Dovi’s Digest Volume 85
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello friends!! Welcome to Volume 85 of Dovi’s Digest.
Well, just like that it’s the end of the year. To be perfectly frank, I don’t feel like 2021 was a year. It just feels like 2020 version 2.0. I’m not alone in feeling that of course. There are a multitude of memes and articles discussing this very thing. That being said, I’ve had quite a tumultuous and great year, with many things going wrong, but even more going right. And for that I’m very thankful. And one of the better parts is sitting down and writing this each week, reading your replies and comments, and curating the articles. Thank you all for being loyal readers, and I look forward to taking the Digest to new places in 2022.
Onwards and upwards!
In last year’s final edition, I compiled a list of the 10 most popular articles from all the newsletters. People did seem to like it, but the issue with them being the most popular is that many of you had already read all of them. So, I’ve gone in a slightly different direction (but just as much of a cop out) and compiled for you a list of lists of the best things of 2021. They’re pretty diverse (although that shouldn’t be a surprise), and as such there’s something for everyone, whether you’re into science, nature, inventions, or even dead people. Enjoy!!
There were FOUR correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to Jamie Cowland, Josh Todes, Hazel Levine, and Cheryl Geliebter!!! The answer and this week’s riddle are below.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming,
Have a great week, and happy new year,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
I’m Honestly Fed Up with All the Bad News, So I Illustrated 40 Of the Best Ones From 2021
We are often bombarded with fear-mongering and shocking headlines that make us feel that the world is falling apart. But there is so much good in this world that just needs to be found and promoted.
The Best Inventions of 2021
100 innovations changing how we live.
The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2021
Thrilling discoveries, hurdles in the fight against Covid and advancements in space exploration defined the past year.
12 Most Intriguing Animal Discoveries of 2021
(Courtesy of Cheryl Geliebter)
Here are our editors’ picks for the most compelling wildlife findings of the year, from ants that can regrow their brains to the world’s tiniest reptile.
52 things I learned in 2021
This year Tom Whitwell edited a book and learned many new things. Here’s some of them.
Why Do We Count Down to the New Year?
How the Doomsday Clock, a German Sci-Fi Film, and Dick Clark Got Us to “5-4-3-2-1”.
The Lives They Lived
Remembering some of the artists, innovators and thinkers we lost in the past year.
Quote of the Week:
“The willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life is the source from which self-respect springs.” — Joan Didion
Facts of the Week:
Skúffuskáld is Icelandic for someone who puts their poems in a drawer rather than publishing them.
Mbuki-mvuki is a Bantu word for “the irresistible urge to strip when dancing”.
Sisu is Finnish for “indomitable courage and persistence in the face of adversity”.
Uitwaaien is Dutch for “to take a bracing walk in the wind”.
Ancient Greek athletes had their spleens removed to help them run faster.
The verb “run” has 645 meetings in English.
At the 1932 Olympics, the steeplechase lasted 8.5 laps instead of the usual 7.5 because officials lost track of how many times the runners had been round.
In anonymous surveys, half of all athletes admit cheating.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
Candle stubs are being moulded into new candles.
Nine stubs are needed to make each new candle.
If there are 977 candle stubs, how many candles can possibly be made in total?
Last Week’s Brainteaser and Answer:
The store owner didn't want to be left with Christmas tree decorations. The box cost $40 originally, so he reduced it 20% on December 23. After Christmas, He reduced it another 50%. What would the box cost after Christmas?
Answer:
$16.