyman - there was nothing he couldn’t fix. He was fiercely independent, so much so that even at the age of 92 he insisted that he drove himself everywhere and stilled lived in a walk-up triplex with his wife Rebecca.
Most of all however, he was a family man. His pride and joy were his daughter Viv, and his granddaughters Jade and Tayla.
However, the biggest impact he had on me was through his Whatsapp and email chains. Almost every day, I’d receive an article or video from him, on a range of subjects. Simmy was one of the first recipients of the Digest, and one of its biggest champions. He would often send articles, would give me constructive feedback, and occasionally tell me that articles were too pretentious. He helped me shape this newsletter into what it is today. I will really miss his infectious sense of humour, his advice, and his complete lack of filter. Most of all though, I will miss his belief in me, and his conviction that I could do anything I want to.
There is no headline article this week, however the top article is about surfing goats, and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
There were FOUR correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to David Greenway, Kevin Levy, Cheryl Geliebter and Dr Stanley Wolberg!!! The answer and this week’s riddle are below. It’s a real toughie in my opinion.
Your line up this week includes (but is not limited to) why putting your feet up makes your life better, reproducing robots, tessellation, and how engineering and a pair of bionic gloves gave a pianist back his ability to play. Enjoy!
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
Have a great week,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
Photos: Surfing with goats at the San Clemente Pier
When Dana McGregor would go surfing, his pet goat would cry while he was gone. So, he took her to the beach.
How to Rest Well
Taking a break isn’t lazy – learning to recharge is a skill that will allow you to enjoy a more creative, sustainable life.
World's First Living Robots Can Now Reproduce
(Courtesy of Dr Stanley Wolberg)
The US scientists who created the first living robots say the life forms, known as xenobots, can now reproduce – and in a way not seen in plants and animals.
The Satisfaction of Mathematically Efficient Christmas Cookies
If only there were a cookie-cutter solution.
Spain's Untapped “Liquid Gold”
For centuries, people have tapped pine trees to extract resin. But in one Spanish province, locals believe this age-old practice could save rural towns while also helping the planet.
Violence On Planes Is at An All-Time High. Flight Attendants’ Jobs Have Never Been More Dangerous
In a normal year, the FAA investigates fewer than 200 incidents of unruly behaviour. This year, even before the holiday travel season, that number is 990.
How the Maestro Got His Hands Back
A lifetime of brutal injuries and misfortune robbed the world-renowned pianist João Carlos Martins of the ability to play his instrument. And then along came an eccentric designer and his bionic gloves.
Quote of the Week:
“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.” – Epictetus
Facts of the Week:
Pangolins have no teeth; they grind food in their stomachs by swallowing small stones.
The Makira people of the Solomon Islands, use flying-fox teeth as currency.
Piranhas continually replace a quarter of their teeth at a time.
Piranhas bark.
There’s a train in Japan that barks like a dog to scare deer off the line.
Quaking Aspen trees produce their own sunscreen.
Pisonia trees lure birds to their death for no good reason.
Trees have a very slow pulse, expanding and contracting to pump water around their body.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Delete two numbers in each row so that the sum of each horizontal and vertical line is 30.
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
A man walks south for 3 miles
Then east for 4 miles
Then north for 4 miles
Then west for 2 miles
Then south for 1 mile
In which direction and for how far should he walk to return to his starting point?
Answer:
Two miles west.