Hello, you ravenous reader!

And welcome to October! Let's take a moment to appreciate the German language, which has a word to describe the unnerving sensation that time is accelerating or moving unusually fast - Zeitraffergefühl.

Words are a wonderful thing, so today we treat you to a linguists approach to the pronunciation of Gif, a list from 1911 about marriage, Dave Trott's argument against university thinking, and more!

Big love,
Chris & the 42courses team

• Advertising is art, not maths: Dave Trott quotes Rory Sutherland in this fascinating breakdown of why most ads look like "so much wallpaper". 
   
• How stupid are you? In this very funny Youtube short, John Cleese breaks down the difference between intelligence and stupidity.
   
• It's pronounced GIF, not GIF: The ever delightful Tom Scott gives us the linguistics perspective on one of the internet's most amusing pronunciation wars.
   
• Do not marry at all: Written and printed in 1911, this is a list of advice to young ladies on the topic of marriage. It stands surprisingly well today.
   
• The joy of honest advertising: Dave Dye interviews the author of "A true story of the ridiculous attempt to make advertising more truthful" on this insightful podcast.

• 1675 - Dutch mathematician Christiaan Huygens patents the pocket watch ⏱️
   
• 1883 - The Orient Express departs on its first official journey from Paris to Istanbul 🚂
   
• 1911 - 1st escalator installed on the London Underground at Earl's Court Station 🚉
   
• 1926 - Dahlia is officially designated as San Francisco city flower 🌁
   
• 1969 - Last wooden passenger subway cars retired at Brooklyn Myrtle Beach 🚋
   
• 1990 - US premiere of Fox TV's "Beverly Hills" 🍿
   
• 2012 - 7-time Formula 1 world drivers champion Michael Schumacher announces his retirement from racing at the end of the season 🏎️
   
• 2024 - Dakota Johnson turns 34 🥳