Dovi's Digest Volume 95
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Hello all! Welcome to Volume 95 of Dovi’s Digest.
I like to think. It should be pretty obvious to those that read the digest as, well, much of it is about thinking. Thinking in general is a pretty good thing. It allows us to be critical of the world around us, allows us to discern what the outcomes of a particular situation are, and may even cause us to choose logical paths. There are downsides to thinking too. My personal favourite and strength is overthinking. Especially when it’s a totally trivial decision. Of course, many people these days have eschewed thinking entirely and have rather chosen to just react to things. But that’s a topic for another day. Most things that force me to think I enjoy. In particular games. Whether its strategy, general knowledge, or just plain world domination, I love any and all board games and the like. One thing I never really took to though was the mother of all strategy and thinking games, chess. I’m not quite sure why. Maybe it’s the long learning curve to gain proficiency. Or the time it takes and how long it requires me to sit still. Most likely though is that from when I was around 11, my little brother was handily beating me four times out of five.
Many months ago, I included an article about chess, and how grandmasters burn thousands of calories by just sitting there (I still don’t quite understand it). It of course referred to the current golden boy. Any chess article worth its grain in salt has to mention Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian grandmaster. He’s the undisputed (citation needed) king of the chess world at the moment (and possibly the GOAT. Although Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov would probably have something to say about that). He’s won the last few world championships and has been ranked 1st in the world since 2011. He almost never loses. Yet, just a few weeks ago a 16-year-old Indian wunderkind beat Carlsen in an online tournament. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa isn’t a newcomer on the world stage. In fact, he attained the rank of grandmaster at the age of 12 years and ten months (the second youngest ever at the time. He now sits 6th on the list). This week’s headline article is from 2018, and is an in-depth bio on Rameshbabu, and how while being world famous, he’s just trying to be a kid at the same time.
Another article I’d like to draw attention to is the one about the Endurance. A ship from an epic journey (and escape) lost at sea for 107 years was finally found 3km beneath the Antarctic Ocean. The story of Shackleton’s expedition itself is the stuff of legends. Of course, being the intrepid armchair explorer that I am, I’ve been interested in it for years. Finding his ship was one of the holy grails of salvage. The article is about the ship and the team who finally found it. Also, here’s the official press release from the expedition, Endurance22.
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There were EIGHT correct answers to last week’s brainteaser. Well done to Chaim Ehrlich, Dovi Joel, Ariel Subotzky, Kevin Levy, Rafi Moskovitz, Shmuel Moch, and Yisroel Greenberg. The answer and this week’s riddle are below.
If chess or old wooden ships don’t catch your fancy, we have many other articles handpicked just for you. There’s a photo essay about the highest peaks in the world. Why time passes faster at different altitudes. Or you can learn about the ins and outs of very very loud car radios. Or if you’re an excel person, find out how a Tiktok for excel tips has turned into a successful business. And if none of these grab you, you’ll for sure be interested in the man who has spent his life undercover in some of America’s *ahem* less salubrious organisations.
Praggnanandhaa: The Boy Who Could Be King
It's a 14-letter name that may command the full use of your tongue. The generous smattering of syllables could challenge even the most prodigious spelling bee champs. And yet, it's one the chess world's talking about and struggling to get right.
Endurance: Shackleton's Lost Ship Is Found in Antarctic
(Courtesy of Cheryl Geliebter)
Scientists have found and filmed one of the greatest ever undiscovered shipwrecks 107 years after it sank.
Take A Peak: The Mountains and Mysticism of Nepal – In Pictures
Despite no real climbing experience, photographer Bastiaan Woudt went in search of the Himalayas highest peaks… and himself.
“Time Is Elastic”: Why Time Passes Faster Atop A Mountain Than at Sea Level
The idea of 'absolute time' is an illusion. Physics and subjective experience reveal why.
The Secret World of Competitive Car Audio
Some of the flashiest cars you’ll ever see are lining up in lanes at one of the world’s greatest drag-racing tracks, preparing to race to the finish. But the drivers and spectators don’t care who crosses the finish line first. This competition isn’t about who’s the fastest — it’s about who’s the loudest.
How An Excel Tiktoker Manifested Her Way to Making Six Figures A Day
Taking an unconventional route to a conventional business.
He Spent 25 Years Infiltrating Nazis, the Klan, and Biker Gangs
Scott was a top undercover agent for the FBI, putting himself in harm's way dozens of times. Now, he’s telling his story for the first time to sound the alarm about the threat of far-right extremists in America.
Quote of the Week:
“I want to try to learn from the mistakes of others, the epiphanies of others, and the insights of others.” – Shane Parrish
Facts of the Week:
When ducks sleep in a row, the ones at either end sleep with their outside eyes open, looking for predators.
Fish swim faster in city rivers than in country rivers.
The first English reference to fish and chip shops called them “a considerable source of nuisance”.
Shops sell more clothes if their mannequins have heads.
Shrews’ heads are 20% bigger in the summer than in winter.
The pen-tailed tree shrew’s entire diet is fermented nectar containing up to 3.8% alcohol.
Alcohol helps you speak foreign languages better.
The International Bartenders Association recognises only 77 cocktails.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
A car covers its outward journey at 66 mph.
It returns, over exactly the same distance, at 33 mph.
What is the car’s average speed over the entire journey?
Last week’s brainteaser and answer:
I am an alloy.
Change one letter and I am pastureland.
Change another letter and I am a hard, transparent substance.
Change a further letter and I am a group of pupils.
Change one final letter and I am a confrontation.
What was I and what did I become?
Answer:
Brass and clash. (Brass> grass> glass> class> clash)